Chicano Messengers of the Spoken Word

The Chicano Messengers of the Spoken Word appear in Fear of a Brown Planet at El Centro Su Teatro on April 3, 2005, 2:oo PM, $5, 4725 High Street, Denver. FMI: 303-296-0219.

And while you are at El Centro or browsing the website look for info on the 7th XicanIndie Film Festival, April 7-10.

Bobby Seale Speaks

Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale will appear at the University of Denver on Wednesday, April 6, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. for an evening lecture. He will speak at Sturm Auditorium, 2000 E. Asbury Street in Denver. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the event is free. Donations will be accepted for a Speakers Fund.

This event is sponsored by the Multicultural Social Justice Organization of the Graduate School of Social Work in collaboration with the Center for Multicultural Excellence, GSA of GSSW, Graduate Studies Iliff Social Action Committee, Partners in Learning, National Association of Pan African Students, Social Justice Living and Learning Community, and Students for Africa.

Additional information, please e-mail Jaime at JRALL@DU.EDU.

Poetry, Books, Flowers

Speaking of poems and poets - April is National Poetry Month.

From the Tattered Cover Newsletter I picked up the following:

"Book & Lover's Day is a Spanish tradition begun in Barcelona, Spain in 1714. The celebration takes place in the Palacio de la Disputacion and throughout the city on Saint George's Day, which is also the anniversary of the death of Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (and the nearly simultaneous death of William Shakespeare). On this day in Spain, roses and books are exchanged as a gesture of "a rose for love and a book forever!"

The Tattered Cover is delighted to honor this lovely tradition. Complimentary roses and commemorative bookmarks will be available at all three stores on April 23, beginning at 9:00 am, with the purchase of any book; while supplies last."

Old Addicts

Esteban A. Martinez is a lawyer, teaches law students, and writes. (Man, where have I heard that before?) He has written a tough, unsentimental but very moving novel entitled In Memory Of Gods and Heroes, and you can learn more about that book at his website: www.ofgodsandheroes.com. I recently found out that Esteban also is a poet. One of his poems was published in the latest edition of The Colorado Lawyer, the "official publication of the Colorado Bar Association." And what a poem it turned out to be - ask a lawyer/writer to get poetic about the practice of law and no telling what might happen. In Esteban's case it's a gut-wrenching spotlight on the truth. He graciously has allowed me to reprint his poem.

Old Addicts

on the other side
of the plastic window
an old addict - late fifties, yellowed
says "yeah, yeah - I told them it was mine"
he didn't know it was stolen
the .380 in a shoebox under his bed

I actually believe, maybe
it will get him 32 years
regardless of my lawyering
if the judge has no discretion
and ATF and JUSTICE use theirs
to hide him from our hopes and dreams
for the third and last time.

Good Friday Art

The Denver Post highlights Spanish Colonial Art, Santos and Santeros in an article that begins:
"New York had the Hudson River School. Illinois spawned the Chicago Imagists. And California was home to Bay Area Figuration. But Colorado and New Mexico can lay claim to something that few other states can match - not just a movement but a distinctive, indigenous style with more than a 300-year history. Known today as contemporary Spanish colonial art, this predominantly religious work traces its roots to Spanish-controlled Mexico but took on its own distinctive look after the country received its independence in 1821."

Santeros y Santeras: Expanding Traditions
THROUGH MAY 8 Show of contemporary Spanish colonial art
Foothills Art Center, 809 15th St., Golden
FREE 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays (303-279-3922) or www.foothillsartcenter.org

Curious New Voices

An announcement from the Curious Theatre Company (Denver) -

This year, one of our guest instructors for Curious New Voices (the youth playwriting program) will be Pulitzer winner Suzan-Lori Parks. If you know folks between the ages of 15-21 who would be a good match for the 3 week intensive workshop, encourage them to talk to Dee here at the theatre for more details. She's at 303-623-2349 or dee@curioustheatre.org. Somehow it's really tough to get kids to apply and it's a phenomenal program.

Plus, tuition is fully underwritten this year- i.e. FREE (thanks to a matching grant from the Olsen-Vander Heyden Foundation and many individuals who have stepped up to help)

They'll need to apply by submitting a short play by June 1st.

I also have a great 5 minute DVD that explains the program. If I can send one to you for your consideration to present to a class, drop me a line.

For information on Suzan-Lori Parks go here.

She was the screenwriter of the recent TV adaptation of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Her Pulitzer-prize winning play Topdog/Underdog opened on Broadway with Jeffrey Wright and Mos Def in the leading roles. The Shadow Theatre will have the regional premiere of this play in June-July 2005.

Mare Trevathan
Marketing Director
Curious Theatre Company
www.CURIOUStheatre.org
303-623-2349

Playing through April 23rd:
PARIS ON THE PLATTE: The Remarkable Reign of Robert Speer

One Book, One Boulder, One Denver

I've already written about the selection of Sandra Cisneros's book Caramelo for the One Book, One Denver event. (Pedacitos y Pedazos, Friday, March 4, 2005.) So it's double cool that Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima was selected by Boulder for its One Book, One Boulder festivities, especially in light of the flap created by the high school principal in rural Colorado who banned the book. (Life In Colorado 2005, Thursday, February 3, 2005.) What a mistake that turned out to be and what a public relations nightmare for that school.

Boulder has an interesting series of events scheduled for Anaya including An Evening With Rudolfo Anaya, April 22, 7:30 PM, St. Julien Hotel Ballroom. Tickets are free (limit 2 per person; personal pick-up only; no reservations) and until they are gone can be picked up at the main entrance desk of the south wing of the Boulder Public Library (11th and Arapahoe) starting April 12.

Rudy Anaya is another treasure of Chicano culture we should support and acknowledge while he is still with us and, apparently, writing wonderful books. I haven't read his latest yet, Jemez Spring, but it is racking up super reviews. For example, the LA Times, the Albuquerque Journal, the San Antonio Express-News.

Meanwhile, Denver moves on with its One Book celebration. I am scheduled to be on a panel that will discuss Caramelo at the University of Colorado at Denver on April 4 from noon to 1:30 PM at the Auraria Campus Student Center. Other panel participants include Angel Vigil, educator and storyteller who specializes in the traditional stories of the Hispanic Southwest and Mexico; John-Michael Rivera, author and Assistant Professor of English at the University of Colorado, Boulder; Cate Wiley, poet and Associate Professor of English, University of Colorado at Denver; and Margarita Barceló, Professor of English and Chicana/o Studies at Metropolitan State College of Denver. Should be a good time.

And Yet More Best Books Of 2004

These books are from Publishers Weekly's list of The Best Books of 2004. There are dozens of books listed by PW; below are the Latino-themed. The comments are from PW.

Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories, Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)
Masterful stories about the lovers Maggie, girl mechanic, and Hopey, punk chick troublemaker, in the midst of the 1980s Southern California Chicano-youth and punk rock scene.

Traveling with Che Guevara: The Making of a Revolutionary, Alberto Grando, trans. from the Spanish by Luciá Álvarez de Toledo (Newmarket)
A moving, perceptive memoir recounting an eight-month-long South American tour that Granado, then a 29-year-old doctor, and Ernesto "Che" Guevara took in 1952.

Infinitas Gracias: Contemporary Mexican Votive Painting, Alfred Vilchis Roque; text by Pierre Schwartz (Chronicle)
Intensely moving work from Mexico City retablo master Roque and his sons; a deep introduction to a vital art of prayer.

Parenting with Pride——Latino Style: How to Help Your Child Cherish Your Cultural Values and Succeed in Today’s World, Carmen Inoa Vazquez (Rayo)
For Latino parents, a primer on how to raise children biculturally, from an expert in the field.

Well, Not Really A Cannon, Dude

Turns out that Hunter Thompson, Oscar "Zeta" Acosta's protegé, didn't actually say that he wanted his remains shot from a cannon. As reported in the Rocky Mountain News, he wanted his cremated remains to be shot out of an upside-down, sculpted mushroom perched on a 150-foot-high, double-thumbed fist. Much better. Some folks are trying to get this done. Ralph Steadman said, "Why not do that if you can?" I know I'd drive up to Aspen to see it.

Lalo Guerrero - Father of Chicano Music Dies

As reported in The Desert Sun, Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero, known as the Father of Chicano Music, died on March 17 at the Vista Cove assisted living facility in Rancho Mirage after suffering gradual declining health. He was 88. The Sun article is detailed, respectful and filled with good information about the man who gave us Canción Mexicana, Chicas Patas Boogie, Marihuana Boogie, I Love Tortillas (The Tortilla Song), No Chicanos On TV, and so many more that his complete discography numbers more than 700 songs and millions of records sold in Spanish and English. The Chicago Tribune also has a good article about Lalo. There isn't much I can add except that the man truly was a legend and an icon, and deservedly so. His music covered the spectrum from pachuco boogie to sentimental ballads to spoofs and satire. His fans included Cesar Chavez, Los Lobos, Cheech Marin, Luis Valdez, and a lot of us common folk. The Desert Sun has a site where people can post their memories or tributes - it's here at this link.

New Publications From Rolando Hinojosa

The esteemed Rolando Hinojosa sent me the following great news about reprints, a new book, short stories, so forth, and he says that there is more to come. Órale, Rolando.

Arte Público Press will release Rolando Hinojosa's Dear Rafe/Mi querido Rafa in June 2005. Hinojosa's newest work, We Happy Few, a comic novel with an academic setting, is set for a June 2006 publication. His essay, This Writer's Sense of Place, appears in the University of Texas Press publication Rio Grande, (2005) an anthology of Texas writers compiled by Jan Reid. Norton Publications' anthology Texas Literature from the Red River to the Rio Grande, compiled by Don Graham (2005), includes Hinojosa's The Gulf Oil-can Santa Claus. Prótesis, publicación consagrada al crimen (Madrid) published his detective short story, El puñal de Borges, (2005).

Call For Submissions

Daniel Olivas, writer and lawyer from LA, sends a message that he's putting together an anthology that will have as its theme a favorite of many writers, the seathing cauldron of soul and cariño - the City of Angels. Here's Daniel's call:

"I am editing an anthology of short fiction by Latinos/as in which the City of Los Angeles plays an integral role. I am interested in provocative stories on virtually any subject by both established and new writers. Stories may range from social realism to cuentos de fantasma and anything in between. Los Angeles may be a major 'character' or merely lurking in the background. I'd like to see characters who represent diverse backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, profession, age, sexual orientation, etc.

Preferred length: 500 to 5,000 words. Stories may be previously published (please indicate where). Chapters from novels will be considered if they can stand alone. Award-winning publisher is interested but wants to see final manuscript.

Please e-mail your story, using standard submission formatting, as a Word document to olivasdan@aol.com. In the e-mail, include your contact information, list of previous publications (if any), and the ethnicity(ies) with which you identify. Feel free to visit my Web page at http://www.danielolivas.com/.

DEADLINE: September 1, 2005."

More 2004 Books - Gustavus Myers Award Winners

Continuing a thread I started a few days ago, here are more outstanding 2004 books. My earlier list focused on fiction - these are non-fiction books that deserve attention. This information is three months old but I guess it does not hurt to reinforce worthwhile reads.

A major purpose of the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights is "the review and identification of outstanding books written each year about discrimination and bigotry, and ways to develop equitable future communities and societies." On Human Rights Day (December 10, 2004) the Center announced its 20th annual list of Outstanding Book Award Winners Advancing Human Rights. The award is co-sponsored by groups such as the American Friends Service Committee, NAACP, Poverty & Race Research Action Council, etc. There are some excellent reading choices in the list of winners and the honorable mentions and I recommend checking out the lists to help with your next reading selection.

I expect that readers of this blog will be interested particularly in the Latino books that made the Honorable Mention list. I could be wrong but I do not think any of the winning books deal specifically with Latino issues (although you might want to check out It's Test Day, Tiger Turcotte, by Pansie Hart Flood, a children's book about a stressed-out seven year old who has to signify his racial identity on a standardized test form - his parents are Indian and Latina). In any event, here are some of the 2004 books that the Myers Center selected for commendation (the comments are from the Center):

Migra Mouse: Political Cartoons on Immigration, Lalo Alcaraz - Refreshing look at the inconsistencies and contradictions in public perceptions of immigration, the border and mucho mucho mas. [Alcaraz is the LA cartoonist well-known for his La Cucaracha comic strip and as the illustrator for Ilan Stavans' Latino USA: A Cartoon History. Lalo's website is here].

Greasers and Gringos: Latinos, Law and the American Immigration, Steven W. Bender - The intersection between stereotypes and the law, with close attention to the role of mass media in perpetuating stereotypes.

American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons, Mark Dow - Exposes the "Catch-22" of immigration law practice and policy implementation.

"Is This English?": Race, Language, and Culture in the Classroom, Bob Fecho - About learning through process, and the inquiry-based process of learning.

The New Americans, Ruben Martinez - Stand-along companion to PBS documentary on seven families.

We Took The Streets: Fighting For Latino Rights With The Young Lords, Miguel "Mickey" Melendez - Part memoir, part polemic telling about the powerful voice in the 1960s of Puerto Rican self-determination.

Finally, one other honorable mention should be noted (and I swear I was not looking for this):

On The Justice of Roosting Chickens: Reflections On The Consequences Of U.S. Imperial Arrogance And Criminality, Ward Churchill - Challenges with historical detail the myth of the U.S. as a "peace-loving nation."

Manuel

Do The Europeans Know Something We Don't?

Well, yes, of course. They seem to be hip about everything from how to enjoy big meals at 11 at night to why sex and nudity are more civilized than sex and violence to why not to go to war in Iraq. But what I'm asking about now is Chicano Literature. I hear repeatedly how Chicano Literature is so respected and, yes, even read in Europe. There apparently are several European conferences and academic events that focus on Chicana and Chicano writers and writing. A few friends have made repeated visits to such happenings over the years (María Teresa Márquez and Rolando Hinojosa-Smith, to name a couple). I recently received a message from Dr. Ann-Catherine Geuder in Berlin. She tells me that she has published her dissertation, Chicana/o Literary Scene: Roads to the Public Since 1965 or Chicana/o Literaturbetrieb: Wege in die Öffentlichkeit seit 1965. Dr. Geuder spent months in the US interviewing several Chicana/o writers. Of course, she also read chingos of Chicano Lit. She put all that together in her dissertation and now has published it in German (she's looking for an English publisher). I've seen the table of contents and an English abstract. Hmmm.. some deep stuff going on with the literary homies and rucas. I hope to read the entire book one day. Dr. Geuder is the editor of Bloomsbury Berlin, a new imprint of Berlin Verlag, owned by Bloomsbury London.

So, what's the deal? (By the way, I'm open to invitations to travel to Sevilla or Paris or Naples, even Prague or Berlin, to talk about a hangdog Chicano lawyer who's appeared in a few novels set in the Southwest US. My passport is up-to-date.) Is it because of the "in the belly of the shark" thing? The "voice of the indigenous" thing? Maybe because the Chicano/a motif resonates with the European multicultural, multilingual reality? Any thoughts?

Manuel

Pedacitos y Pedazos - Promoting Literacy, Part II

In this column:
2004 Premio Atzlán
Other Books Published In 2004 That Deserved More Attention
Taking Stock

Rudolfo and Patricia Anaya 2004 Premio Atzlán Literary Prize
The Premio Atzlán is a national literary prize established to encourage and reward emerging Chicana and Chicano authors. Noted author Rudolfo Anaya and his wife, Patricia, established the Premio Atzlán in 1993. After a brief hiatus the program has been revived by the University of New Mexico Libraries in their honor.

The Premio is awarded to a Chicana or Chicano writer who has published no more than two books. The prize includes $1,000 and the winner is expected to give a reading at the University of New Mexico Libraries.

Many of the recipients are now nationally recognized authors of Chicana/o literature. Past award recipients include:
Sergio Troncoso (1999)(The Last Tortilla and Other Stories)
Ronald Ruiz (1998) (Giuseppe Rocco)
Pat Mora (1997) (House of Houses)
Wendell Mayo (1996) (Centaur of the North)
Norma Cantu (1995) (Canicula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en la Frontera)
Denise Chavez (1994) (Face of an Angel)
Alicia Gaspar de Alba (1993) (The Mystery of Survival and Other Stories)

Mary Helen Lagasse receives the 2004 Premio Atzlán Literary Award for her novel The Fifth Sun. The award ceremony is scheduled for March 24, 2005 in the Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. For more information, call (505) 277-5057.

Mary Helen Lagasse is a Chicana from New Orleans. Her novel tells the story of Mercedes Vasconcelos (among others), a young Mexican woman who migrates to the US in the 1920s and ends up in New Orleans. The book is unique in that it provides a look at the Mexican-American experience in a place other than the Southwest and during decades that many other Chicano/a novelists have ignored or dealt with only in passing. This novel also won the 2004 Mármol Prize (for best First Book of Fiction by a Latina/o Writer). Judith Ortiz Cofer, a judge for the Mármol Prize, said that "Mercedes is a trooper, a proto-feminist. Her journey is the hero's journey -- the path to enlightenment, with each hurdle she encounters increasing her self-knowledge and strength of character." The novel is well-written and creative, one of those books that sneaks up on a reader until the characters are firmly etched in the mind's eye.

Other books published in 2004 that deserved more attention
I'd like to recommend Every Night Is Ladies' Night by Michael Jaime-Becerra. This collection of interrelated short stories drew me in almost immediately. I found myself regretting, more than once, when a story ended because I wanted to stay involved with the characters and their day-to-day struggles. Although not a novel in the strictest sense, the stories are connected and the writing conveys a real feel for the continuity of the community and setting. The collection is filled with working-class fiction -- glimpses into the lives of hard-working, hard-loving folks who slap back when life lands one below the belt. The author is from El Monte, CA, and this guy can flat-out write. He has a wonderful ability to express a full range of emotions without appearing to work at it. In other words he makes it look easy, which in my view is the sign of a first-class writer. One thing some readers initially might find irritating but will soon disregard: most of the stories are told in the present tense. This is Jaime-Becerra's debut book.

A few other Chicano/a notables from 2004:
Crimson Moon, Lucha Corpi
The Horse In The Kitchen, Ralph M. Flores
Brother Bill's Bait Bites Back, Ricardo L. García
Devil Talk: Stories, Daniel Olivas (there's a great article about Daniel in the most recent Stanford Magazine - he has his own compelling story)

The next two received plenty of attention but I think are worth noting anyway:
The Devil's Highway, Luis Alberto Urrea
The Queen of the South, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (note, this is a Spanish author writing about a Mexican narca and for that alone it is worth reading. Of course, there's more to it than that).

Taking Stock
As we appreciate the current crop of Chicano/a authors, we get news that Octavio Romano passed away. Luis J. Rodriguez (Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. and several other books) pays tribute to one of the founders of Chicano Literature at this link. Rodriguez says, "Dr. Romano will forever stand as the leading light of Chicano letters. He had the vision and fortitude to go far beyond whatever existed before. He helped launch the careers of so many Chicano writers and artists in the literary publication El Grito, and later through his Tonatiuh Publishing."

And then, more negative news. Elizabeth (Betita) Martinez, Chicana activist, author and educator, has fallen seriously ill and needs the support of the rest of us. Martinez has published several books and many articles on social justice movements in the Americas. Best known is her bilingual volume 500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures, which became the basis for a video she co-directed. Other books include De Colores Means All of Us: Latina Views for a Multi-Colored Century, Letters from Mississippi and The Youngest Revolution: A Personal Report on Cuba.

There's a good bio of her at this link. This woman has led an incredible life. Check this out: a United Nations researcher on colonialism in Africa; an editor at Simon & Schuster; Books and Art Editor of The Nation. During the 1960s she worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the South and as its New York office coordinator. In 1968 she joined the Chicano movement in New Mexico, where she edited the movement newspaper El Grito del Norte and co-founded the Chicano Communications Center, a barrio-based organization. She has organized on Latino community issues, taught Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies in the California State University system, conducted anti-racist training workshops, and mentored youth groups. She ran for Governor of California on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket in 1982.

I know that a call was made for support for Ms. Martinez but I don't have any contact information about that. If someone can get that to me or La Bloga we will do what we can to help.

Manuel Ramos
www.manuelramos.com

Pedacitos y Pedazos - Promoting Literacy

One Book, One Denver
Much more about Sandra Cisneros, following up on co-blogger Michael's review of the play based on The House on Mango Street.

Denver Mayor Hickenlooper announced on February 24th that the One Book, One Denver selection for 2005 is Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros. Cisneros will visit Denver in April and will kick-off her stay with a reading and booksigning at the Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek on Monday, April 4 at 12:00 noon. As part of the build-up for the event, on Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m. at the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St., Denver, Brianna McLean of The Denver School of the Arts reads an excerpt from Caramelo. This is A Stories on Stage for Students production.

What some critics said about Caramelo:
"[A] multigenerational story of a Mexican-American family whose voices create a dazzling weave of humor, passion and poignancy." Salon.com.
''[E]nchanting. Soulful, sophisticated and skeptical, full of great one-liners ('I haven't cried so much since I got that $5 haircut at the beauty college'), it is one of those novels that blithely leap across the border between literary and popular fiction." The New York Times.
"The language of Caramelo is not difficult or abstruse, but it's thickly textured, and that's part of the appeal. That said, the novel is not some self-conscious writerly exercise. It's rich in character and action, people and passions. " The Houston Chronicle.

More Colorado Honors for Sandra Cisneros

The Evil Companions Literary Award is presented annually to a poet or writer who embodies the literary spirit of the West. The award pays homage to a group of Denver writers who met in the '50s and '60s to drink and discuss writing and the world, and dubbed themselves the Evil Companions. In 2005, Sandra Cisneros (Vintage Cisneros, Loose Woman, The House on Mango Street, Caramelo, Woman Hollering Creek) becomes the twelfth recipient of the Evil Companions Literary Award. The award presentation is scheduled for the Oxford Hotel in Denver on Wednesday, April 6, 2005. Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and a jazz ensemble kick off at 6p.m., followed by a presentation and book signing by Cisneros. Standard tickets are $50.00 (patron tickets and sponsorships are also available) and all proceeds benefit the Denver Public Library. Call 720-865-2051 or visit the website for tickets and more information.

Police force launches 'novel' reading effort

Thanks to the Sarah Weinman blog for the link to this story. The following is taken from El Universal Online.

NEZAHUALCÓYOTL, State of Mexico For more than 1,200 municipal police officers in the city of Nezahualcóyotl, the phrase "book him" has taken on a new meaning. Authorities in this sprawling suburb of Mexico City have launched an innovative new program that encourages city cops to participate in a read-a-book-a-month club. And according to Mayor Luis Sánchez Jiménez, the program has awakened a passionate interest in literature within the force.

"A police officer is not just a person who knows how to arrest criminals," explains Sánchez Jiménez, "but he or she is also a person who knows how to express themselves, how to behave respectably, and how to treat the public with respect."

He calls the reading program "a tool for creating better men and women" on the force. "Reading makes us better people and it gives us resources to lead more fulfilling everyday lives," he says.

The reading initiative in Nezahualcóyotl has attracted world-wide attention for its effort to promote literacy among police officers. News radio programs in Argentina, Colombia and Spain have run features on the project, and The Washington Post has also expressed an interest in the story. And as word of the program spreads, other cities are considering launching their own version of the program. "Radio Caracol (of Colombia) said in their broadcast that there is an interest in doing the same sort of thing in Colombia," says Roberto Pérez, director of the literacy project.

Mayor Sánchez Jiménez says that the city is planning a new angle to the reading program, in which citizens will be encouraged to donate books at their local police stations. He also made it clear that officers have strict instructions to limit their reading to their leisure hours reading while on the job is strictly prohibited, he says.

Sánchez Jiménez says that local officers have been especially taken by popular contemporary writers like Paco Ignacio Taibo II, whom he calls "our greatest figure in the 'black novel' genre." As a result, the mayor has invited Taibo II to come to Nezahualcóyotl and address the police force.

Taibo II is the author of a number of mystery/detective novels, including No Happy Ending, An Easy Thing, and Just Passing Through. He is currently collaborating on a detective novel with Chiapan Zapatista rebel leader Subcommandante Marcos.

Winter 2005 Issue of Pluma Fronteriza

"The Winter 2005 issue of Pluma Fronteriza is out. In it we honor the late El Paso writers Abelardo Delgado and Ricardo Aguilar. Also, we put out a Libros, Libros supplement. In the Libros, Libros we have the most comprehensive lis of "what's new" in Chicano and Latino Literature. We invite all writers, librarians, professors, etc who are not on our subscription list to join. We are paperless publication and subscription is free. If anyone is interested in receiving these two issues, please email plumafronteriza@msn.com. Please also make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system.

Sincerely, Raymundo Eli Rojas "

Manuel Ramoshttp://www.manuelramos.com/