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Este y Eso

Manuel Ramos

COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO PIONEERS
The Colorado Society of Hispanic Genealogy has published Hispanic Pioneers in Colorado and New Mexico, and is celebrating with a reception at the Colorado History Museum, 1300 Broadway, Denver, on December 9 from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. More details at the Society's website.

PROPS FOR A HOMEBOY
Congratulations to Denver writer, director, musician and activist, Tony Garcia. Here's the press release:

"El Centro Su Teatro Executive Artistic Director Anthony J. Garcia has been awarded a $50,000 fellowship from the newly established United States Artists (USA).

Garcia, who was nominated by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC), is among the 50 fellows chosen by USA from over 300 nominees. USA selects fellows based on the nominee’s artistic quality, creativity, innovation, and risk-taking.

Garcia has been a member of Su Teatro since 1972 when he joined the company as a guitar player and singer. Garcia’s plays have garnered much critical acclaim including the Denver Post’s Ovation Award, the Denver Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, and the University of California, Irvine Chicano Literary Award. Garcia also received a directing fellowship from Theatre Communications Group in 1989, which allowed him to visit theatre groups across the country and solidify his standing as one of the Southwest’s preeminent theater visionaries.

According to USA, 96% of Americans value art in their communities and their lives; however, only 27% value artists. This paradox is one of the main catalysts for USA’s inception. Through this unparalleled fellowship program, USA hopes to encourage creative output in the United States in order to invigorate the economy and celebrate our most talented creative thinkers.

Garcia received his honor at a public reception at the Lincoln Center in New York on Monday, December 4. For more information please call El Centro Su Teatro at (303) 296-0219."

LUMINARIAS DE SANTA FE DRIVE
December 8: 13th Annual Luminarias de Santa Fe Drive. Get in the holiday spirit by joining this popular cultural event that will focus on the history, tradition, and architecture of Santa Fe Drive, also known as the "Gateway to Denver." Marvel at the Luminarias light bags adorning storefronts, traditional Mexican dancers, and local carolers while viewing art in more than 30 galleries and artists' studios.5-9 pm. Free. Santa Fe Dr. area between 5th and 10th Avenues MAP.303-534-9740

PISTOLERA
Daniela Capistrano tells me that she is a Chicana Associate Producer and avid reader of La Bloga, both of which sound cool to me. Daniela also says that she thinks the NYC folklorico band Pistolera delivers "strong, positive messages," that they just finished a West Coast tour, and that they will be touring Europe and the Southwest in the spring. Daniela shot a performance clip at a recent Pistolera CD release party, which you can watch here. The band does Cazador, a song that deals with immigrants and immigrant rights. Again, cool. Daniela will direct the band's first music video this month. Check out the clip, watch for the band.

Sorry, not much from me this week-- winter-like weather and winter-like blues slowed me down.

Later.

Los Dichos Moms

I came across an article about Los Dichos Moms, a group of about 80 moms who read weekly at elementary schools in the San Jose, CA area. According to the story in the Mercury News, Los Dichos de la Casa is a storytelling program where "the main activity is reading from books that reflect life in Latin America or immigrants' experiences in America. Hearing these stories in Spanish reinforces for the children that their heritage is important, the moms say. Hearing the stories read by real moms only enhances the experience." The article mentioned two books by Carmen Lomas Garza as examples of what stories are read to the kids: Cuadros de Familia (Family Pictures) and Making Magic Windows (an explanation of the craft of papel picado). This project not only enhances the educational process for the students but it gets the parents more involved in the schools, so much so that there is now consideration that the nickname might have to change since dads have expressed an interest in doing some reading. Sounds good.

Pursuit

The current issue of January Magazine features an excerpt from Pursuit (Henry Holt, 2006), the latest Inspector Espinosa mystery from Luis Alfredo Garcia-Roza. January says this about Garcia-Roza:

"Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza is a bestselling novelist who lives in Rio de Janeiro. The Espinosa mysteries have been translated into six languages. Pursuit is the fifth book in the series. The previous four titles are available in paperback from Picador."

And here's what January says about the book:

"A hospital psychiatrist feels he's being stalked by a patient. For as long as possible, he convinces himself that the young man is harmless, but when the doctor's daughter disappears and the patient goes missing too, he calls on Espinosa for help. Soon after, the patient turns up dead."

Check out the excerpt.

Hammett Prize Nominees

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers is pleased to announce nominees for their annual HAMMETT PRIZE for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a US or Canadian author. The nominees are as follows: John Brady, Islandbridge (McArthur & Company) Joseph Kanon, Alibi: A Novel (Henry Holt) Martin Limón, The Door to Bitterness (Soho Crime) Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men (Knopf) Don Winslow, The Power of the Dog (Knopf) A reading committee of IACW/NA members selected the nominees, based on recommendations from other members and the publishing community. The committee was headed by J. Madison Davis and included William Bayer, Cara Black, Lorenzo Carcaterra, and Ann Romeo. The winner will be chosen by three distinguished outside judges: André Aciman, author of Out of Egypt (winner of the Whiting Writer’s Award) and most recently editor of The Proust Project; Karen Rothmyer, managing editor of The Nation; and Lynn Slotkin theatre reviewer for CBC Radio’s Here and Now and editor of The Slotkin Letter. The organization will name the HAMMETT PRIZE winner on June 10, during the Bloody Words mystery conference in Toronto. The winner will receive a bronze trophy, designed by sculptor Peter Boiger.

RUDOLFO ANAYA

Lots of good news from Rudolfo Anaya. On February 26, The Tricentennial Matanza celebration honors Anaya at the Wine Festival Grounds in Bernalillo, New Mexico. The agenda for the day includes a traditional matanza menu, music and dancing, a cash bar, and the general good times of a New Mexican party. All proceeds (tickets are $10) benefit the Rudolfo Anaya Scholarship Fund, which supports "an Hispanic student enrolled in the MFA Creative Writing Program" at the University of New Mexico. This will be great time for a great cause. For more information, contact Sharon Ord Warner, Director of Creative Writing at UNM, swarner@unm.edu. The artwork above is Matanza by New Mexican artist Ray Martin Abeyta.


The best piece of news is that a collection of Rudolfo Anaya's short stories, representing thirty years of his writing, will be published by the University of Oklahoma Press in March. The title of the collection is The Man Who Could Fly And Other Stories. The press says: "Unlike his novels, which range broadly over the American tapestry, Anaya's short stories focus on character and ethical questions in a regional setting - from the harsh deserts of the American Southwest and northern Mexico to the lush tropical forests of Uxmal in the Yucatán. These tales demonstrate Anaya's singular attitude toward fiction: that stories create myths to live and love by." This sounds like one of those "must have" books. I note that this book is Volume 5 in the Chicana & Chicano Visions of the Américas series from University of Oklahoma Press. Now I have to find the other four volumes.

To top it all off, the University of New Mexico Press has published a new trade paperback edition of Anaya's initial dip into Chicano crime fiction, Alburquerque.This book won the PEN Center West Award for Fiction and marked the first appearance of Chicano private eye Sonny Baca.

So far, a pretty good year for the National Medal of Arts winner.

Congratulations to Daniel and Maruca Salazar

2005 Mayor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts
Free community reception Tuesday, Feb. 21, 5:30-7:30 pm in Ellie Caulkins Opera House at Denver Center Performing Arts Complex. 2005 recipients are Ron Henderson, co-founder and Artistic Director of Denver Film Society; artists Daniel and Maruca Salazar; Shadow Theater Company; and Ellie Caulkins, Honorary Chair of Opera Colorado, whose late husband, George, is also being honored at this event.