El Paso Writers Update for Week of Oct. 18: Michael Luis Medrano to read, Saenz, Rechy, Mayo, Monsivais and more

UTEP Chicano Studies Anniversary Celebration tonight!

Presentation and Exhibit: “40^th Anniversary of Chicano Studies/Activistas Reunion” Speakers: José Medina, Carmen Rodríguez, Juan Contreras, Felipe de Ortego y Gasca and Dennis Bixler-Márquez. 6 p.m. Tomás Rivera Conference Center, Student Union Building East, Room 308. 

Michael Luis Medrano Interview and Reading 

Pluma Fronteriza posts an interview with Michael Luis Medrano tomorrow. He will read this coming Friday, “Bilingual Poetry: From South America to Aztlán, una noche con Michael Luis Medrano” 7 p.m. Student Union Building, Union Cinema. Sponsored by the Department of Creative Writing. Contact: (915) 747-5713.





Chicano Poetics group to form in El Paso


Those interested in a Chicano(a) poetics group in El Paso should attend a meeting at the Judge Marquez Library at 610 N. Yarbrough in El Paso's Eastside (well, Bel Air High School area for those of you who are territorial). 1:30pm, Saturday, Oct. 30.

Chicano(a) Sleuth On PBS Mystery, Isn't it Time?

Our survey on if PBS' Mystery did a show on a Chicano(a) sleuth, who should it be, did not get much response. But congrads to Manuel Ramos' Luis Montez who got 2 votes, which is more than then Anaya's, Nava's, and Corpi's who got none. I was asked to add the authors' names next to their characters because some of you did not recognize the names of the Chicano(a) sleuths. Ay Raza, Read! Anyway, a small kudo to Ramos. We'll try this survey again next year.

Raymundo Paredes on Higher Ed

Raymund Paredes was in the news. It's important because we have an someone advocating for student of color and the poor within the larger picture of public education in Texas. 

Educatonnews.org posted an article Middle-class students Hurting for College Scholarship Help. This is a repost of another article we posted, but I like how the Educationnews summarizes it: "Paredes said the downside of attracting students from lower-income families and backgrounds is that they tend to require more financial aid to stay enrolled in college. Much of the new growth attracted by the Closing the Gaps program were first-generation students, most of whom were Hispanic and/or whose families are in lower income brackets -- as was projected a decade ago, he noted."

See post.

Benjamin A. Saenz' PEN

If you did not catch it, Benjamin A. Saenz' Last Night I Sang to the Monster was a finalist for the PEN USA 2010 Literary Award for Children’s/YA Literature.

Mayo in Maryland

Examiner.com has a feature on C.M. Mayo and her recent visit to Maryland. Check out Local D.C. author C.M. Mayo at Leonardtown Campus auditorium in LaPlata, MD.

Report out next month on Salazar

The LA Times says a report is expected next month on the slaying of Ruben Salazar. As you remember, the LA Times wanted access to the LA County Sheriff's file on Ruben Salazar. Salazar was a columnist for the LA Times at the time of his assassination in Aug. 1970. READ THE ARTICLE.

Rechy at Shaky's

An interesting tidbit in Blogs Guide about James Franco's interview with Michael Cunningham. Franco mentions that Cummingham would take John Rechy's writing class and one time bumped into him later at night...well read the blog post. READ IT NOW.

Some commentary on Rechy can also be found at Books News Blog: "”He was so treacherous, and what he writes about us is so coarse: he made us seem like the most ordinary fags, gossiping about movie stars,” say the blogger on Rechy's Numbers. READ IT NOW.

It was a dark and stormy night in Texas....Cinco Puntos duo put out noir anthology

We mentioned back in June that Lone Star Noir was coming out this fall. See Cinco Punto's Press Blog pubbing the recent anthology by Cinco Puntos Bobby and Johnny Byrd. READ IT NOW.

Monsivais and The Smithsonian

Carolina Monsivais is featured in The Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum blog. Two of Monsivais' poems are posted. READ THEM NOW.

Huerta to read with Barbara Jane Reyes

UTEP MFA alumnus, Javier Huerta will perform with Barbara Jane Reyes at THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2010, 7:30 at MOE’S BOOKS, 2476 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 849-2087, moesbooks.com. Parking at the Durant/Channing Garage, close to Telegraph. Channing is one block north. Poetry Flash: (510) 525-5476. 

"....Huerta’s debut book, Some Clarifications y otros poemas, received the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize from UC Irvine. A native of Nuevo Laredo, Tamualipas, Mexico, Javier Huerta became a legal resident under the amnesty of 1986 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He studies the laughter of poetry in the English PhD Program at UC Berkeley. He is currently at work on his second poetry manuscript, “American Copia,” a book-length poem on going to the grocery store"

Dagoberto Gilb's future Grave and Knapp

Dagoberto Gilb, the next John Graves? See William McKenzie's article in the Dallas Morning New Opinion Blog: In Fifty Years, Who Will Be the Next John Graves?.

Well, with good news come bad news. Some negative reaction to Gilb's The Flower on Aberodela Blog: "Why does Mr. Gilb feel it is necessary to make every female character in, “The Flowers”,  inferior to men?" writes Professor Stacey Knapp. READ IT NOW.

UTEP MFA spotlight by Saenz

Benjamin A. Saenz has posted an article he did for The Chronicle on Higher Education called "Where Spanish and English are Good for Each Other." He talks of UTEP's MFA program, which he is now chair. He also talks of the late Ricardo Aguilar (by the way, was we celebrate 40 years of Chicano Studies at UTEP, Aguilar was also a former director of Chicano Studies). Read Ben's Post.

Speaking of Saenz, a review of his book Sammy and Julia in Hollywood is posted to Color Online Blog: "This was a re-read for me and I don't remember much about it. Which is mind-boggling because upon re-reading it, I absolutely LOVED it." READ IT NOW.

Pat Mora in The Valley

It looks like Pat Mora was in Brownsville for a reading. Check out: Poet Pat Mora to host reading at Children's Museum of Brownsville 

The Chicano Lawyers

A small post on Oscar Zeta Acosta, "The Chicano Lawyer" on the Shuoghd Blog.