HOUSTON, TX—Arte Público Press, the country’s oldest and largest publisher dedicated to amplifying US Hispanic voices, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a performing-arts showcase Thursday, September 15, 2022, from 6:30-9:30 pm at the University of Houston’s Moores Opera House (3333 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77004). Bringing together outstanding artists from a variety of genres, the event will feature author and former astronaut José M. Hernández as the emcee and highlight the vibrant influence of Latin American and Latino cultures. The University of Houston’s Mariachi Puma will welcome attendees; other performers include the Brazilian dance and drum group, Sambabom; the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, presenting a selection of Latino songs in honor of Arte Público Press; Solero Flamenco; and the Houston Grand Opera, doing its children’s production based on Jorge Argueta’s trilingual picture book, Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water (Arte Público Press, 2017). In addition, two children’s book awards …
Join Us for Hispanic Heritage Month
SEPTEMBER September 15, 2022 | 6:30 – 9:30 pm Showcase of Latino Performing Arts Moores Opera House/University of Houston (3333 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX) Celebrate Arte Público Press’ 40th anniversary with food, drink and performances by Mariachi Puma, Sambabom, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Solero Flamenco, and Houston Grand Opera. Tickets and more details here. September 15-17, 2022 La Raza Unida Party 50th Anniversary Conference University of Texas San Antonio – Downtown Campus (501 W. Cesar E. Chavez, San Antonio, TX) Arte Público Press founder/director Dr. Nicolás Kanellos speaks about publishing opportunities for Latinos. More details here. September 23, 2022 | 10 am – 4:30 pm Latin American Book Fair Love Park (1501 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia, PA) Authors and illustrators share their work, including children’s book author Raquel Ortiz, who will delight audiences with her musical storytelling! More details here. OCTOBER October 1, 2022 | 1 – …
Young Adult Novel with the Right Ingredients Wins Skipping Stones Honor Award
HOUSTON, TX— An intriguing coming-of-age novel for teens, Reservations Required by Estela Bernal, is the recipient of a 2022 Skipping Stones Honor Award. The book follows seventeen-year-old Lucy Sánchez as she overcomes numerous obstacles to achieve her dream of becoming a chef. Skipping Stones: An International Multicultural Magazine, an award-winning resource in multicultural and global education, publishes art and original writings in every language and from all ages. The winners of the annual book awards promote an understanding of cultures, cultivate cooperation and encourage a deeper awareness of nature, ecology and diversity. In Reservations Required (Piñata Books, 2021), Bernal depicts Lucy’s journey as her world is turned upside down when her grandmother dies. Nana was instrumental in teaching her how to cook and encouraging her dream to become a chef. More importantly, her kitchen was a haven from the dysfunction at home. When Lucy becomes the target of her father’s …
National Museum of the American Latino to Feature Documents from University of Houston Program
HOUSTON, TX—The Molina Family Latino Gallery, the first physical presence of the National Museum of the American Latino, will open at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. on June 18, 2022. Established by Congress in December 2020, the new National Museum of the American Latino will feature documents and artifacts from the University of Houston’s Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage project (Recovery), directed by Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, the Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies and founder/director of Arte Público Press. Dr. Kanellos was a consultant for the gallery, which will exhibit periodicals, photos, documents and books related to his research on the history of Latino printing presses and newspapers, dating back to the late eighteenth century in areas that became part of the United States. Other items on loan from the Recovery Project include documents from the 1929 founding of the League of United Latin American Citizens …
Debut Collection Spotlighting Hispanic and Indigenous Peoples in the Southwest Wins Award
HOUSTON, TX—Oscar Mancinas’s evocative collection, To Live and Die in El Valle, has been awarded the 2021 Southwest Book Award from the Border Regional Library Association. The thirteen thought-provoking stories highlight the struggles of Hispanic and indigenous people in Arizona whose lives are impacted by migration, systemic racism and settler colonialism. The Border Regional Library Association (BRLA) was founded in 1966 to promote library service and librarianship in the El Paso/Las Cruces/Ciudad Juárez metroplex. More than 100 library professionals from Trans-Pecos Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Chihuahua are members of the organization. The group created the Southwest Book Award in 1971 to recognize books about the region. Vividly depicting working-class communities, Oscar Mancinas creates characters whose lives are shaped by circumstances beyond their control, including migration and discrimination. His characters frequently struggle with a sense of belonging, and their stories eloquently illuminate Hispanic and indigenous experiences in the Southwest. …
Celebrating Women’s History Month
Amplify Your Library with Women Centric Writings Chola Salvation by Estella Gonzalez In the title story of this collection, Isabela is minding her family’s restaurant, drinking her dad’s beer, when Frida Kahlo and the Virgen de Guadalupe walk in. Even though they’re dressed like cholas, the girl immediately recognizes Frida’s uni-brow and La Virgen’s crown. They want to give her advice about the quinceañera her parents are forcing on her. In fact, their lecture (don’t get pregnant, go to school, be proud of your indigenous roots) helps Isabela to escape her parents’ physical and sexual abuse. But can she really run away from the self-hatred they’ve created? These inter-related stories, mostly set in East Los Angeles, uncover the lives of a conflicted Mexican-American community. In “Sábado Gigante,” Bernardo drinks himself into a stupor every Saturday night. “Aquí no es mi tierra,” he cries, as he tries to ease the sorrow of a …
New Children’s Book Award Created to Support First-Time Latino Authors
HOUSTON, TX—Long-time Arte Público Press supporters Dr. Augustina “Tina” Reyes and Dr. Michael Olivas, both retired University of Houston professors, have donated the funding to create an endowment in support of a new book award to inspire first-time Latino authors of books for children or teens. Dr. Olivas chaired the press’ advisory board for a decade and published two scholarly books with Arte Público, and Dr. Reyes has worked to introduce immigrant and migrant children to Arte Público’s books. “We feel our love and dedication to UH are aligned with the goals of the Press, and we hope our gift will not only recognize budding authors but will provide longstanding financial support.” The couple donated $80,000 to create an endowment to support the award, and they intend to raise an additional $45,000 to ensure a $5,000 prize can be given annually to debut authors using endowment interest. “We call upon …
Holiday Closure
Arte Público Press and the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Project will be closed December 24, 2021, through Friday, December 31, 2021. We will re-open and resume normal operations on Monday, January 3, 2022. Please continue to send book orders by email (bkorders@uh.edu) or fax (713-743-2847). Orders will be processed in the order received. Happy holidays!
