Three acclaimed authors—Luis J. Rodríguez, Javier O. Huerta and Henry A. J. Ramos—spoke at the Latino Young Men and Boys in Search of Justice: A My Brother’s Keeper Forum, which took place Friday, September 30, at the University of Houston-Downtown. Participants explored the unique challenges faced by Houston’s young Latino men along with successful approaches to improving positive outcomes. The forum featured sessions for local youth and adults who work with at-risk students. The panels for young people focused on identity, others’ perceptions of them, and goal-setting. The panels for adults involved with youth looked into the effect of zero tolerance policies, restorative justice practices, and examples of culturally grounded restorative justice practices being used successfully in Houston and around the country.
Filmmaker’s Fantastical Story Collection Wins 2016 American Book Award!
HOUSTON, TX September 2, 2016—Acclaimed author and filmmaker Jesús Salvador Treviño is the recipient of a 2016 American Book Award for his book of interrelated stories, Return to Arroyo Grande. Weaving magical realism with issues of loss, memory and identity, Jesús Salvador Treviño once again confirms his place as a powerful storyteller in Chicano—and American—literature. The Before Columbus Foundation was founded in 1976 as a nonprofit educational and service organization dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of contemporary American multicultural literature. Created in 1978, the American Book Awards have recognized outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community. All winners will be formally recognized in an awards ceremony on Sunday, October 30, from 2-5pm at the SF JAZZ Center (Joe Henderson Lab, 201 Franklin Street) in San Francisco, California. This event is free and open to the public. Weird things continue to happen to the characters that …
Author Hipólito Acosta on “The Mimi Geerges Show”
Author Hipólito Acosta was recently interviewed on The Mimi Geerges Show on the topics of immigration, human smuggling and his new book, THE HUNT FOR MAAN SINGH, co-authored with A. J. Irwin (June 2016). See the video below! The Hunt for Maan Singh pulls back the curtain on Singh’s organized worldwide smuggling syndicate while candidly revealing the double exposure of undercover government agents, where inter-departmental rivalries and corrupt officials put Acosta and Irwin in just as much danger as pursuing the criminal mastermind they are sworn to bring to justice. HIPÓLITO ACOSTA, the son of Mexican-American migrant workers, rose to be one of the most highly decorated officers in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. He is the author, with Lisa Pulitzer, of The Shadow Catcher: A U.S. Agent Infiltrates Mexico’s Deadly Crime Cartels (Atria Books, 2012). He lives in Houston, Texas.
Author on the Airwaves: René Saldaña, Jr.
Saldaña, Jr. chosen as August 2016’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Saldaña, Jr. for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: RENÉ SALDAÑA, JR. is the author of the acclaimed Mickey Rangel Series of bilingual mysteries for intermediate readers: A Mystery Bigger than Big / Un misterio más grande que grandísimo (2016), The Mystery of the Mischievous Marker / El misterio del malvado marcador (2013), The Lemon Tree Caper / La intriga del limonero (2011) and The Case of the Pen Gone Missing / El caso de la pluma perdida (2009). He is also the author of a bilingual picture book, Dale, dale, dale: …
Author on the Airwaves: Joe Jiménez
Jiménez chosen as July 2016’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Jiménez for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: JOE JIMÉNEZ, a high school teacher in San Antonio, Texas, is the author of The Possibilities of Mud (Kóorima Press, 2014) and a chapbook, Silver Homeboy Flicka Illuminates the San Juan Courts at Dawn (Gertrude Press, 2012). About his latest book, Bloodline In his junior year, seventeen-year-old Abraham learns how to drive a stick shift. He falls in love for the first time. And he has been in three fights and suspended twice, all before Thanksgiving. His grandmother and her girlfriend, the ones who have raised …
Author on the Airwaves: Manuel Ramos
Ramos chosen as June 2013’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Ramos for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: MANUEL RAMOS is the recipient of several literary awards and the author of numerous novels, including King of the Chicanos (Wings Press, 2010), Brown-on-Brown: A Luis Montez Mystery (University of New Mexico Press, 2003) and The Ballad of Rocky Ruiz (St. Martin’s Press, 1993; Northwestern University Press, 2004), an Edgar Award finalist. He lives and works in Denver, Colorado. About his latest book, Desperado: A Mile High Noir Gus Corral can’t quite believe it when an old high school buddy he hasn’t seen in years asks him …
Author on the Airwaves: Laura Lacámara
Lacámara chosen as May 2012’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Lacámara for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: LAURA LACÁMARA is a Cuban-American artist and author. She is the illustrator of The Runaway Piggy / El cochinito fugitivo (Piñata Books, 2010) and the author of Floating on Mama’s Song / Flotando en la canción de mama (HarperCollins, 2010). She lives in Venice, California, with her family. About her latest book, Alicia’s Fruity Drinks / Las aguas frescas de Alicia Seven-year-old Alicia and her parents are enjoying the annual festival celebrating Mexico’s independence. There are mariachis strolling across the festival grounds, folkloric dancers twirling in …
Author on the Airwaves: Lupe Ruiz-Flores
Ruiz-Flores chosen as June 2012’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Ruiz-Flores for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: LUPE RUIZ-FLORES is the author of several bilingual picture books for children. They are: The Battle of the Snow Cones / La guerra de las raspas (Piñata Books, 2010), The Woodcutter’s Gift / El regalo del leñador (Piñata Books, 2007) and Lupita’s Papalote / El papalote de Lupita (Piñata Books, 2002). She lives and works in San Antonio, Texas. About her latest book, Alicia’s Fruity Drinks / Las aguas frescas de Alicia Seven-year-old Alicia and her parents are enjoying the annual festival celebrating Mexico’s independence. There …
Author on the Airwaves: Alberto Hidalgo-Robert
Hidalgo-Robert chosen as September 2012’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Hidalgo-Robert for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: ALBERTO HIDALGO-ROBERT studies biochemistry at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. He is also the founder of an online anti-obesity campaign, Healthy Bert: No Child Left with a Big Behind Foundation. He lives with his family in Redwood, California. About his latest book, Fat No More: A Teenager’s Victory Over Obesity “My life was a circus and a comedy show by the age of three months: I was already the size of a one-year-old! I was hairy with big cheeks, big legs, feet akin to …
Author on the Airwaves: Josefina Lopez
Lopez chosen as October 2012’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Lopez for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: JOSEFINA LÓPEZ is best known for authoring the play and co-authoring the film Real Women Have Curves, a coming-of-age story about Ana, a first-generation Chicana torn between pursuing her college ambitions, a personal goal, and securing employment which is a family expectation. Along the way, Ana confronts a host of cultural assumptions about beauty, marriage and a woman’s role in society. Although Real Women Have Curves is Lopez’ most recognized work, it is only one of many literary and artistic works she has created …