Houston, TX—Scholars from around the world convened at the University of Houston in Houston, TX, February 9-11, 2017, to explore the history and literature of Latinos/as at the 25th Anniversary Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Conference. The XIV Recovery Conference theme, Writing/Righting History, featured scholars sharing examples of the cultural legacy they are recovering, preserving and making available in order to write/right American culture and that of the Hispanic world whose peoples immigrated to the United States over the past centuries. Sessions included “Chicana Feminism: Looking through the Archives,” “Latinos and World War II” and “Mapping Violence: Possibilities and Limits of Digital Projects for Reckoning with Histories of Anti-Mexican Violence.” In conjunction with the Recovery Conference, a special symposium on Texas Hispanic history took place on Saturday, February 11, free to the public. Conference attendees and local sponsors were treated to presentations by University of Houston-Downtown Interim President and William B. Bates …
2017 Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Fundraising Dinner
Join 25th Anniversary Recovery Conference attendees and speakers at a special fundraising dinner to support Arte Público Press and the Recovery Project on Friday, February 10, 2017, at 6 pm at the University of Houston Hilton Hotel. University of Houston-Downtown Interim President and William B. Bates Distinguished Chair in Law at the University of Houston Law Center, Dr. Michael A. Olivas, and actress Olivia Negrón will speak about their work. Click here to purchase your tickets using a credit card. Or print and return this form to return with your check. MICHAEL A. OLIVAS, the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law at the University of Houston Law Center, is completing his tenure as the interim president of the University of Houston-Downtown. He is the author or co-author of fifteen books, including “Colored Men” and “Hombres Aquí”: Hernandez v. Texas and the Emergence of Mexican American Lawyering (Arte Público, 2006), No Undocumented Child …
Lydia Gil Talks about Her Culturally Relevant Book for Kids
Children’s book author Lydia Gil spoke about her bilingual chapter book for intermediate readers, Letters from Heaven / Cartas del cielo, at the National Council of Teachers of English annual convention November 19, 2016, in Atlanta, GA. Listen along! Click for more information on Lydia Gil and Letters from Heaven / Cartas del cielo.
Celebrate el Día de los Muertos with THE REMEMBERING DAY!
A popular Latin American holiday, el Día de los Muertos, is on Tuesday-Wednesday, Nov. 1-2, and we’ve got the perfect way to celebrate: Pat Mora’s bilingual picture book, The Remembering Day / El día de los muertos! With tender illustrations by Robert Casilla that depict Bella and Mamá Alma’s loving relationship, this book will encourage children to honor loved ones, whether by writing stories and poems or creating their own remembering place. These activities will engage and inspire your kids! Invite students to share stories about their relationship with a remembered loved one. Students can also share a photo or their own drawing. Invite students to write a poem about a deceased family member or friend. Invite students to bring photos or special objects of remembered loves ones and create a classroom, library or school display. Plan a remembering day event at your school or library. You can include flowers, songs, …
The Latino Young Men and Boys Forum in Photos
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 …
