In author Diane de Anda’s The Patchwork Garden / Pedacitos de huerto (Piñata Books, 2013), a young girl inspires her neighbors to create community gardens full of delicious vegetables. Toña loves to listen to her Abuela’s stories about when she was a young girl. When her grandmother remembers planting a vegetable garden “on my own little square patch of land,” Toña wishes she too could have her very own garden. Their apartment building is surrounded by cement, but Abuela reminds her that it only takes a small patch of land to grow tomatoes or squash and even carrots. And soon, they have a plan! First, they speak to Father Anselmo about a weed-filled lot behind the church. He likes the idea of beautiful green plants instead of weeds, and fresh vegetables sound delicious too! With help from her family, Toña yanks out the weeds and plants rows of vegetables. Each …

In Defense of My People; Alonso S. Perales and The Development of Mexican-American Public Intellectuals is an engrossing collection of scholarly essays edited by Michael A. Olivas One of the most influential MexicanAmericans of his time, Alonso S. Perales (1898-1960) was a graduate of George Washington University School of Law and one of the earliest Mexican-American attorneys to practice law in Texas. Perales helped found the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), served his country in several diplomatic capacities and was a prolific writer. In Defense of My People sheds light on Perales’ activism and the history of Mexican-American and Latino civil rights movements. The essays, written by scholars representing a number of disciplines from the U.S. and Mexico, touch on a variety of topics, including the impact of religion on Latinos, the concept of “race” and individual versus community action to bring about social and political change. Edited …

“As invigorating as a dip in a Rocky Mountain stream.” —MYSTERY SCENE Magazine Manuel Ramos returns to novel-length crime fiction with Desperado: A Mile High Noir and a down-on-his-luck protagonist, Gus Corral, who can’t believe it when an old high school buddy he hasn’t seen in years asks him for help. Artie Baca looks as cool as ever; the hippest guy in high school now looks like a GQ cover boy, Chicano style. And like always, Artie has women problems, even though he’s married. He’s being blackmailed because of an imprudent fling—caught on video, of course. Artie has a prosperous real estate business and can afford to pay off the young girl, but he’ll reward Gus handsomely for his help in convincing her that there won’t be any future payments. Gus’ life hasn’t been as successful, and he can really use the money Artie is offering. But before Gus can …

Based on a traditional folksong that has been sung by parents and children in Spanish-speaking countries for generations, Canta, Rana, canta / Sing, Froggie, Sing is a charming tale in which a “frog was sitting under the water, when she decided to croak out loud.” But a fly came along and “hushed her mouth.” When the fly decided to buzz out loud, “along came a spider and hushed her mouth.” In each verse, an insect or animal larger than the one in the previous stanza hushes the smaller one. So the fly hushes the frog, the spider hushes the fly, the mouse the spider, the cat the mouse and so on. The book’s cumulative structure encourages kids to practice their memorization skills while becoming familiar with animals and the sounds they make. This bilingual edition includes an updated version of the original Spanish, a first-ever English translation, and the musical …

El día de los niños and libros celebration kicks off at library’s Discovery Green branch Do you know“bookjoy”? It’s a love of reading! And on Saturday, April 20, from noon – 2:00 at the Houston Public Library Express-Discovery Green branch, bookjoy and music will fill the air as “Día at Discovery,” a celebration of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), gets underway with acclaimed children’s author Monica Brown—best known for her biographies on Latin greats such as Celia Cruz and Gabriel García Márquez—and director and founder of Arte Público Press Nicolás Kanellos, as they present stories and folk songs for families at Discovery Green park (1500 McKinney). Kanellos will also be on hand for remarks at a City of Houston City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 16, for a Mayoral Proclamation, sponsored by Council Member Melissa Noriega, honoring Houston Public Library and Arte Público’s …

Zepeda chosen as April 2013’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Zepeda 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: Gwendolyn Zepeda is the author of I Kick the Ball / Pateo el balón (Piñata Books, 2011); Growing Up with Tamales / Los tamales de Ana (Piñata Books, 2008), a 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title; and Sunflowers / Girasoles (Piñata Books, 2009), winner of the Texas Institute of Letters’ Austin Public Library Friends Foundation Award for Best Children’s Book. She lives and works in Houston, Texas. About her latest book, Level Up / Paso de nivel David is obsessed with reaching the next level …

Gaspar de Alba chosen as March 2013’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Gaspar de Alba 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: ALICIA GASPAR DE ALBA is the author of various works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, among them a Lambda Award-winning novel, Desert Blood: The Juárez Murders (Arte Público Press, 2005), a collection of poems and essays, La Llorona on the Longfellow Bridge: Poetry y Otras Movidas (Arte Público Press, 2003) and a historical novel, Sor Juana’s Second Dream (University of New Mexico Press, 1999). She is also the editor of Making a Killing: Femicide, Free Trade, and La Frontera (University …

Caraballo chosen as December 2012’s “Author of the Month” on KUHF Houston Public Radio KUHF radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Samuel Caraballo 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 KUHF. About the Author: Samuel Caraballo was born in Vieques, a gorgeous, tiny island off the East Coast of Puerto Rico. He spent many of his childhood days playing in the countryside hills and picking mango and guavas, his favorite tropical fruits. He has served as an interpreter for the courts for cases involving Hispanics. He has also dedicated many years to teaching Spanish in several public schools in the United States. He presently lives in Virginia with his family. He loves painting, fishing, and writing …

ForeWord Reviews has announced its 2012 Book of the Year finalists, and The Land Grant by Carlos Cisneros made the cut in the Thriller and Suspense category. The Poet Upstairs by Judith Ortiz Cofer with illustrations by Oscar Ortiz was named a Children’s Picture Book finalist. ForeWord Reviews, a quarterly print journal established in 1998, is dedicated to exclusively reviewing independently published books to provide booksellers, librarians, agents, and publishing professionals with reviews of the best titles from small, alternative and academic presses. Representing more than 700 publishers, the finalists were selected from 1300 entries in 62 categories. ForeWord’s Book of the Year Awards program was created to highlight the year’s most distinguished books from independent publishers. Award winners are chosen by librarians and booksellers. Carlos Cisneros’s The Land Grant picks up where his acclaimed debut novel, The Case Runner, left off. Attorney Alejandro Del Fuerte is asked to take …

Humanities Texas Presents a Radio Broadcast Dedicated to the Life of Jovita González Born in 1904 on her grandparents’ ranch in Roma, Texas, pioneering folklorist and educator Jovita González felt a deep commitment to the people and culture of South Texas. While attending The University of Texas in Austin, González met J. Frank Dobie, who encouraged her to begin writing for folklore publications. She soon began traveling throughout Cameron, Starr, and Zapata counties, interviewing residents of the borderlands. González carried a letter of introduction from San Antonio’s archbishop and often knitted during her interviews, putting her subjects at ease. She captured the voices of ordinary Mexican Americans seeking to preserve their cultural traditions during a period of tumultuous change. In 1930, the same year she received her master’s degree in history, González became the first Mexican American president of the Texas Folklore Society. González was also a teacher. With her …