Arte Público Press book selected for Teleconference Series in February
Las Comadres Para Las Americas has selected 8 Ways to Say “I Love My Life!” (Arte Público Press, 2012) edited by Sylvia Mendoza for its popular National Latino Book Club and February 2013 teleconference. Las Comadres is a city-based community building/networking group for Latinas to learn about and celebrate the Latino culture and share professional, social and cultural connections. Educational and enrichment activities and opportunities are provided both by Las Comadres and affiliated community groups. The network promotes the reading of Latino authors through its national book club.
Registration for the February “Conversations with Las Comadres” teleconference can be done online at, http://www.lascomadres.org. With this unique collection of essays authored by eight Latinas, contemporary women can raise their glasses—and glass ceilings—in affirmation of 8 Ways to Say “I Love My Life!” Each contributor overcame obstacles on their road to happiness and success, and here they share their life lessons in the hopes of motivating others. Whether battling fear, guilt or low self-esteem, these women seek to encourage others to discover their personal power.
8 Ways to Say “I Love My Life!” contains chapters by women from a variety of professional backgrounds. Contributors include Latin Heat president Bel Hernandez Castillo, a foreword by acclaimed musician Vikki Carr and playwright and author of Real Women Have Curves, Josefina Lopez.
Performed as monologues in 2009 in Los Angeles, the sold-out, ten-run show received a rave review in the Los Angeles Times and an Imagen Award, which recognizes positive portrayals of Latinos in the media.
About Editor Sylvia Mendoza:
She is an award-winning journalist and author of The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas of Passion, Strength and Success (Adams Media Corporation, 2004). Mendoza lives and works in Encinitas, California.
About 8 Ways to Say “I Love My Life!”:
“If you don’t do anything, nothing will happen.” Nancy De Los Santos Reza learned this important lesson early in life. College wasn’t an option, so she got a job as a secretary. A colleague, an older woman who had taken a liking to her, encouraged Nancy to ask her supervisor about attending a professional conference in California. “What’s the worst that could happen?” the woman asked. “They say ‘no’ and you don’t go? You’re already not going.” As a result, Nancy found herself in San Francisco on a life-changing trip. She would go on to earn two college degrees and become the producer of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel’s movie review program, At the Movies.
De Los Santos Reza’s is one of eight inspiring personal essays by Latinas included in this collection. Each contributor overcame obstacles to happiness and success, and here they share their life lessons in the hopes of motivating others. Whether overcoming fear, guilt or low self-esteem, these women seek to encourage others to discover their personal power.