“Villareal paints a believable picture of what can happen to a family when a crisis hits and how such events can ripple throughout every aspect of an adolescent’s life.”—Kirkus Reviews HOUSTON, TX March 2016— Ray Villareal’s young adult novel, On the Other Side of the Bridge, has been named to the 2016 In the Margins Book Award List. In the Margins (ITM) is a committee under the umbrella of Library Services for Youth in Custody, an organization serving the needs of and advocating for those who provide library services for youth in custody, which includes incarcerated/detained/committed youth in both juvenile and adult settings, from local to federal facilities, ICE detention centers and mental health or rehab centers. The ITM committee seeks to highlight the best fiction and non-fiction titles of high-interest appeal to youth, ages 9-21, living in poverty, on the streets or in custody. The complete list of recommended …
Author on the Airwaves: Henry A. J. Ramos
Ramos chosen as February 2016’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: HENRY A. J. RAMOS is is president and CEO of Insight Center for Community Economic Development, a national economic policy think tank focused on promoting asset building and economic security in diverse, low-income communities. His publications include Latino Young Men and Boys in Search of Justice: Testimonies (Arte Público Press, 2016), The American GI Forum: In Pursuit of the Dream, 1948-1983 (Arte Público Press, 1998) and Nuevos Senderos: Reflections on Hispanics and Philanthropy (Arte Público Press, 1999). Ramos is also the co-author of Opening …
The Tejas Stars Have Aligned Again!
Four books published as part of Arte Público’s imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books, were chosen for the 2016-17 Tejas Star Reading List. The Tejas Star Reading List (TSRL) is developed to encourage children ages 5-12 to explore multicultural books and to discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism. Sponsored by the Texas Library Association, the TSRL is intended for recreational reading and not to support a specific curriculum. The program began as the Tejas Star Book Award, created by the Region One ESC Library Advisory Committee. The Texas Library Association assumed responsibility for the list in 2012. The four Piñata Books selected for inclusion on the list are: The Donkey Lady Fights La Llorona and Other Stories / La señora Asno se enfrenta a la Llorona y otros cuentos by Xavier Garza; Francisco’s Kites / Las cometas de Francisco written by Alicia Z. Klepeis …
UH Moment: Arte Público Celebrates Its 35th Anniversary!
Watch this short video honoring our 35th anniversary made by the University of Houston!
Beyond Walls: A Portrait of Muralist and Children’s Book Illustrator Maria Dominguez
“New York City is often called one of the art capitals of the world, and it even shows on its very walls. Puerto Ricans were a big part of this muralist movement. What’s more, Puerto Rican women carved a special place for themselves in this mostly male dominated field. One such woman who was critical in this movement in New York City was Maria Dominguez.” In this episode of “Puerto Rican Voices” by Centro Voices, which aired online on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, and on TV Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016, learn more about SOFI AND THE MAGIC, MUSICAL MURAL’s illustrator, Maria Dominguez, and her place in the muralist movement. Click below to read the entire article and to view a quick clip of SOFI author Raquel Ortiz talking about the book: http://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/centrovoices/arts-culture/beyond-walls-portrait-muralist-maria-dominguez
#BookLoverGiveaway Honors the Love of Reading through mid-March
Do you remember what made you fall head over heels for your favorite book? What is it about reading that you enjoy the most? Let us know and win a free book during our sweepstakes! Read the guidelines below for more details. We will give away one book (to be chosen from the list below) on Facebook, Twitter, tumblr and Instagram. Available titles include: Children’s bilingual picture books: The Place Where You Live / El lugar donde vives by James Luna A Bean and Cheese Taco Birthday / Un cumpleaños con tacos de frijoles con queso by Diane Gonzales Bertrand Young adult books: The Donkey Lady Fights La Llorona and Other Stories / La señora Asno se enfrenta a la Llorona y otros cuentos by Xavier Garza On the Other Side of the Bridge by Ray Villareal A Fighting Chance by Claudia Meléndez Salinas Adult books: Cuando México se (re)apropia de Texas: Ensayos / When Mexico Recaptures Texas: …
Author on the Airwaves: Claudia Meléndez
Meléndez chosen as January 2016’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Meléndez 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: CLAUDIA MELÉNDEZ SALINAS is an award-winning multi-media journalist working for the Monterey Herald in California’s Central Coast region. Her journalistic writing has been recognized with awards from New California Media, the California Chicano News Media Association and the Education Writers Association. In 2008 she was awarded the Annenberg Fellowship from the University of Southern California. This is her first novel. About her first novel, A Fighting Chance Seventeen-year-old Miguel Angel spends every minute after school at the Packing Shed, working out with the Alisal Boxing Club. …
Exhibit at the University of Houston Libraries celebrates Arte Público’s contributions!
An exhibit, Encounters and Discoveries in Literature: Celebrating Arte Público Press and Twentieth Century Latina/o Literature, is a retrospective look at the press and its place in the larger context of Latina/o literature in the 20th century. Founded in 1979, Arte Público paved the way for numerous celebrated authors, including Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Sandra Cisneros, Rolando Hinojosa, Graciela Limón, Américo Paredes, and Tomás Rivera, while also recovering early unpublished works by Latinos and leading the way for inclusive children’s literature. Materials in the exhibit will include books, archival documents, photographs, and works of art produced or recovered by Arte Público Press, its imprint, Piñata Books, and its program, Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project. Beyond a mere presentation of objects and literary works, the contents of the exhibit explore the Latina/o experience and the societal conditions documented in the press’ publications. For more information, contact Lisa Cruces at ccruces@uh.edu or 713-743-9903.
Author on the Airwaves: Jesús Salvador Treviño
Treviño chosen as November 2015’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Treviño 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: JESÚS SALVADOR TREVIÑO is an award-winning filmmaker, known for his pioneering documentaries and feature films about the Chicano experience. He is the author of The Fabulous Sinkhole and Other Stories (Arte Público Press, 1995), The Skyscraper that Flew (Arte Público Press, 2005) and a critically acclaimed memoir, Eyewitness: A Filmmaker’s Memoir of the Chicano Movement (Arte Público Press, 2001). About his latest book, Return to Arroyo Grande In the opening piece, “Where Lost Things Reside,” rumor has it that Old Man Baldemar has died. Stories about …
Two pillars of Latino lit are re-released!
Arte Público has published updated versions of two classic books in Latino literature! Tomás Rivera’s award-winning novel … y no se lo tragó la tierra / … And the Earth Did Not Devour Him was re-issued September 30, 2015, in a new edition with an updated cover and improved English translation. And, 23 years after the original publication in a hardcover version, Arte Público has released Victor Villaseñor’s acclaimed family memoir, Rain of Gold, in a new paperback format March 31, 2015. “I tell you, God could care less about the poor. Tell me, why must we live here like this? What have we done to deserve this? You’re so good and yet you suffer so much,” a young boy tells his mother in Tomás Rivera’s classic novel about the migrant worker experience. Outside the chicken coop that is their home, his father wails in pain from the unbearable cramps brought on by sunstroke after working in …