Sometimes, its Good to Write Something Sudden

¿Quivole, mi gente? So I happened to post on Facebook the other day about new info! (some might not have any clue, so here is what I am talking about: 

So with that - the blog changes a bit. Don't worry - I will be better at keeping up to date with events and arts happenings in the Houston-Galveston area (as well as around the state and beyond) but for this semester - So I think, on the weekdays, I will keep the blog posts a bit more writing style-ish, as I get to add in my take on one of my favorite forms of fiction = Sudden Fiction, Flash Fiction, Micro Cuento, what ever you choose to call it... and on the weekends, I will add in the events coming up. So, Let's begin - 

My professor for this semester for this class - (titled Study in Forms - Flash Fiction in Video & Text) is Daniel Chacón, author of Hotel Juarez: Stories, Rooms and Loops (click on the link to to check out more on the book, click on Chacón's name to get more info on him) has started off by asking us the following: 

What is Flash Fiction? What are the important elements of the text, characterization, setting, etc.

Why is it different from prose poems?

So, in this blog post, let me see if I can answer that.

What is flash fiction? The best way I can describe it is in the name - a flash of a tale, a sudden story that draws a fiction piece in the quickest of way in the fewest words possible. I will use two examples to point out what I mean. Here is the first one: 

Girl by Jamaica Kincaid - click on the link and read it and then come back. I'll wait.  (its used a lot, but damn it, its good)

 . . .  so, you ready? Ok, so print it, keep it, read it again, but understand that the reason this story  works is due to the fact that it has trimmed away the "extra" that a reader is used to. There is no narrator filling you on the location, of the jobs both the mother and the daughter are engaged in. The reader doesn't know how the daughter feels, or what she thinks, or how she truly feels about all the advice her mother give. Hell, we don't even know her name. All of it is unimportant - the message is the key here, not the local, not what happens to the girl after her mother has finished her diatribe. The story is rooted in the speech and it speaks to what is expected of a woman in her culture.  - Sudden fiction is just that - it is sudden, it drops the reader in a story or an event and does not give you the 360o that other novels and short stories give you. There is no pause in sudden fiction, it just goes. It goes until it is done - and ends as quickly as it began.  

             A sudden fiction piece pushes the reader along a line where they must infer (or not infer) in order to get what is happening. Assumptions have to be made or in some cases, there is no need to "over read" the piece - all the elements that are of importance are there. 

THE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN SUDDEN FICTION - 

Here is a second story to help illustrate my point. I give you - The Book of Sand (translated from the Spanish) by Jorge Luis Borges (click on the link and read the story, again, i will wait.)

So - after reading this, some things should have stuck out: 

A) Narration - the narrator here points the story - there is not much in the way of expanded detail to tell us all about his life before the book seller comes to the door - we don't need it. It doesn't help us understand  the story any better - 

B) The Plot - is, just like the narration,  pointed, everything is quick paced and locks the reader into the actual" book of sand" :

" 'He told me that his book is called the 
Book of Sand because neither the book nor sand 
possess a beginning or an end.'
He suggested I try finding the first page.
I placed my left hand on the cover and opened the 
book with my thumb and forefinger almost touching. 
All my efforts were useless: several pages always lay 
between the cover and my hand. It was as though 
the pages sprouted from within the book.
'Now search for the last page.'
Again I failed; I only managed to stammer in a voice 
not my own:
'This cannot be.' "

C) Characterization - the everyman exists no more. The characters are strongest here - they have to be. They have to jump out at the reader as quick as they would have to if they were on the screen as a short film or as a short play. 

I think that is the power of a sudden fiction piece - it has to have twice the punch of a short story and be highly sharpened in comparison to a novel.  Does that make sense?   Hope so...

SUDDEN FICTION VS. PROSE POETRY

so here is Chacón's second question: 

WHY IS FLASH FICTION DIFFERENT FROM PROSE POEMS?

     First I think we need to talk about what Prose poetry is - prose poems are those poems that are written out as sentences. They, like a story even a sudden/ flash fiction story, follow the whole page, can be chunked in to paragraphs. Prose poems are heavy on the imagery and precise words and can be a page. (Really, they can be any length, but for this conversation about the distinction, I am going to go with that measurement).  They do not have to follow the left line or center line alignment that a standard poem does, but it can rhyme or not. 

Here is an example of a prose poem - click on the bold words - The Prose Poem by Campbell McGrath

    OK, so you see what happened there?  I think from experience,  I can say that they are slightly related, but totally apart  in a few ways:

1) Sudden Fiction still holds onto one thing, - there is a plot, a point to all the words and the actions and the quick description of events and locations. It is fast, but its there. 

2) Prose Poems work from the image - it can be full on sentences that describe something occurring, but it is always something that happens into comparison to something. The precision of the words is linked to the clarity of the image. 

3) Sudden Fiction deals with characters, developing them ever so slightly, every so quickly, but it happens. 

Here are two links to help give you a little on what I said above, but they say it so much better than me. Click on the bold. 

How to Tell Prose Poetry Apart from Flash Fiction

Ask a Flash Fiction Editor: Is this Flash Fiction or Prose Poetry?

****
So the last task - in class, we have to read at least three stories for the week - from the book Sudden Fiction International  - and the story I have picked to discuss is THE LAUGHTER by Henrich Boll.  As a sudden fiction piece it rides fast - the story is told from a 1st person perspective  -  a particular man gives the reader a tale about his profession - he is a professional "laught-er" - he is the embodiment of response to joke, to comedian. If a show is to make, this is the guy to get the infectious bomb that goes off and keeps the tone full and positive. In the end, he discusses that because this is his career, he doesn't laugh at home. He is quite the opposite. He and his wife live a very chill life - "So I laugh in so many different ways, but my own laughter, I have not heard." (pg. 91) - I like the tale, it doesn't take us on a full episode of his life, but he gives us a sort of character travel - a detail of how he works, what he does, and how he relates t others. it is quick and easy. - I am reminded of something along the same lines I read in a graphic novel - "The Watchmen" in it a joke is told by one of the characters - and come to think of it, it can be a flash fiction piece all on its own: 

"Rorschach: I heard a joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life is harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world. Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. The great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says, "But doctor... I am Pagliacci." Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains." 

If you have any questions, leave me a comment below - and if you are in class - hit me up on the message board in BB or here. 

So for you guys that are used to the "regular blog, come back this weekend!!!  Updates soon!!
And as always - here is the tease: 

Write. Even if the Writer is a little late for Christmas

Hey gang, 

So, this one is a bit late!!!  So sorry!!  I am a part of the 3rd annual Holiday Blog tour - a momentous time when selected writers get to share out some holiday well wishing in the form of a story or a poem.  If you have't had a chance, please check out the previous tour stop!!

http://www.morepurplehouses.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-mayan-calendar-ends.html

It's great work. 

Sadly, I am a day late and that sucks. SO, the best way to remedy is to get on the horn and fix it up, so today, you get two blogs for your pleasure!!

Once you read mine - then make your way over to Anabel Lucio Morales, My Meandering Thoughts (TODAY IS HER DAY, SO IF YOU DITCH MINE, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. I don't want to steal her thunder. 

 Here's the line-up:

Dec. 16, Teresa Carbajal Ravet, SententiaVera.com 
Dec. 17 Nathasha Alvarez, AudaciousLady.com
Dec. 18, Natasha Oliver, Peace and Center
Dec. 19, Nikki Kallio, Purple Houses
Dec. 20, Lupe Mendez, The Poet Mendez
Dec. 21, Anabel Lucio Morales, My Meandering Thoughts
Dec. 22, Icess Fernandez Rojas, IcessFernandez.com
Dec. 23, Regina Tingle, ReginaTingle.com

Icess is the queen-diva who put this all together and I love getting the chance to share!!

enjoy the read below and check out Icess's work tomorrow- click here

Christmas in the Ribs

Carlo was a fighter from the very beginning. His mother told him on his birthday (Christmas day, even) every year about how he had been a tough baby. “You almost killed me, mijito”, she would start, “that’s right, barbaro, you gave me toxemia and had me in convulsions , but I am glad you were born.” So from the jump, Carlo didn’t understand the idea of pleasant, of calm. He always felt that since his mother was older (because mom would tell him so) and because he was the smallest in the class, in the town, of his friends, he would always have to fight. He fought to be born, so, he thought, “I will have to fight forever”. As he grew older, this dark indio of a boy had everyone on the ropes; the teachers in school could only keep him in the corner so long and he didn’t mind siting out during recess or dirtying his shirt and pants for a share of knuckles on the playground if it meant the other kids didn’t laugh at him for his height. He lived and slept with his jaw clinched and his fists balled up. He was always full of surprises. He never took no for an answer. He wasn’t afraid to make a mistake or to fall down. If he didn’t know, he looked it up. He replayed it on the TV, he asked , again, again, and again and this is how he learned. This was the case until he reached the age of twenty-six.

Carlo by this time was a handsome, short man, fit and sharp and ready for anything. He never shied away from a challenge or a struggle and always knew how to take things in stride- like the time when he was twenty four and he had graduated from college, which he paid for as he went; and the day after graduation, he managed to find a new place to live and was already packed and ready to go, boxes lined up on the floor along the wall along the door, when a tropical storm blew into town and flooded his old apartment, and all his belongings washed away – it didn’t matter; Carlo took two more jobs to earn enough money for new clothes, new furniture, new everything. He forgot his degree had washed away in the rain.

Carlo, at twenty-six was cavalier. He was well educated and loved working with youth, so he took a job as a mentor for a youth community center in west side of town. He did not cut words much. He was honest, direct and this is what got him the respect from the children and the teens in the center. He was a giver. He loved gifting, he loved the thrill of seeing faces in acceptance of something new and something treasured. It was a feeling he himself, had never really taken a part of. It was still an unusual feeling. This and the fact that in defense of a few of children, he had gone to blows a few times (once even landing in jail for a night, and there he got into another fight) in defense of some of the children; a drunk father looking for a son, a disgruntled abusive boyfriend, a bully/man harassing a teen at the center. The youth did not fear Carlo, they felt that he was there for them and if he was in their faces, then perhaps there was a reason. Carlo had worked at the center for two years and constantly helping other programs within the building in order that they may stay afloat and not be dismantled (what happens with local non-profits) and one of the new programs that had always needed help was the after school drama program. In Carlo’s second year, the program was run by a young lady. She was just as stern and deliberate as Carlo, except that she was much more well read and always had to have the last word. She was beautiful, so beautiful in fact, that the director of the community center once told Carlo, “Mr. Arrambide, she is quite a looker, young man. Perhaps you should say hello.” Carlo smiled “I already tried and she said she didn’t have time for a man as short as me.” The director, Ms. Johnson, said “but, but, she’s shorter than you!”
“What can I tell you? She’s got the looks, and the attitude”, said Carlo “So I don’t think I will bug her any more.”  But in the back of his mind, he hadn’t been offended, but taken aback that he didn’t view her as offensive, but rather as a challenge.

And so, everyday there after, Carlo would make it a point to stop by Miss. Duarte’s practice room – always finding some reason to come in, checking for kids to meet up with, returning chairs in stacks, showing visitors the room on a guided tour, as the weeks passed, he had finally settled on a new assignment, amongst others: he would take the head count of all the programs during the evening. It was like this for some time, Carlo, poking his head into the room, asking a question and getting from Miss Duarte a quick response. He smiled a lot at her. She ignored him. He would ask for a head count and she would write it on a note and send it with a child at the door.

After six months of this, Carlo had become used to this treatment and he found him self warmly entertained, thinking “how in the hell is this girl, always so uptight? –she never smiles my way and she always has to have the last word.” This intrigued him and so he set himself a goal in regards to Celia (he knew her first name because he had once handed her a paycheck, which she snatched out of his hand without a “thank you” – Carlo just smiled that time too), he would find a way to make her smile and laugh. He didn’t know how it would happen, but he figured if he just kept a good air about him, she would eventually notice him.

Not long after his new goal setting moment, the staff of the community center had a staff party, after the work day, and Carlo was running late (his usual mode of operation) and as he quickly ran into the conference room, with the newly polished floors, he yelled “ Hey gente, how are you doing?” To which Celia had quickly and rudely responded “fine, until you showed up” – the room froze – as Carlo was rushing in with his arms full of gifts and eight cups of coffee – he managed 8 gift bags in one hand  2 coffee carriers in the other. As she made her “fine, until you showed up”, the room froze, not for her comment, but from the reaction on Carlo’s face. She caught him off guard. His heart was full this day, you see. He always gave. He always gave his heart, wrapped in tissue paper and warm smiles, in little gifts and truth. He looked forward to Christmas, he looked forward to a small idea of family, since from his youth, that cozy feeling was fleeting.  But this time, it was as if something was hanging in the air, the smell of coffee, the quiet volume of Feliciano’s “I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas” in the background, the flash of imagination that he might actually get a shine of a smile from Duarte, but it all caught him off guard. SHE caught him off guard. Again. So bad, that he lost it, physically. He slipped on the floor and threw the cups of coffee and the gifts all over himself.  It happened so fast, but so slowly that no one reacted to this feat. It could have been the shock from seeing such a violent accident, it could have been the slow processing that now the party would have less gifts, less heart, it could have been from the sonic understanding of all the cuss words that shot out of Carlo’s mouth the moment he fell on his ass as the hot coffee landed on him. – In the end, Carlo only heard one sound. It was the gleeful laugh of someone in total comedic ecstasy – and it came from Celia Duarte.  When the moment had passed, everyone shot not only a look at Carlo, but now at Celia as well, for in her cantankerous laughter, she had slipped out of her rolling chair and now was on the floor as well. Embarrassed, she shot right up and instead of reseating herself, she made her way to Carlo and uncharacteristically, started to help him up. She even managed to help him fix all the gifts. She even found the one gift for her. It was a simple pair of earrings. Blue ones. She loved the color blue. She wondered, did he pay that much attention to her?

         The sight of Carlo in a coffee stained pair of khakis and polo kept a smile on her face as she was helping him up – and he could only say “why are you still laughing at me? “ and she replied “I love slapstick. Come on, let me help you get stuff to clean up this mess.” And so they left. He finally got the chance to introduce himself, the smell of coffee everywhere “hi, my name is Carlo Arrambide. Its nice to hear you laugh” and she said “ well hello, Carlo, I am Celia. I am such a clutz too, its good to see someone else. Now I know I am not alone in the world.” And just then, Carlo didn’t feel the need to challenge the world anymore. He felt that fleeting moment of cozy in his ribs, and it spread and he said to the beautiful Celia Duarte, “Merry Christmas”. It was just then that he realized, all he wanted was right there, that Christmas, all he wanted was to just live in her laugh.

Write. Write for all the Souls Who Can Not.

Hey gente!!  I know its been a hot minute, a long while, a short while, a breath. Grad school this semester (two classes!!) is kicking my culito and things on the home front are a bit heavy. Right now, on my clock, its 7:36 am and am taking a break from reading Mark Strand's work BLIZZARD OF ONE and the TORAH.

I don't even know what to fill you in on. I am kinda lost, so many events are happening all over town this month, so many events happened in August and in September and instead of covering them, I got wrapped up in them. I didn't get a chance on reporting them. I'mma try to be a bit more dutiful in the next month, for sure.

But this week, I wanted to give you a bit of insight of what's been keeping my attention at bay, namely, my beautiful wife, Jasminne. - She's the strongest lady I know (and if you knew my mother, who used to hold that spot, then you know, I only surround myself with strong women).

Jasminne currently lives with an auto-immune disease known as SCLERODERMA. Some weeks are better than others and some months are better than others. We take it as it comes. She rises to the occasion, even when her aliments literally take her breathe away and she can not get out of bed, can't move her hands, or rest comfortably. She treks on. She writes books, she designs curriculum from home. She takes her pills, she does her yoga, she sings awful Rachel Yamagata songs and dances like a white girl.  She does poetry performances. Check this one out, click here. She laughs when something is funny and she is learning about what dark humor is (laughing at the things that are so messed up, so rotten, that if you don't laugh, you cry). But sometimes (like now), we take a pause. We have to, to walk for a moment, amongst delicate minutes, that might get lost, else we lose the meaning of actions, of emotions and the purpose of effort. The last few months have been off and on. But we have pushed through. -Even now, la wifey pushes through for her family.
 

We are in San Antonio now, for the weekend, to show support, to morn, to uphold the memory of a life lost. Jasminne's aunt, Yolanda Duran, better known as "Tia Morena"  passed away on Monday. It was coming. We all knew, but nonetheless, it hits hard.  Her aunt suffered from the same disease family (Lupus) that Jasminne deals with. - Her family is down, but not out. It's hard to see someone you love taken away right in front of your eyes, slowly. You are helpless to do anything and all you can do is comfort and appease, pray and smile, fake the damn smile if you must. In the case of Yolanda, it was hard, seeing such a beautiful life, slowly flicker out. She is a stark reminder of how fragile life can be, living with this disease. She was a character. She was an adventurer. She was Tia Morena. She lives in full hearts and is some place better, not feeling the pain and the struggle of this carnicero life. I am glad we came to pay our respects. We had already planned to complete a 5k walk/run in support of Scleroderma research this weekend and it just so happened that we not only walked in support of Jasminne, but in bittersweet fashion, we walked La Tia Morena. We honored her memory by walking.

So, we memorialize her tomorrow and I take my leave, wife in hand. I stand by, resolute , to take care of mine. I think that in my art, in my philosophy of action, I an very liberal, but when it comes to my house, to my home, to my amo, my wifey, i will conserve. For a hot minute, gente, I need to take a bit more to put my home in order, to set things in place, else my head ain't right. Don't worry, I am not far off. Just in a corner, letting la wifey lean on my shoulder, reading a book, writing a poem. It's what this writer does... 

and now for the tease: 

The Day after Independence, You should write.

Hey gente, - I hope you had a relaxing/drunk/family/bar-b-que/firework/picnic/light-show kind of day for your 4th of July. Around my house, things were quiet. The wifey and I have been trekking around separately for about two weeks and we needed some down time. We got each other caught up on new details and ideas and my life is much richer for it. Today's tease is really bad ass - makes me really proud of what we stand for:
 
SO, here is the Tease-  

So, for over a year, my better half, Jasminne Méndez has been painstakingly working with several communities in collecting school supplies for a school. It would be bad ass enough to say that this writer/educator/spoken word artist was doing all this for a school in a Houston neighborhood, but no, she thought about her roots. That's right, lady mine took that all the way back "home", the Dominican Republic. 

Here's how it came to be:
  
So way before my wifey was a glimmer in anyone's eye, her GRANDFATHER - Angel de Jesús Durán was a teacher en los campos, afuera de la cuidad de Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic. He taught for roughly 10 years in a one room school house from about 1971 to 1980. He was a dedicated teacher. There were no in-service trainings, no faculty meetings, no state tests, no teacher's union. It was him, a principal, who also taught and kids ranging from 1st to 12th grade.
 
After talking to the wifey and my suegra - la gran, Sonia Rosario (formally, Sonia Durán), I found out that the original school burnt down and that Sr. Angel was instrumental in raising funds to help rebuild the school. It was, in time, but soon after, around 1986 or 87, he passed away. My wife was 2 or 3 when passed away. I wish I could have met the man. He has left a remarkable legacy.  -See the story doesn't end there.  

About two years ago, when Jasminne's folks went back to make a visit to the DR, they were pleasantly surprised to find out that the school was rebuild even larger and dedicated to Sr. Angel de Jesus Duran. That's right. The community he once taught honored him for his service. At the time, the building was just a single building. So when my suegros came back stateside, they filled us and soon, I say the wifey's eyes light up and a funny smile creep in.
 
Jasminne came up with the idea of collecting school supplies for the students. So, for the next year and half, my darling consentida worked with several folks, including the students and student council officers at her old job - Cristo Rey Jesuit, where she was a theatre teacher. She planned the trip and picked up all the supplies. 

Once there, she said the school was even larger, with several buildings, a computer lab (though no internet), and served several communities from pre-k to 12th grade. She traveled with my suegros and met with the principal of the school, who was overjoyed at their efforts. There was assembly and poetry presentations planned for the next day, which brought my suegra and family members a few tears. - The best part, according to Jasminne was being able to give the supplies to the kids and listening to some of the teachers, some of whom had worked with her grandfather and some who HE had taught. She said the kids presented several styles of poetry, acrostic poems and even a  former student who is now a police officer did a spoken word piece that day. 

So, with that done and this third trip to the DR done (for my wife), Jasminne has said that she plans on creating a new memoir about her background, based on each time she has had the opportunity to travel back "home".  I am ever so proud of my bad ass wife. She's a keeper, huh? 

Some things, you just need to check out!! -
 
If you have some free time this evening and you are in the Houston area, do me a solid and go by the East End Gallery later today!!! 
 
Here are the details as I know them: 
 
THANK YOU HOUSTON!! -GROUP SHOW , July 7th, 2013
EAST END Studio GALLERY, Ste. C - 708 Telephone Road, Houston, TX
12- 5pm
Join us in celebrating the culturally diverse and rich art scene in Houston. This show is our way of saying thank you to this wonderful art community.

This is a one day show only with a special presentation by Anat Ronen.

We have invited some of Houston's most talented and promising artists!

Anat Ronen
Daniel Anguilu
Gabriel Dieter
Kelly Kielsmeier
Julie Zarate
David Pilgrim
Alex Barber
Jamey Franklin
Patricia Thündercat Oun Corron
Valerie Gudell
John Paul Luna
Michael C. Rodriguez
Blue OneThirty 
D.j. Twinkle-Toes Browncoat
Krystlle Bazan
Stephanie Guajardo 
Armando Castelan
Cathy E. Payne
Nesreen Hussain Alawami
Sue Donaldson
Lee Carrier
NoL
Jeremy Walker
Catfish Perez
Blue Rooster Customs
Katsola
Carolina Guzman
Bryan Cope
Joseph Walker
Felipe Contreras
Heather Gordy
Marco Guerra
Erik Martinez
Brandy Black
Cutthroat Art
Patricia Torres
Lizbeth Ortiz
Angela Obenhaus
Leslie Roades
Kentra Gilbert
Ack!
Wiley Robertson
Robin S. Silvers
Mandy Peyrani
Bryan Lee
Beau Pope
Jessica Pope
Rafael Villarreal
Isaias Crow
Jessica Glover Guerra
Dae one

Try to make it - it should be fun!!!  

NOT INTO SO ART? HOW ABOUT FILM?
  
So I am gonna give you some info on two film makers, both of them named Jesse!!
If you can, check out their work. 
 
Jesse Salmeron: 
 
Jesse Salmeron was brought to the United States undocumented at the age of three during the Salvadorian Civil War. He went on to study English, Theatre and Film at the University of Houston.

While at the University of Houston, Jesse excelled in his dramatic writing and his collegiate accomplishments include his stage play “Shedding My Skin” being chosen by three-time Pulitzer prize winning playwright Edward Albee for his annual Playwright’s workshop. In his senior year, his screenplay “Celeste,” a screenplay based on an undocumented immigrant student, was a semi-finalist in the Chesterfield-Paramount competition. He completed his Senior Honors Thesis, the first half of an episodic novel, under the late Dan Stern.

In 2007, he completed his first feature documentary, “Undocumented” about the 2006 mass mobilizations for immigration reform. That same year he rewrote "Celeste", a screenplay he originally wrote as a senior in college. In the summer of 2008 he produced and directed the feature film now titled "This is America".

As of 2011, he unveiled his latest work - "Dreamer". It is an excellent film and already making the rounds around the U.S. Here is the preview for the film. 

If you want more info on Jesse Salmeron and DREAMER, click HERE . Its an amazing film and worth the money. Jesse is an amazing film make with a true message that needs to be heard. 
 
Jesse Bainbridge: 
 
Jesse was born & raised in Houston, TX. He earned a BFA in Photography & Digital Media from the University of Houston and later received his educator license. He taught 4th grade bilingual (English/Spanish) where his students always got a thrill out of knowing "Mr. B" was also an actor & would tell him he should move to Hollywood. In 2009, Jesse decided to leave the classroom to pursue his acting dreams.

Currently, this Jesse is in L.A., doing the damn thing - building a career and working in film. Most recently, he wrote and co-starred in a short film "CHICKEN ON THE HILL". Jesse is a buddy of mine - an old friend from my theatre days, who has always dreamed of working in Hollywood. I love his work ethic and his determination - though I will always give him shit for his choice in favorite movies, bad jokes and music. He's a class act and working to make his mark.  Here is the film. 

If you would like more info on this Jesse, then check out his site - HERE.

Both of this caballeros are amazing examples of the talent that comes out HTX. Support local artists!!  Send them a message or go their films.  

 
NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT . . . 
 
Scriptwriters/Houston - 10 X 10 Showcase 2013 Showcase
 
So every year Scriptwriters/Houston hosts a remarkable event, the 10 X 10 show, 10 plays that are 10 minutes long. Its an exciting roller coaster of theatre, each play written by a different writer, directed by 10 separate directors and all with completely separate casts.  I participated in this a while ago (2003) and it was a ton of fun. If you get the chance, you should go - its a great way to support local the local theatre scene and a way to appreciate local writing talent. 
 
Here are more details: 
The directors helming the selected plays this year are Steve Carpentier, Haley Cooper, Rachel Dickson, Keshia Lovewell, Scott McWhirter, Joey Milillo, Elvin Moriarty, Amy Pope, Lauren Tunnell and Devan Wade.

Seven performances - Thursdays to Sundays from July 11th - 20th.
 
If you want more info on the project, check the site HERE: 

KNIGHTS of WAT?!
 
So, we are just about one month before the WORD AROUND TOWN POETRY TOUR (click on the name for more info) and we are growing!!  Here are some details:
 
 

Knights of the Word Around Town Fundraiser
July 20, 2013 – 7 to 10pm
at
MECA – Multicultural Education and Counseling Through the Arts - 1900 Kane St. Houston, TX 77007
presented by Word Around Town, MECA & MAKE.PLAY.SPEAK

Houston, TX - The Word Around Town (W.A.T?!) Tour, now in its 8th year, brings a uniquely organized fundraiser! The planning team has brought together the KNIGHTS of the WORD AROUND TOWN – a few of the originators of the WAT?! tour eight years ago for a one night only event. In addition, with the gracious assistance of MECA the public will not only get a one of kind poetry show, but will also get a chance to visit an artist fair. There will be more than 10 artisans on hand before the poetry performance. The public will get a chance to mix and mingle with poets, artists and the MECA community.

Knights of the Word Around Town Fundraiser Location:
MECA – Multicultural Education and Counseling Through the Arts - 1900 Kane St. Houston, TX 77007. MECA has had a long and true tradition of supporting Houston poetry and has previously been a venue during the WAT?! tour on several occasions. The organizers would like to thank the administrators at MECA for serving the poetic arts community once again.

Information for Interested Vendors:
 
Venders can purchase table spots for $25. This price includes admission for one person for the poetry event. Vendor tables are 6 ft. long and will be located inside the auditorium for the duration of the evening. 

How the event will work:

On Saturday, July 20th, 2013 from 7 – 8 pm, the public gets a chance to walk through the artist tables at the artist fair, partake or purchase from artists and network with MECA, the poets and the artists. Then, from 8 – 10pm, everyone will get a poetic taste of what stated it all, as a few of the original poets from the first year of the WAT?! tour take the stage.

Entry is only $5, as all proceeds go to help with promotional costs of putting on the FREE Word Around Town Poetry Tour ’13.

THE TOUR this is year is from Sunday, Aug. 4th through Saturday, Aug. 10th, 2013.  

So with that done, I think its time to close out this post. Hope you guys had a good week and are ready for next week.
 
Here is the TEASE:

Take Some Words With You Across the Bay

Welcome back mi gente!!   

A few new development are in the works and there is lots to celebrate!! Read on!!
 
FIRST, the TEASE -   

LIBROTRAFICANTE EVENT in CALI!!!
 
So, Tony "EL LIBROTRAFICANTE" Diaz and I get to meet up and share some words with other librotraficantes in San Francisco tomorrow night!. We get to take part in an event  of poetry and literature with the LIBROTRAFICANTE BAY AREA and other artists in the Mission District - this should be really awesome. I've only been to San Pacho one other time and had tons of fun, so I am hoping to do a repeat here!!  If I read any of the posts on el Feis (Facebook) correctly, we will also be joined by bad ass poet, playwright, and performer Paul Flores. 

    I have never been to the MISSION CULTURAL CENTER for LATINO ARTS (MCCLA), but am totally humbled that they were willing to host the reading. Major thanks to the leader of the Librotraficante Bay Area, Naomi Quiñonez and our contact Pedro Reyes there at MCCLA for helping get it all together (I am probably missing some really important people, and for that I apologize :) ).
 
If you want to find out more about  MISSION CULTURAL CENTER for LATINO ARTS, then just click on the name. 
 
Here are the details for the event:

MCCLA & Libro Traficante present: 
A Night of Mind Altering Pros

Thursday, June 27, 2013 / 7:00pm / 
$15 General, $12 Youth and Seniors With ID / Theatre

Join Librotraficante Bay Area for an evening of readings from books banned under Arizona’s racist House Bill 2281, which effectively outlawed ethnic studies in publicly funded schools of all levels. HB2281 was approved in the wake of Arizona’s draconian anti-immigrant bill SB 1070.  In solidarity with the struggle to defend ethnic studies in Arizona and beyond, Librotraficante founder Tony Diaz will join with Bay Area poets and writers, who will read from their own works as well as books banned under HB 2281. 

Featuring: 
~ Novelist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, leader of The Librotraficante Movement. 
~ Poet Librotraficante Lips Mendez, aka Lupe Mendez, one of the original five founders of Librotraficante. 
~ Poet Naomi Quiñonez, leader of the Bay Area Librotraficantes
 ~ Co-founder of Presente.org Roberto Lovato, with original prose. 
 And more to be announced! 

Sponsored by: Librotraficante Bay Area, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Center for Political Education, Flash Points, Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say.

MCCLA  - 2868 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

 If you are in the San Francisco area, I hope you can make it to this event!   

 
PUBLIC POETRY IS A MONTHLY THING!!!
 
HEADS UP!!  At the beginning of each month PUBLIC POETRY puts on a reading with some of the Houston area's brightest poets. over 20 poets are chosen to read TWICE a year. From what I have been able to see, the poets on this year's selection were well thought out and the events are a true delight. Here are the poets coming up on JULY 6th (you better go!!!) :

I am a big fan of  Christopher Carmona and Digh Veluthukaran, so I can't wait to see them and hear their work, along with the other two gentlemen. Its always good to broaden your poetic horizons and get a feel for as many words as possible.  If you want more information about the reading or any more info on PUBLIC POETRY, then click HERE. 

YOU NEED TO MAKE A CHOICE, ESTE SABADO!!!
 
Mira gente, a veces hay eventos en la cuidad al mismo tiempo y desafortunadamente, te tienes que perder algo. So I beseech you to choose wisely. Saturday should be magnificent for poetry all around. You get seperate events with completely different themes:
  

1) HOUSTON VIP SLAM -  

This happens pretty regularly at Boomtown Coffee and it is pretty bad ass - hosted by either Outspoken Bean or Marcell Murphy (if I missed another host, I am sorry!!!) is a damn treat if you ask me! First you get a chance to workshop with other poets from 7 to 8pm and then you get a dose of slam poetry. I have attended and it is always a creatively good time. You should go if you are in the Heights. 
 
Time:
7pm - on (workshop @7, slam @ 8)
Location:
Boomtown Coffee 
242 W 19th St  Houston, TX 77008
 (713) 862-7018
Price:
 $5

2) POETIC JUSTICE PERFORMANCE FEST

This is event is a totally different vibe than the workshop/slam at Boomtown - this event is themed. Thanks to the work of  Kenan Ince and T.E.J.A.S., (click HERE to get more info on T.E.J.A.S.) they have been able to organize a reading to spotlight and support grassroots community efforts led by East End district citizens who care concerned about the environment (especially since they live so close to some high levels of pollution). Here are the details from the facebook event page itself:

"Poetry is not a luxury," said Audre Lorde in 1984. Her words couldn't be more true of performance art today. We at Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS) are tired of those who claim that art and politics should not mix, or those who claim that political poetry is always heavy-handed and cliché. We offer into evidence an impassioned, grassroots poetics that acknowledges political realities and is more affecting for it. We focus particularly on the structures that lead communities of color in Houston's toxic East End to bear the brunt of environmental destruction. - Bryan Parras (way to go Bryan!!)
 
 Featuring:

Scott Chalupa

Christine Gerbode

Sidney Hebert

Billie Hill

Kenan Ince

Lupe Mendez

Adam Lopez

Kris Smith

Quantum Potato

Anthony Sutton

Stalina Villarreal

and more!
 
This is an event more about the message and the meaning of the theme than the actual work of the poets. It has to be. There are times when the work of poetry must find a way to broadcast not the singular voice of the poet and his/her own plight or poetic view, but act as commentary, as pinnacle, as symbol, as sounding board, as megaphone for issues of the day.  It should be a real treat and very refreshing as I don't think I have heard most of the poets in this line up. 
 
Details: 
 
Time:  
7 - 9pm

Where:  
Bohemeo's Art House - 
 708 Telephone Rd 
Houston, Texas 77023
 
Ok mi gente, I gotta get going. Still have to pack and board a flight by 1:30pm!!  Read up and share!!!  

And now for the tease:

A blog post named Sabado

So its been a little over a month, so we have much to catch up on. ¿Listo?   

First we start with the tease:

OK, so I finished reading the book.

DAMN fine read, I must say. I think my favorite story is Flores - the mysticism of the story, the older gentleman, down and out, waiting to "meet" his end is a concrete example of Matt's skill with words.  Damn near the whole book catches you off guard. Matt's writing is slick and easy on the eyes. I read the voices of each of his characters and love where they go, the fights they have, the way they write their own letters. Matt does a spectacular job at painting a picture in the lives of Latinos in El Paso and beyond. I am proud to know that cat and read his writing. Buy the damn thing, read it out loud to anyone who will listen, recommend it to your enemies, and introduce your corner of the world to the stellar work of Matt Méndez.  

YOU NEED TO MAKE IT TO THIS WORKSHOP!!!
 
 So a dear friend and fellow poet, Marcell Murphy plays host to one of the most innovative writing workshops around. It's a breakdown and construction all in one. The format is simple: an hour and a half of work, the development of a prompt or a guest host who presents a new idea or topic along with a prompt (on occasion). Its an enriching process devoid of ego and full of response and review and positive energy. Marcell and his beautiful wife Makeda, do a fantastic job at keeping the flow of the workshop running. Marcell highlights not only the practice the writing, but also the need for reading other poets. Its a great mix of both academic and novice advice. Write club is open to all poets and now is currently hosted on Saturdays at the East End Gallery. If you are in the Houston area, bring it!!  Its tons of fun and open to all poets!! 

TWO NEW BOOKS OUT THERE!!!
 
So as you are reading this, two friends of mine a debuting new books. Here they are: 
 (1)
Diana Lopez is an amazing writer and she will be here in Houston later today with her new book ASK MY MOOD RING HOW I FEEL.  
 
Here is an excerpt from an article about the book and Diana - 

Diana López says that the first glimmering of the idea that would become Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel  (click on the title for more info) came to her at the end of a marathon; she’d run in the Komen Race for the Cure in honor of her aunt and was recapping the experience for her husband, telling him about a pink poodle she’d seen at the event. “I don’t know how they’d colored that dog such a vivid pink, but it was such a fun, celebratory image – that’s the feeling I got when at the race, that despite the way cancer had touched families in serious and tragic ways, there could still be celebration. I love writing for middle school kids, and thought it would be interesting to write about this subject from a daughter’s perspective.”

Before she’d really gotten to know who her characters would be, an image of a woman purchasing nine bikinis to wear in the days leading up to her mastectomy popped into her head. “Originally the book was called Nine Bikinis, 500 Names, which are now the book’s first and last chapter titles,” she says. “I had this image of a mom…what kind of woman would do that? It says a lot about her personality. That’s when the story began to take shape for me.”

If you have time, come check it out!! She will be at Blue Willow Books later today (2:00pm) 
 
Where: Blue Willow Books
Address: 14532 Memorial Drive at Diary Ashford, Hou. TX

(2)
My dear friend, the BARRIO POET, Edward Vidaurre has a new release as well - I TOOK MY BARRIO ON A ROAD TRIP (SLOUGH PRESS) is an amazing collection of poetry. I have heard and read some of his work and I am always in awe of his texture and his vision. Get his book. Here is a little more about Edward  from David Bowles, poet and writer from Austin, TX:
 For the poetry scene in the Río Grande Valley, Edward Vidaurre has become an important figure, nurturing up-and-coming voices, organizing readings every month, helping poets to network and find venues for their work. I was very excited to learn of the impending publication of his first book of verse, I Took My Barrio on a Road Trip. Tracing his life journey from El Salvador to East Los Angeles and then to the Río Grande Valley, the book combines a deft sense of place with a rugged, authentic voice and an unwavering moral center. Weaving lyric and narrative in a seamless fabric, Vidaurre guides us through the trying and joyous moments (and the essential relationships) that together gave him the strength to be the sort of man writers can admire: a barrio poet who values family and community, but who still drinks deeply of the pleasures of life.

-David Bowles

For more info on the book, read HERE. 

I say, get both books and be ready for righteous reading. :) Hell yeah!! 

Ok, so that's it for this blog post, and so, I leave you with the tease - 

Travel Some, Write Much

Hey mi querida gente, ​

Hope this blog post finds you in good fortune and better days. Today, its about 5 pm on a Friday afternoon and I am sitting here at Boomtown Coffee (if you are in HTX, come by, its pretty much a chingón place) enjoying the time to write. Its one of the few moments I have had in the last two weeks to just be still. Every post sounds like some amount of madness intercepts my life, but, neta, neta, that is how is really is.  So let's get this started again - FIRST FOR THE TEASE:

So if you follow me or the wifey on Facebook (not saying you have to at all, mind you) then you probably chuckle a bit after a few days as Jasminne has discovered and doing very well with an app on Facebook - BITSTRIPS. This ish is funny as hell. I don't know if its the fact that anyone can create their own avatar or the backdrop scenarios they provide- it could just be that the wifey finds the scenes and adds the comments that we would actually say. - BUT, I digress. The bitstrip in all its glory highlights two really fortunate events for the MENDEZ HOUSEHOLD - my lady is working on getting published by FLORICANTO PRESS and I have just been accepted into the NALAC Leadership Institute.  

        Floricanto Press (more info, click on the bolded link above) is out of California and has taken a keen interest in Jasminne's memoir - geared to young adults about her Domincan roots, her upbringing as a child in a military family and her connections to both cultures. I am extremely proud of her and did some research and guess what? My brother from another mother - MATT MENDEZ's book - TWITCHING HEART is out of FLORICANTO PRESS and I am loving that book!!  - SO, if they will publish him and they are now looking at my wifey, then it has to be a damn good press. I am impressed.  Right now, the wifey has taken the time to revise it and about a week ago turned in the revised manuscript. So, if they like it, they talk a little more and work something out. Either way, I am proud that she got it up and out into the world. She rocks. Its one of the main reasons I keep writing- she inspires me to do more. Plus, if she makes it big, then I will quit the day job and have a sugah mama. Hell yeah. No shame. Then i can finish this MFA and not worry about the bills. I can be aloof and a fool. (NOT REALLY). ​
​       THEN, on my side of the hill - I applied for a spot with a leadership institute under the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ARTS AND CULTURES (NALAC). (CLICK THE NAME) They only had 20 something spots and the application process was very thorough. I didn't think I had a shot and if it hadn't have been for Edward Vidaurre in the RGV (THANK YOU !!!), I would have missed the deadline.  
​
​Here is the overview: 
​OVERVIEW

The NALAC Leadership Institute (NLI) is a week-long rigorous program in arts management and leadership development that delivers innovative and practical strategies that lead to successful business practices in the arts. The dynamic learning environment cultivates a familiar, inclusive cultural space that provides multiple generations of Latino artists, arts managers and cultural promoters the support, knowledge, and agency to confidently respond to and initiate solutions to complex cultural questions.

The goals of the Institute are to:

• • develop core capacities in the areas of arts management, networking, marketing, fund development;
  • deliver training via interactive group learning, consultations, and leadership simulations;
  • advance knowledge in the field of Latino artistic expressions, research and policy;
  • contextualize the frameworks that inform and affect Latino cultural production;
  • strengthen and expand the NALAC professional network;
  • promote awareness for planned organizational legacy and artistic/executive succession;
  • provide effective tools and research that optimize leadership competence; and,
  • prepare leaders to be creative, strategic and nimble cultural responders.

Applicants to the NLI are accepted from multiple generations of Latino artists, arts managers and cultural promoters in various stages of career development.  A group of 15-22 participants will be selected to attend the NLI in San Antonio, TX.

SO, there you have it. I attend in the end of July and from fellow artist, Lizbeth Ortiz, I should be ready- its intense. Hell yeah. I am intrigued.

UPDATES and MORE UPDATES!!
​
​So, its been a week and several things deserve some more talking about - mainly - the Librotraficante Movement and what is happening right now. Well, right the last blog post, we initiated an amazing undertaking - we planned out a DAY OF ACTION around the Great State of TX!!  Participating cities included Dallas, El Paso, Baytown, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, Austin, and San Antonio all on Friday, April 26th, 2013.  Every city had its own way to explore, discuss, inform, and expand on SB1128 and HB1938. ​

   To that end, I found myself in the RGV, attending the Valley International Poetry Fest (give me a few minutes and I will catch you up on that too!!)​ and attending the student event created in response to this legislation at the University of Texas Pan American (UTPA). It was an informative day, it was a day to let people voice their ideas and ways to combat this bad tasting legislation. It worked. 

Well, no sooner do we take the week and reorganize, Rep. Capriglione and the Higher Education House Committee make a move - they voted, quietly and the House Bill - HB1938 has passed the committee and is now on the floor of the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES!!  From what we know, they could vote on the bill as soon as the 9th. NOW, is the time. If you ever want to know what it is like to exercise your right as an American and work for something, then call and email and fax your State REPS.  - Let them now that you want them to vote down HB1938.  - Contact them and let them know what you think!!​ USE THIS: 
​
​Do not let Texas Turn into Arizona. Call the TX House of Representatives Calendar Committee to stop HB1938 from getting a vote.

Please call The Chair: Rep. Tod Hunter  (512) 463-0672

Please call the Vice Chair: Rep. Eddie Lucio, III.  (512) 463-0606 

Please call Rep Alonzo:  

(512) 463-0408 

If you have time or enegery call other members as well. 

Here is a link to the members of the Calendar Comittee: 

http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/?district=104

Also, below is a sample script.

www.StopTxHB1938.org

Thank you for standing up for Ethnic Studies. We will not let our History be discredited. 

Letter/fax/email/phone call format:

www.StopTxHB1938.org

I am reaching out to you to ask you to vote against allowing HB1938, sponsored by Rep. Capriglione,  onto the House Calendar for a Vote. 

HB1938 will take U.S. History back to 1938, before Ethnic Studies.

If HB1938 becomes law Mexican American,  African American, or Women's History will not count towards History requirements for a Texas degree.

This will effectively destroy Ethnic and Gender Studies Programs in Texas.

Furthermore, Rep. Capriglione has not revealed the contents of this Comprehensive History that he and the bill advocate; yet, this bill would go into effect Sept. 1, 2013.

This bill uses Arizona-style "doughnut hole legislation" to attack ethnic studies professors and dissuade them from teaching books by women, African American, and Mexican Americans in the class room.

Texas is not Arizona. Arizona is the center of a Movement against Ethnic Studies. We will not tolerate that in Texas.

Resolutions have been written against HB1938, sponsored by Rep. Capriglione, and SB1128, written by Sen. Dan Patrick, by the following groups, and more are coming on board: 
http://www.notxsb1128.org/Menu.html   

--The National Assoc. for Chicana and Chicano Scholars (NACCS)

--The NACCS Tejas Foco

-- Texas Junior College Student Government Association                     

--North Texas LULAC Convention 

--Texas Senator Sylvia Garcia

The VALLEY GOT IT GOING ON...
​
​So last week (Thursday through Sunday, April 25 -28th) I participated in a BAD ASS-HOLY-HELL-MAS-CHINGON Poet's Heaven known as the Valley International Poetry Festival (VIPF). It was a ruckus and calming all at the same time - it was like going to a family reunion and getting to see all the family members you really wanted to see. - I was able to take the time and travel all over the Rio Grande Valley and see it in such a different light. I used to go religiously for family vacations, but only head to San Benito, never knowing the RGV was a hot spot for poetry. It was truly inspirational. I had the chance to hear poets from Mexico and England (YES, you read that right), and from all over Texas. I met some amazing poets, (SHOUT OUT to Jose Chapa, Amado Tijerina, Cesar De Leon, Diana Dominguez, and Mary Ann Escamilla). I got to touch base with some old friends - especially the MASC at UTPA and TAMMY GOMEZ - and hang out with Ed Vidaurre, Amalia Ortiz, and one of the organizers - Daniel Garcia Ordaz. We are now BFF because I have learned his gente hail from JALISCO.  - But sincerely, I am in such awe of Daniel and Brenda - the two main organizers who put this thing together. They hosted well over 20 poets in a 4 day span and arranged reading in more than 10 locations, 4 of them high schools, and one concurrent reading in Mexico. I am humbled that they would let me be a featured poet - and doubly humbled at all the amazing poetic talent from all the poets in the RGV. To be sure, I will go back next year. It rocks. Besides, it gives me a chance to goof off with my boys, Ed and Daniel. At Denny's, no less, at 1 in the morning...  (and a MAJOR Shout out to Ileana Garcia-Spitz - she took some amazing shots, a bad ass photographer!!!)

LITERARY JOURNALS !!!
​
​OK, so I am giving you the heads up to two of them today!!!
​
​#1

SO, since I just told you about an amazing event in the RGV, I figured you should know about an amazing publishing opportunity in the RGV as well. Damas y Caballeros, check out LA NORIA LITERARY JOURNAL (click on the title)- ​​from what I can tell (as I am about to submit myself) it looks to be a rockin' journal. I like the format - they do on-line publication three times a year and then collect the work in a physical journal in January. Neat and clean. Well done, gente!!  The submission period is open from April 22nd to July 1st. So get it going.  Oh yeah, here is what its all about: 
​
LA NORIA - A collaborative project of We Need Words and VAO Publishing, La Noria Literary Journal provides a venue for writers who draw words from the creative wells of Hispanic and border culture. The hybrid on-line/print journal will publish three electronic editions in April, August and December, with a trade paperback annual each January.

A noria [Spanish, from the Arabic na'ura] is a water wheel that can draw multiple buckets of water from a well in quick succession. Developed by Muslim engineers in Spain during medieval times (based on Roman and Greek prototypes), norias were vital tools in irrigation. We selected this term to serve as a symbol of our goal: to draw forth a flood of words from the deep wells of our culture (Hispanic, border or Southwestern) to irrigate the minds of our readers.

La Noria has no political bias to shill, no philosophical or critical stance to promote, no lofty academic aspirations to realize: we just love good literature, the Río Grande Valley, the Southwest, and Hispanic culture in general. We will publish any genre, any subject matter, any writer at all…as long as the piece appeals to those simple guidelines.

Good literature with a cultural bent.

#2

Being a Librotraficante and a one of the founders of the Librotraficante Movement sure has its perks - one of them being a contributing editor for DRUNKEN BOAT. (click HERE to get more info) YES!!  So the good folks at this fine journal are actually dedicating a section of the next issue to the LIBROTRAFICANTE MOVEMENT - check it: 
​
​"In solidarity with the Librotraficante movement, sparked by Arizona’s SB 2281 and the Tucson Unified School District’s resulting ban of Mexican American Studies, Drunken Boat seeks work by creators of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, spoken word, and experimental/mixed media that honors our country’s Latino heritage. The portfolio embraces quantum demographics, which, in the words of Librotraficante founder Tony Diaz, “pinpoint and celebrate the bridges that already exist between us.” Submissions will be considered through this lens of cultural intersection as it pertains to the New Latino Renaissance."

A special shout to my contact with Drunken Boat - editor, Erin Wilcox as she is bustin' her bum in getting it all together and allowing me the opportunity to get these works into the issue.  SO DON'T WAIT!!  The submission window is open, BUT only until MAY 24th!! GET YOUR SUBMISSIONS IN!!!  The is no time like the present!!  

NEW ARTS EVENT!!!
​
​One last piece to close us out!!! - Yet again its that time for CULTURAL LADRONES - my boy Marlon Lizama has created a unique arts show and now Marcell Murphy and a few others are a part of the show!  You should come check this out: 
​
​"Cultural Ladrones is an event celebrating true grassroots artists. Focusing on artists who not only embody the grassroots mentality, but also contribute to their community. The term 'Cultural Ladrones' was chosen on the fact that 'OUR' type of artist generically taught him or herself by combining cultural, sub cultural, the conventional, and the un- conventional route. We focus on the power of art, music, words to create and reach as many people as we can through movements, ideas, and social justice." 

ARTIST: 
THE BANDULUS
THE LADRONES
ELMER ROMERO
LUPE MENDEZ
CHERYL MCCLURE
CHRISTIAN NAVARATTE
MARCELL MURPHY

DJ's DAVID CRUZ & WICKED of The HEADLINERZ

CULTURAL LADRONES will take place on May.12th (Mothers Day) from 8pm to 1am. 

Admission: $10

The event is for fans of art, music and poetry who are 21 & up. 

Where: - ESTATE LOUNGE (2303 Richmond Ave. 77098)

AND with that, we are at a close. Thanks for the read, see you back here soon. Oh, yeah, here is the tease...

Words Rise, Over the Skies, Out of Your Breath

¿Que Pasa, Calabasa? -
​
​Thanks for reading up on this blog again. I am a few days over due (like a week) just ignore that. I promise to be on time for the next one - look at it this way - you will get the next blog really close to this one... great stuff, ¿no? ​

ON WITH THE TEASE

So this lovely book - EVERYTHING BEGINS AND ENDS AT THE KENTUCKY CLUB - is Benjamin Alire Sáenz's latest work. I think I mentioned it before in another blog post, but I wanted to get more in depth with it. (MY copy is on its way. One day, I will get it signed by the man, making sure I do not act all geeky or aguitado in front of him and more like a grad student, unless he says "hello, sure I will sign it" or "not a problem, hombre, give me the book", then all bets are off as I will probably pass out. - The guy works at my UTEP - PICKS UP!!!) Saenz's book, won the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award - it is the first time any Latino writer has even done so. Its pretty bad ass!!  I for one can't wait to get my hands on it - and hopefully one day, I get to take class with the man. 
​
​Here is bit of a blurb from the news from UTEP's website!!
​- Renowned novelists Walter Kirn, Nelly Rosario, and A.J. Verdelle served as judges for the prize, considering more than 350 novels and short story collections by American authors published in the United States in 2012. Submissions came from 130 publishing houses, including small and academic presses. First awarded in 1981, the prize is named for Nobel Prize winning novelist William Faulkner, and Sáenz is the first Hispanic writer to receive it.

“He's one of the most prolific writers I have ever met, sometimes producing two books in one year, like he did this year,” said Saenz’s colleague Associate Professor of Creative Writing Daniel Chacon. “Both of those books have gone on to win amazing prizes and to get positive critical attention.”

In speaking about his experience as co-host of KTEP-FM’s (88.5) “Words on a Wire” radio program with Sáenz, Chacon said, “We have the chance to talk to some of the greatest writers in the country, and together we are able to extract a lot of valuable information and advice from these writers, but the ironic thing is that Ben himself is one of the country's most distinguished writers.”

Judge A.J. Verdelle praised Saenz’s mastery of language.

“In Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club, his 20th published book,

Benjamin Alire Sáenz shows how decades working at your craft gives birth to might and mastery ... He presents a rendering of reality that is lush, tender, expansive, inclusive and profound. The author takes stunning care with language — English, Spanish, and the languages of sunlight, daylight, dimlight, night light — twisting and tumbling with the whispered language of the human heart. Sáenz also devotes impressive attention to rendering communities on the borders of the United States and Mexico, on the boundaries of sensual and sexual expression, on the edge of despair, and on the cusp of redemption.”
​
​SO, there you go. Oh yeah, here is one last bit. - 

TEXAS, RISE... TESTIFYING TO SAVE ETHNIC and GENDER STUDIES!!
​
Ok, so let me catch you up on why I am little late with my bloga duties. I wouldn't have missed it for anything else, really - but sometimes battle plans and actions must happen quick as lightening. Wednesday, the same day as I would plan on working on the blog, also became the day my compadres y comadres in the LIBROTRAFICANTE MOVEMENT traveled to Austin, TX to hear the presenting of HB1938 - the twin to SB1128 - both bills would seek to change up a 1955 law that requires college students to take 6 hours of Texas or U.S. History courses to fulfill the requirement for getting a degree. This new set of bills, if passed would want to see students take courses that meet the requirement so long as the classes were about "a comprehensive course of U.S. or Texas History". The problem:  1) No one, including the creators of the bills have defined what "comprehensive U.S. History" is 2) the creators of the bill - including Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) and Congressman Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) both Tea Party Republicans have both used a scary report created by a heavy handed Republican group - the National Association of Scholars, named Recasting History: Are Race, Class and Gender Dominating American History? ​​ - with a name like that, and the research results within, it makes comments they make - that they aren't after ethnic studies or cultural relevance in U.S. History, all the more disingenuous. 3) if the bill succeeds, then gateway classes that may lead into women's studies and ethnic studies, may be turned into electives, signifying that their importance would be minimal. Basically, if you want to study history from the perspective that includes African- Americans from Slavery to Civil Rights, then do it, but it wouldn't count for credit to your degree... let that sink in. Riiiiiiight. 

So, the bill was heard on Wednesday- and I have to say Thank you, Mil Gracias, Obrigado to my principal, Diana Del Pilar. I came to her and asked if I could take the afternoon off to go testify against the bill and without batting an eye - "Mendez, you need to go, our kids need you to go". It says a lot about where her priorities are for our school community ​and her respect for me as an educator. I will forever be in her debt.  - We packed it up from Houston and along with 22 other folks testified on the bill (3 for, 19 against- 2 of which were people Capriglione brought himself and a 20 yr. old kid dressed up as Paul Revere), and it was an amazing moment to be an American. The House Committee on Higher Education eventually figured out that the majority of us came from OUTSIDE of Austin to speak against the bill and they were impressed. - But the work is not done. The bill was left pending - so now, WE must call (yes, this includes you if live in Texas) and let them now that the bill is no good - that they must vote NO on HB1938. Here are the numbers to get a hold of the members - 

Dan Branch - Chair
(512) 463-0367
(512) 322-9935 (fax)

Diane Patrick - Vice Chair
(512) 463-0624
(512) 463-7275 (fax)

Roberto R. Alonzo
(512) 463-0408
(512) 463-1817 (fax)

Travis Clardy
(512) 463-0592
(512) 463-8792 (fax)

Drew Darby
(512) 463-0331
(512) 499-3978 (fax)

Donna Howard
(512) 463-0631
(512) 463-0901 (fax)

Armando "Mando Martinez
(512) 463-0530
(512) 463-0849 (fax)

Jim Murphy
(512) 463-0514
(512) 463-8715 (fax)

John Raney
(512) 463-0698
(512) 463-5109 (fax)

and click here if you want the link to the video of that meeting. - You have to see and hear all the testimony - get popcorn and fast forward to Paul Revere, that guy was a hoot. (Mas Puto) WARNING - the meeting itself lasted from 2pm til 10:00pm - yep, and HB1938 was the last bill to be heard. So we stayed. That's What's Up. 
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​¡ME VOY A UNA QUIENCEÑERA!
​
​So, 15 years ago, April 22, in 1998, a young Tony Diaz and a few friends started a new venture: let's start highlighting Latino Literature, Latino Poetry and the folks who write it. Let's do it in the party room of Chapultepec Restaurant. Let's talk about "our words" - NUESTRA PALABRA. - and so it went and it is still going. I am proud to say I am a 14 year veteran of the group and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It has given me the opportunity to meet, discuss and argue with some of the best Latino writers in the country and it has helped mold me into the kind of leader, writer and poet I am today. I am forever grateful to Tony and the gang for all the energy, all the diversity of thought and all the bad -assness we bring, from the book tours, to the showcases, from the book festivals to the radio shows, from the literary throw-downs to educational forums, seguimos adelante. Always mas, mucho mas.  - 

This Sunday, I invite you to join us in Baytown, at the Yepez Vineyard - a Latino owned and operated business as we celebrate our 15 years of Latino Literary work.​
​
​HERE ARE THE DETAILS - remember, it is a fundraiser as well (we gotta pay some bills): 

​You're invited to the 15th anniversary celebration of Nuestra Palabra "Latinos Having Their Say" on Sunday, April 21 from 3:00-6:00 p.m., at Yepez Vineyard. $50 per person or $80 per couple (any pair a couple) Includes Hors d’oeuvres, dessert & wine. Attire is summer casual. 

RSVP by April 17 to Laura Acosta at lacosta4040@gmail.com or text 832-414-3651.

Pay online-
$50 per person:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BZYBBQ34DR3WS
$80 per couple: 
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=PUE3SE4WXMJ3L

HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US!!!  
​I will be serving as the OFFICIAL NUESTRA PALABRA POETRY BUSKER - that means that you give me a topic, idea or feeling, and I will write you a poem on the spot. 

I'MMA SLAM YOU!!
​Ok, so a few weeks back, I took part in amazing poetic process - I served as a judge at a poetry slam- but not any poetry slam - THE POETRY SLAM, the one that decides the next team to serve as the HOUSTON VIP POETRY SLAM TEAM (when I say this, you have to all collective yell "the treatment", right after, trust me it hilarious - get it? VIP, treatment? Shuddup!) Truth be it known, that was an amazing night and I got to see a plethora of amazing performance and slam poetry and create history. SO, I wanted to take the time and include the members here. Right now, I only have a few bios, so what I will do is give you what I have, and then little by little spot light the rest of the team (Rooster, if you read this, give me your bio, duh). 
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First up:
​DULCIE DAVID - Dulcie “Digh” David is a singer-songwriter, poet and teacher. She is the co-coach for Meta-Four Houston, and teaches Creative Writing to 9th graders at Sam Houston MSTC. A 2008 Teach For America alumni, Digh spends most of her free time trying to convince people that kids need slam poetry in schools. She holds a Bachelors in Arts degree in History and Creative Writing from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. **** Dulcie is as beautiful as she is smart, witty as she is a bad ass. 

IN JUST A FEW HOURS -

If you are in Houston and are looking something booky to do, then head over to the Menil - the HOUSTON INDIE BOOK FEST is pretty neat. Today, I get host a table for NP and show off some of my wifey's poems and art work by Lizbeth Ortiz - here are some details about today:
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​The Houston Indie Book Festival is hosted by Gulf Coast and the Menil Community Arts Festival through a collaboration with The Menil Collection the Council of Literary Magazines and Presseat Menil Park ( view map).

The 2013 festival will be on Saturday, April 20 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The event  is completely free and open to the public and remains the only one of its kind in the Houston and Austin areas, featuring a variety of nationally-distributed literary journals and small-press books alongside local booksellers, book and magazine publishers, small presses, literary organizations, and writers.
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​Click HERE, to get more info.  Show up!!!  Let's talk!!!
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​LAST BUT NOT LEAST - A WAR OF WORDS (KINDA...)

This is now a tradition - see we have friends - fellow bad ass poets from Baton Rouge who make their way to the Houston Indie Book Fest and since we first met them, we worked on sharing some drinks and some words on a stage - thus the INTERSTATE POETRY SHOWDOWN is a hot minute of fun! This year, reppin' Houston is remarkable poets Stephen Gros and Chris Wise and from Baton Rouge Vincent Cellucci and Chris Shipman. Should be awesome. YOU SHOULD COME BY!! everything starts at 6:30, so get it together... 
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​With that, I get to close out the blog post, but of course, not with out one last thing: 
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​THE TEASE - 

Poetry Comes in All Shapes & Forms.

What is up, MI GENTE!?!!?  ​

​So far, so good. - From last week to this week, its been a great time to be involved in writing and poetry. I discover new stuff all the time and so, I hope to share that with you here. - Thank you, Obrigado, Mil Gracias to A. Raa - for the comment. I replied back. (YEA!!! - at least one person reads this thing!!! :) )
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​Let's get the things going. 

THE TEASE: 

The VALLEY INTERNATIONAL POETRY FESTIVAL - ​

​NOW in its 6th year- the Rio Grande Valley (the RGV) plays host to a spectacular weekend of poetry, literary celebration and homage to the written word. The organizers, Daniel Garcia Ordaz and Brenda Nettles Riojas, the actual founders have done an amazing thing by creating this event. They have worked in as many different facets to include registered poet, the community at large, fans of poetry, professors, college students, teachers and kids - hell, they have even managed to host a poetry reading across the border. This will be my first time at the festival and I am completely giddy in anticipation for this event. I have been given a sort of run down of the events for the weekend- and I am sworn to secrecy until we get closer to the date, so stay tuned. 

These are the details as I know them so far: 
​
​Date: 
​April 25th  - 28th, 2013
​Location:
​All across the RGV
​
​If you want a bit more information, including locations and bios on featured and registered poets, then take a look at the festival site, here.

The organizers have even put together an annual anthology for the event itself - BOUNDLESS. Then, on top of that, they also end the entire event with a Sunday visit to the gravesite of Gloria Anzaldúa, who was a Rio Grande Valley Native  So, if you have time, ​take a trip to the valley and check it. 

AND NOW... a NEW DISCOVERY!!  (not really that I discovered..but)

So I noticed on a friend's Facebook post, they had a link to an audio recording of Gloria Anzaldúa (Thanks Georgina!!), and so I took a look-see and liked it. I decided to take a further look and you know what, the Univ. of Arizona's Poetry Center has an impressive collection of audio and visual recordings of poetry and poets. You should check it out! ​

I have included a few of them:
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​A 1977 reading from Phillip Levine (it goes into the intro first, then flips to the next audio file) 

A 1993 reading from Benjamin Alire Saenz

A 2011 reading by Kazim Ali

​A 1991 reading by Gloria E. Anzaldúa

Really pretty awesome stuff and very easy to sign up for!!  Enjoy!!  here is the link to sign up:
​University of Arizona Poetry Center

YOU SHOULD TRY TO MAKE IT TO THIS SHOW!!!
​
​a dear friend, OUTSPOKEN BEAN - (go to my links and check his site out!!)​ is up and running with his one man show. Here are the details: 

Outspoken Bean is a tremendously talented spoken word artist and writer. So try to make it to his show!!  I will be there on Sunday, - so hope to see you there. ​

Here are the details:
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Date & Time :  Saturday, April 20th - 8pm
​                         Sunday, April 21st - 3pm
​
​Price:  All tickets pre-sale, $12 - at the Door - $15
​​Where: Freneticore Theatre - 5102 Navigation Blvd. , Houston, TX
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​See you there!!

​GET READY!!​

​If you remember last week, we talked a little bit about the WORD AROUND TOWN POETRY TOUR. If you are just joining the blog, no worries, just click on the title and it will take you to the site. SO, now we are ready and waiting, hoping we get as many poets to participate in the POET DRAFT for the WAT tour. This year, we have selected 9 poets (a hard decision to make, might I add) to rejoin the tour, leaving 7 spots open to be filled by newer poets (new to the tour that is).  Last year, we had the event at Khan's Wine bar in mid-town, but this year, we felt we needed a little more elbow room. - This year, we will bring the POET DRAFT to TAFT STREET COFFEE HOUSE - one of the original venues for the tour!!  Taft St. has always had a long running open mic on Tuesdays, and its gone through its share of hosts (many thanks to Millie Fiori, Joey, and  Jessie for all your hard work in running that open mic in the past!!) and so on April 30th, we will take over the night and run the draft. ALL POETS ARE WELCOME TO COMPETE FOR A SPOT ON THE TOUR!!  (unless you are already selected, you can come and support!!) 
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​Make sure you bring one poem to read in front of the judges. Make it a good one. 
​Here are the details for that night- 
​Where: 
Taft Street Coffee House
​2115 Taft St, Houston, TX 77006

Time:
​8 pm
​
​Contact: 
​713.522.3533

Bueno, con eso, se acabo la bloga por hoy. But, I will leave you with a tease:

The Writers Speak for Those Who Can Not

Hey Gente, ​

Its been two weeks. I know. I was doing real well with a weekly blog (more or less appearing between Wednesday & Thursday evenings), but alas, sometimes the world - se te ensima, it just jumps up into your lap, into your face so fast that you need to do something in response. These last two weeks have been tremendous, so bear with me as I bare it all. (I say this and I must also admit, that at this point, I don't even know how many people are reading the blog, it could be 5 people or like 250, hopefully somebody is, right?)
​
​OK so to honor ​the little tradition of the "tease" I end the previous blog post with - I will address that first and the jump into what derailed me for two weeks. SO. LET'S BEGIN!!

WAT?! DID YOU SAY?!?!!?!

​So if you are familiar enough with me and my writing (and don't worry if you aren't, today, you get in on all the info)​ then you know about what WAT?! is. - It is a labor of love poetry, a poetic celebration, a call to arms and poetry - all of this in the 4th largest city in the nation.  The WORD AROUND TOWN is in its 7th year. It is a tour like none other and it is gaining momentum. 

      ​In the summer of 2006, just about 10 poets gathered together to celebrate all that works for poetry in Houston: the ability to read at any venue, any given night of the week in front of an unknown audience. It surprised the poets, the venues and the spectators.

         The tour in simplest terms is a 7 day marathon poetry tour, where a selected group of poets go for seven days straight, reading a 7 different venues for the whole week.  - It is what makes Houston unique - this so far, as gente from other major cities have told us - we are the only city that has a poetry spot for every night of the week. 

       Originally, the main message of the tour was to highlight and honor those poets that were dedicated to poetry on the mic; poets who were not afraid to delve past their comfort zone and read in front of unknown crowds, as well as highlight those venues who were dedicated to poetry. - The whole idea has always been to showcase the poets and the venues that make the city special. ​

    The current incarnation of the tour is bold: there are 16 poets that are selected, along with 1 featured poet per night, per venue. In all, that's just about 23 people for 7 poetry spots. The selected poets are a true representation of the best and brightest Houston has to offer in Spoken Word, Academia, Open Mic and Experimental Poetry. - 9 poets who have been a part of the tour in the last year or two are selected and then the last 7 spots are open to a POET DRAFT (which this year will be held on April 30th @ Taft St. Coffee House). The organizers include myself, and fellow poets Blanca Alanis, Joe B, and Stephen Gros are working like crazy to get this going every year.

        If you have never been to the WAT?! Poetry Tour, you don't know what you are missing. Every night is unique. This year, the tour will happen from August 4th to the 10th, 2013. We are still in the planning phases and just selected the first 9 poets. - The next step is to secure the venues and host the Poetry Draft for the last 7 spots. Do you think you have what it takes? Then come to the draft. If you want more information, then click on the banner above. ​

SOMETIMES THE WRITERS MUST ACT... ​

​Before we continue, I really need you to understand that if you read my bio, I take on three parts: Poet/Educator/ACTIVIST. - I think I follow what Martin Espada eludes to - that sometimes, writers have to be the voice for the voiceless - write about those things, those topics and subjects that deserve the light, else it will never get it. With that said, I hope you can understand that I am not one to speak and not act. Me pongo las botas y le entro - I was a part of the Librotraficante Caravan that last year took a trip to Tucson, AZ to protest their House Bill 2281 - which pretty much took apart the Mexican-American Studies program on the K-12 level. They took books from children's hands. They boxed up books and told them that they were "un-American" - books like Junot Diaz's DROWN, Sandra Cisnero's HOUSE ON MANGO STREET, Carmen Tafolla's CURANDERA and Lorna Dee Cervantes' EMPLUMADA. These books are amazing reads, AMERICAN reads, written about Latinos about Latinos who had no voice, who need a voice. To have taken these books away was criminal.  

        We organized here in Texas. Me and the merry bunch of Latinos, con quien me junto, Tony Diaz, Liana Lopez, Bryan Parras and Laura Acosta - we planned a 6 city caravan, full of books (over 1000 = $20,000) and roughly 30 some odd gente. We packed up a bus and honored the writers and the books and the teachers and the students.  - Sadly, the law won in AZ. The classes are still gone, and they only way the books now get into kids hands are by the underground libraries we organized (currently we have an underground library in Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix and New York, with more on the way) or in Tucson, under the direction of Curtis Acosta - he teaches a Sunday class at the Venezuela Youth Center. It will take between 2 to 3 years before the Supreme Court can rule that this law is unconstitutional, and by then, the damage will be so apparent. - A whole generation of cabroncitos won't know these writers. So this bitter pill, that as an educator, is hard to swallow - that you can have some kids that want to read books that interest them and can't, its a damn shame. 

     My commitment now, all of our commitments now as Librotraficantes, is to never let that happen in any shape, form or fashion any where else - especially in TEXAS. ​

BUT GUESS WHAT? - You have some Texas legislators working, in a round about way to try and control what books are being taught, what angles of history can be studied on the college level. - Neta, Neta, - we have TEA PARTIERS who have their eyes on "tightening up" what can be considered a study of "a comprehensive American History or Texas History Survey Course" in Texas colleges.  So if your brain isn't too fried yet, then click on this link here. ​

      Simple words huh? - If you didn't click on the link, no worries, I will translate for you: the Senate Bill (and it has a twin in the House- HB1938) SB1128 wants to basically filter what counts as the undergrad components for a basic college degree. "Big deal" you might say. So what?  Its two classes in college, who cares? - But here is the implication: if legislators can begin tinkering with what counts as "good" or "bad" history classes, then what's next? How far will this reach? 

      It wouldn't be a scary deal if it were meant to clean up the college courses. But its not. No, see we do our homework - and if you have some time, you should read what Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) and Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R- Southlake) have used to create their respective bills - hint - click here. ​

        This report by Republican Think Tank group - the National Assoc. of Scholars, (and if you are a Red, don't make a carita, I respect your fire and practicality, just not the craziness the Tea Party brings) only looks for, reports, dissects and nitpicks the books and assigned reading that deal with RACE, CLASS and GENDER - and the report itself recommends that there be less of it. - Esto es lo que da rabia.

       WE as a people, don't get to read alot a history that isn't "broad" or "over arching". I mean in college, I got half of it. - I took the standard two history classes - to 1865/ from 1865 and it was the second half that interested me the most. WHY?

            Well, the prof. was the just retired PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS - DR. JOSEPH McFADDEN. (this was right around 1998 or so) -  It was one of the few classes I didn't have to look at my watch to see how long we had before class ended. He has us in the palm of his hand - and what did he talk about?  The F**kin history of BARBED WIRE!!!  - Yep. MikeyFad taught us U.S. history under the lens of the creation, need and evolution of Barbed Wire Fences. It made sense. It was practical. We read about industry, western expansion, etc, but all from the context of why this invention made sense - but if you left it to mis queridos compadres in TX legislature - I would have never been able to read about this. McFadden wouldn't have been able to let us read about the dust bowl, about MLK's Letters from a Birmingham Jail, or about how the vaqueros pre-dating the cowboy...

         I want this younger generation to read the US history as comprehensively as possible - one in which includes every aspect of our nation - the race, the class and the gender. You can not deny these parts of history - you can not tell history without them. 

     So for now, as a Librotraficante, I will fight on. We already went to Austin in fact. We even tried to meet with Sen. Patrick, but he was too busy to meet with us, so instead, he wrote about us (incorrectly on Facebook, I might add). We were even invited to speak to Rep. Capriglione - but all we got was alot of nothing - he's not ready to talk, to concede that what will happen will be a limitation and a disenfranchisement of the very people they claim they want to help. Here is the link to our conversation with the dear (sinvergüenza) Rep. from North Dallas. 
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​Let me set that up for you. - He tells us that he can convince us that the bill isn't a problem. He says that once he is done, we will understand why he wrote it. - Our meeting didn't do anything, but help make our point - your not ready to acknowledge "Minority" relevance in education, in history or in politics. Your loss. - I will let you know this: from the minute we got a hold of the bill and the report - it took us less than 48 hours to grab 20 something people from three separate cities: Baytown, Houston and  San Antonio- to converge on the Capitol.

If both of these gentlemen think that was impressive - they have not seen anything yet. We are in the media. We are political. We are moving fast, and hot. ¡Aguas!, ¡Aguas! Ahi les llegamos...

And now, for the Tease: