THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

I was out Christmas shopping yesterday so did not see this message until this morning – a response from the   New York Times!   They are responding to the continued protests from the Latino community in regards to their  not  including a Latino book or author on their annual book list…again. The Good News:  they ARE looking.  Poor Alan Weinberg is a consultant to the NYT and is being bombarded with emails. Now, while I am not sorry he is getting emails, I am sorry some of them are calling him racist and such.  Let’s not resort to insults, Mi Gente.  Let’s keep the dialogue open with Alan and the New York Times  and let’s keep it constructive and positive.  Below are his email and my response, which was probably too long but I wanted to give him as much info as possible.  If anyone has any extra links that would prove helpful about Latino book awards or review sites, let me know....

  The month-long celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is officially over...or is it? We continue to be Latino.  It's not something that we can turn off.  And we wouldn't want to if we could.  So even though the holiday is over, the Celebration Continues. As Latinos, let's continue to honor our Parents, our roots, our culture, our music, our language, all our peoples.  And, let's Pay Tribute to Latinos everywhere.  Read Latino books; watch Latino movies; patronize Latino businesses; play your favorite Latino artists. The Latina Book Club also wishes to thank its Guest Bloggers this month; see list below.  If you missed their post, just click on their names.   GUEST BLOGGERS Marcela Landres , Editor Extraordinaire Raul Ramos y Sanchez , author of AMERICA LIBRE Monique Frausto of Blogs by Latinas Mike Padilla , author of THE GIRLS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY CANTINA Vanessa Libertad Garcia , author of THE VOTING BO...

By Marcela Landres The Latina Book Club welcomes editor extraordinaire Marcela Landres, as she helps us Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. You may celebrate your Latinidad through the food you eat or the holidays you observe. I celebrate my Latinidad with my wallet. For example, on the rare occasion that a Latina is headlining a movie, I march to the theatre and buy a ticket, preferably during the opening weekend. The number of tickets sold during a film’s opening weekend can make or break that Latina’s career. I want her to make it. So yes, I saw Christina Aguilera in Burlesque. (If you refused to see it because of the reviews, keep this in mind: the movie was made for women and gay men. Film critics are, for the most part, heterosexual men. Of course it was panned. What straight man genuinely enjoys a musical that doesn’t involve Monty Python or the creators of South Park?) After seeing Burlesque, I walked out of the theatre smiling and snapping my fingers. That was wort...

by Maria C. Ferrer Founder, The Latina Book Club Today begins Hispanic Heritage Month . For one month out of the year, the US celebrates Hispanics, aka Latinos. This year the celebration seems ironic given the current tensions over the immigration bills being considered and laws enacted, but let’s not talk politics or we’ll be foaming at the mouth. Instead, let’s celebrate that Hispanics are an integral part of this great nation of ours. Let’s celebrate Hispanic leaders in our community, in our government, in our schools, in our lives.  For this one month, let’s celebrate what makes Hispanics unique and beautiful – our culture, our music, our letters, our passions, our people. I’m starting my month-long—and life-long—celebration with Familia . My family is the root of my Hispanidad. It is with them and from them that I get my pride in my heritage.  And, so I celebrate that I am Hispanic. I celebrate that I am Puerto Rican. I celebrate that I love my island, Borin...

In case you haven’t heard, Brooklyn is hosting its Fifth Annual Book Festival on September 12 at Borough Hall/ Columbus Park. The Festival is presented by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn Literary Council and Brooklyn Tourism. The Brooklyn Book Festival is going to be an outdoor literary marketplace with 200 Authors, as well as 175 booksellers, publishers, presses and organizations….and about 30,000 visitors! The Latina Book Club is proud to chat today with Marcela Landres , a member of the Brooklyn Literary Council and an editorial consultant, who works with Latino authors to bring their books to print. Q: How did the Brooklyn Book Festival come to be? New York City is the book publishing capital of the U.S., if not the world. While the major publishers are located in Manhattan, many publishing professionals such as agents and editors actually live in Brooklyn. Numerous authors live in Brooklyn, and several highly-regarded independent publishers, such...

                                                                 5th ANNUAL Mark your calendars....Sunday, September 12, 2010. It's the 5th Annual Brooklyn Book Festival.  The Festival is sponsored by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council.  Our friend Marcela Landres is a member of the Council and editor of Latinidad, a newsletter for Latino authors. The Festival will have 200 authors, 175 bookstores, hundreds of vendors and delicious food in one of New York's most beautiful boroughs....Brooklyn.   Join us! Here's their press release.... This is the fifth anniversary of the renowned Brooklyn Book Festival , a free...