THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

    As you know, La Casa Azul Bookstore will soon be a physical reality in East Harlem.  Owner Aurora Anaya Cerda was able to raise the $40,000 necessary to get her own store front, and she is hoping to open in late Spring.  Right now, she is busy painting, arranging furniture and bookshelves, ordering books and looking at art. One of the "extra" features of La Casa Azul Bookstore will be it's Inagural Exhibition of Latino Artists.  Hence, Aurora is putting out a call to all artists, in all mediums. "Work submitted may be of any traditional or non-traditional mediums or genre (painting, drawing, collage, photography, printmaking, sculpture, new media, site specific installation, performance etc.) using books as a source of inspiration and exploration.   "8-16 artists will be chosen from entries to be included in the exhibitions. There will be 6 shows in the 2012-2013 season, each show running for 8 weeks." DEADLINE: MARCH 31, 2012, Mi...

         “We are all slightly delusional under the California sun.” Beautifully written and meticulously researched, GATHERING THE INDIGO MAIDENS is a must read for anyone who loves a good thriller. Velastegui does a excellent job of mixing fact and fiction, imaginary characters and historical figures, for an explosive combination of history, art, good and evil. Readers won’t want to put the book down. SUMMARY: Paloma Zuibiondo is a rich art collector and philanthropist living in a gated community in a gilded cage in Laguna Beach. Her life is perfect, quiet and safe, until a frantic phone call from a mysterious girl claiming to be sex-slave shatters her sanctuary. The girl begs for help; her capturers promise to free her if Paloma will return the 17th century painting of the Immaculate Conception the girl claims is rightfully hers. And thus is the shallow Paloma rudely awaken to the harsh realities of stolen art treasures and human traff...