Friday, October 27, 2006

There's A Party Goin' On

Manuel Ramos

Herewith, messages from around Aztlán about upcoming parrandas, especially as the holiday season (Día de los Muertos, Halloween, even Xmas) bears down on all of us.


SEATTLE
Los Norteños Latino Writers Celebrate El Día de los Muertos
November, 4, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Northwest Latino writers group Los Norteños partners with the Seattle Public Library and Starbucks to present short stories, poetry, and drama starring La Muerte (Death) in all its incarnations, from restless spirits, to petulant gods, to lovers that not even La Muerte can part. The Day of the Dead Literary Reading is free to the public, and will be held in the Microsoft Auditorium on Level 1 of the Seattle Public Library, located at 1000 Fourth Avenue, in downtown Seattle. Refreshments are provided courtesy of Starbucks. Musician Jacque Larrainzar's evocative mix of Spanish guitar and Latin songs accompanies the readers.

Among those reading are internationally recognized authors Kathleen Alcalá and Flor Fernandez Barrios; award-winning playwright Joann Farías; popular nationally published writers Carmen Carrión, Donna Miscolta, Raúl Sánchez, and José Carillo; novelist María Victoria Muguira; and the emerging and established voices of writers Jaime Gallardo, Rose Cano, Heidi Hanson, Joseph de León, Stephan Magcosta, Laura Gonzalez, and Maijah Merino.

Los Norteños is a Seattle-based organization of Latino writers in the Northwest. Members include novelists, poets, playwrights, and screenwriters at different stages of their writing careers. Some members have multiple publications and production credits, while others are emerging voices on the Latino literary scene. Los Norteños sponsors several readings each year, and have received funding and support from numerous national and local sources, including the Ford Foundation and the Allied Arts Foundation.

October 28th: Three members of Los Norteños will perform at the Seattle Center House Main Stage for the Day of the Dead Festival on at 1:15 PM. They will read a poem written by TLALTECATZIN an Aztec poet from the mid 1400's. Raúl Sánchez will read the Nahuatl language, Laura Gonzalez will read in Spanish and Maijah Merino will read in English.

DENVER
Museo de las Américas
October 27, 6PM-9PM
Opening Reception for
Mapping Nativity

October 27 – December 31, Members Free/General $4
Mapping Nativity presents over 100 dioramas of traditional and non-traditional nativities from the collections of Dr. La Meta Lubchenco, Florence Hernandez-Ramos, and Laura Edmondson. These miniatures underscore the diverse methods, materials and iconography practiced in Latin America and the American Southwest.

Three contemporary artists deconstruct the physical and conceptual manifestations of the nativity with perceptions of family, giving, light and hope.
ARTISTS:Martín Bonadeo (AR), Gwylym Cano (US), Virginia Valdes (US)

Day of the Dead Celebration Saturday, October 28 12 Noon - 4pm FREE with Museum Admission

Meet the Collectors Saturday, November 18 11am Join La Meta Lubchenco, Florence Hernandez-Ramos, and Laura Edmondson as they discuss their families’ penchants for collecting nativity scenes.

Museo de las Américas 861 Santa Fe Drive Denver CO 80204

CHAC - Chicano Humanities and Arts Council
Los "Vivos" Muertos
October 25th-November 4, 2006 Opening reception October 27, from 6-10 PM. CHAC's annual El Día De Los Muertos Celebration! Join us for this exciting annual exhibit featuring Traditional Aztec Dancers, great artwork, altars, pan de muertos and traditional hot chocolate!

October 31 - November 5th "Los Muertos, Los Poetas y Yo" "The Dead, The Poets and I" - poetry, theatre, and fun! directed by Chicano Performance Artist, Héktor Muñoz, and featuring performances by Dan Martinez, Susana Vega, Marie Valencia, Ricky Schoettner, Avalon, Star, Tear, Linda and Margarita Barcelo. Tickets $10.00 general admission.

October 31st, 8:00PM (Calaveras Ball)

November 3, from 6-10 PM. First Friday Fun with Los "Vivos" Muertos Exhibit Day of the Dead celebration on First Friday. Come see the dead and stay for the living, music, crowds, art and fun!

November 18th
from 3-5 PM. Cookies and Leche series: Sugar Skull Workshop
Sugar skulls are a traditional folk art used to celebrate Day of the Dead and are a must-have for any Dia de los Muertos ofrenda or fiesta. The palm-size calacas (skulls) are made from granulated sugar, water and touch of meringue powder and then decorated with bright icing. Learn all about our tasty calaveras and then decorate one of your own. Kids of all ages welcome!

CHAC/772 Santa Fe Drive Denver, Colorado

Also, check out the annual altar exhibit at Pirate, one of the longest running día de los muertos events in the Denver area. Many more Denver events at this link.

SAN ANTONIO
Altares, ofrendas,
calaveras, flores,
pan de muerto,
chocolate, visual arts,
poetry, and music.

Observed on November 2nd, with exhibits and events continuing throughout the month; Día De Los Muertos is a colorful flurry of traditional and contemporary festivities that celebrate ancestral remembrance and harvest season rituals from Central Mexico’s indigenous cultures.

Organized since 1978 by Centro Cultural Aztlán, with altars and exhibits on display all over the city, Día De Los Muertos is a mainstay of San Antonio’s folklore and a vivid expression of its cultural heritage.

For more information please visit our web site: www.sacalaveras.com [this is an excellent site -- visit it for details about the many events happening in one of La Bloga's favorite cities.]

PHOENIX
Transcending Borders: 7th Annual Día de Los Muertos Festival Exhibit
For the past seven years, the Arizona State University Museum of Anthropology has hosted an annual Día de Los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) Festival Exhibit. For this year’s exhibit, Transcending Borders, altars will be created to represent the notion of ‘borders’ -- borders between living and dead, neighboring countries, cultures and generations. The exhibit will occupy two galleries: one for traditional altars and the other for more contemporary pieces. Altars can be made using any type of object and we encourage the use of audio and visual technologies for contemporary altars.

Transcending Borders will bring together Chicana/o artists, people from the community and students in the creation of highly inventive and elaborate altarpieces. The subject-matter and design of each altar is entirely the choice of its creator. In the past, these altars have reflected a broad array of individual styles, personal meanings, and socially shared concerns.
The altars will be on display at the Museum of Anthropology located on the ASU Tempe Campus from October 26, 2006 through January 15, 2007. An exhibit opening celebration will be held on October 26th, and will include music, poetry and food.
For more details, call the Museum at 480-965-6224 or visit: www.asu.edu/clas/shesc/asuma
The 7th Annual Día de los Muertos Festival Exhibit is a joint collaboration between the ASU Museum of Anthropology, the ASU Chicana/o Studies Department, the Calaca Cultural Center and the community.

Many more Arizona Day of the Dead events at this link.

NEW ONLINE LITERARY JOURNAL
From Christine Granados, this bit of writing news:

A new online literary journal,The Front Porch Journal. Now accepting submissions in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction essays. The website has all the info.
__________________________
Finally, in the spirit of Halloween -- not Day of the Dead -- my short story, La Visíon de mi Madre, can be found here.

I'll be at the New Orleans Words & Music Literary Feast November 1-4, talking about La Bloga, crime fiction and even some poetry. So, I may not have a post here next Friday. But next week all of my fellow blogistos y la blogista will have special Día de Los Muertos pieces, plus the selected stories and poems from our writing contest.

The photo below is by Denver photographer Molly French -- Rocky Mountain High.

Later.

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