You’re invited to join me at a book club tonight and the best part is that you never have to leave the comfort of your stretchy pants and living room. That’s because I’m going to be part of the Las Comadres Young Adult Teleconference Book Club at 8 PM.
Here’s the number and code: Dial in #: 1-877-383-4771
Code: 120120143
If you’re not familiar, Las Comadres is a nationally known Latina organization whose mission is to “empower women to be actively engaged in the growing Latino/Hispanic communities through online and face to face networks.” What I like about Las Comadres is that its spine is mentoring. The idea is to share information, to help each other succeed, and to celebrate our cultural heritage along the way. Last fall, I had the pleasure of being part of the Las Comadres Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, a gathering of established and up-and-coming Latino authors, editors, and agents. It was such a great time for me to work with writers who are coming up behind me and also to connect with people, like Esmeralda Santiago, whose work I’ve long admired. (José Vilson, was another highlight. Check out his bad ass teacher blog, particularly valuable in the wake of the events in Ferguson.)
Anyway, for tonight, founder Nora Comstock is going to lead the conversation about Pura Belpré – the woman and the award that so many people just can’t pronounce – and how I’ve used my year to honor her memory. We’ll also talk on bullying and identity issues, specifically through the Latino lens. (Bean jokes, knife jokes, jail jokes, go-back-where-you-came-from comments…I could go on.) Anyway, I’m thrilled that Dr. Andrea Romero of the University of Arizona and associate editor of Journal of Latino/a Psychology is going to join us, too.
I hope you can make it. Check out the upcoming authors, too. I just registered for the Dec. 15 session. The book of the month is The Clairvoyant of Calle Ocho by Anjanette Delgado, which I haven’t read yet, but it also features additional conversation with Daisy Hernandez, whose memoir, A Cup of Water Under My Bed, was one of my favorite reads this year. Looking forward to it.
Cariños de,
Meg
