¡Vamos a Book Expo America!

I have packed my sombrero and my exhibitor badge, and tonight I take the train from DC to New York for Book Expo America (BEA), one of the world's largest book fairs.

On Saturday, May 30, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. I will be signing The Best Mariachi in the World/El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo at Booth 718, the home away from home of my publisher, Raven Tree Press.

I have attended BEA once before out of curiosity, but this is my first time attending as a participant. I will be a very small fish in a very big pond (perhaps more like a minnow in the ocean), but it is the pond where I want to swim.

Three New Poems in The Helix

Before I put on my sombrero and go up to New York for Book Expo America next week, I want to take this opportunity to announce that three new poems of mine, "Country Data," "Coyotes," and "Metaphors of a Mother's Death" appear in the brand-new Spring 2009 edition of the print magazine The Helix.

And I am only one of several dozen established, emerging and student writers in the issue. Other contributors include Steve D. Dalachinksy, Ruth Lepson and Joanne Lowery. In addition to poetry, there is fiction, non-fiction and even a short play.

I can also guarantee that, unless you are nothing less than phenomenal at multitasking, reading my poems and the other work will at least temporarily prevent you from falling in with unsavory characters or seeking out low amusements such as games of chance and the snares and temptations of opium dens.

Seis de Mayo (with pictures)

The pictures come from last night's reading of The Best Mariachi in the World/El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo at the Barnes and Noble at the corner of Broadway and 82nd Street in Manhattan, co-sponsored by P.S. 87. My reading of each page in English was followed by a reading of the same page in Spanish by a group of four P.S. 87 students who took turns.

Besides reading and signing some books, I got to meet some delightful parents and children, as well as the dear parents of my friend and colleague the London-based poet and novelist Sue Guiney.

The mariachis pictured are members of New York's Mariachi Bustamante, established in 1970 and the first mariachi ensemble in the Northeast. The group appeared in Woody Allen's Scenes from a Mall (1991), and their work was used in the soundtrack of the 2006 documentary Maquilapolis. Muscial director Don Agustín Bustamante also appeared as a musician in the 2007 film Enchanted. To state the obvious, or understate it, they are really, really good.

I want to thank Lou and Ann of the 82nd and Broadway Barnes and Noble for making all this possible and for making me feel very welcome for the event.

First We Take Manhattan

To begin with a disclaimer, I should state my belief that nobody truly takes Manhattan, not even the Muppets.

Still, I don't get many chances to use Leonard Cohen lyrics in relation to my own life, and this is one of those rare times.

In short, on Wednesday May 6, at 6 p.m. I will reading and signing The Best Mariachi in the World/El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo at the Manhattan Barnes and Noble on the corner of 82nd Street and Broadway. The event listing is here, as well as in several New York-area event calendars.

And I am not the only entertainment. There will be a mariachi band to continue Cinco de Mayo into Seis de Mayo, and at least one school group of niños will be in attendance.

As you may suspect, the forecast calls for sombreros.

Cinco de Mayo on Tres de Mayo

When life gives you Cinco de Mayo on a Tuesday, you celebrate on the preceding Sunday.

With this in mind, I am delighted to say that I will get to be a small part of the upcoming
17th annual National Cinco de Mayo Festival on May 3 from noon to 6 p.m. on the National Mall near the Washington Monument. (You can't miss it, seriously.)

At 1 p.m. and 2 p.m I will be reading The Best Mariachi in the World/El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo at the Children's Pavilion and Crafts ARea and giving away a few copies after each time slot. There will also be performances by the Maru Montero Dance Company, the host of the events, as well as other dancers and musicians and additional activities. Food from Mexico and other Latin American countries will be on sale (cash only), and I think it's fair to say that there will be sombreros. What's not to like?

This is a rain-or-shine event, so the weather will not disrupt our plans.

Poetic Voices Without Borders 2: The Reading

At some point, and without my having been consulted, April was chosen as National Poetry Month.

Thus every April for about the past 15 years or so I have been sitting around thinking "Okay, another National Poetry Month is here. Where's my cut?"

This year I can't complain, as I actually get to participate in an event tied in with National Poetry Month. The announcement goes like this:

On Thursday, April 23, 2009, at 7 PM the Arlington Arts Center will host a special reading in celebration of Poetry Month with the following poets: Luis Alberto Ambroggio, Naomi Ayala, Mel Belin, Jody Bolz, Ye Chun, Teri Ellen Cross, Patricia Garfinkel, Peter Klappert, Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, C. M. Mayo, Judith McCombs, E. Ethelbert Miller, Miles David Moore, Richard Peabody, Kim Roberts, Blake Robinson, M.A. Schaffner, Gregg Shapiro, J. D. Smith, and Robert L. Giron who will read from the anthology and their current work.

The voices found within these pages are passionate and enlightening while echoing a desire in their own way to transform, to change, to transcend borders, be they personal, cultural or national, in a poetic manner as if to say that within literature there isn’t a border for the human spirit, for it is that energy that keeps us going.

In Celebration of Poetry Month

and the Release of Poetic Voices Without Borders 2
Thursday April 23, 2009 at 7 PM
The Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Blvd. (across from the Virginia Square Metro stop)
Arlington, VA ~ 703.248.6800

In addition to Poetic Voices Without Borders 2, I plan to bring for sale a few copies of my second collection, Settling for Beauty, as well as display copies of The Best Mariachi in the World/El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo.

With a lineup like this, there should be something for everyone.

A Message from Our Friends at RIF

Since the people of Reading Is Fundamental were kind enough to give away so many copies of The Best Mariachi in the World/El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo recently, the very least I can do for them is to spread the word about the 2009 Read with Kids Challenge, which began on April 1 and continues until June 30. Participants in the challenge are encouraged to log the amount of time they read with children, and the goal for participants nationwide is to record a total of 5 million minutes of reading, with chances to win a variety of prizes.

The link above and the illustration below will explain this better than I can.

People can even form reading teams in support of their favorite authors. Now there's an idea.