The Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers of San Antonio (SLHWSA) and Barnes and Noble, San Pedro Crossing, invites the public to attend its second Book Fair Saturday, October 1, 2011, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

A panel of Hispanic writers will talk about their path to publication and will present their latest works.

San Antonio award-winning children’s writer, Diane Gonzales Bertrand, who has been a supporter of the Society for many years, will open the panel discussion with a Children’s Hour at 1 p.m. She is the author of more than thirty books, children’s picture books and books for young adults. Seven other authors will join Gonzalez Bertrand in what promises to be an entertaining afternoon.

Poet and essay writer Marian Haddad will charm listeners with her down to earth poetry, and authors Martha Caso and Barbara Sonnen-Hernandez, who have written about serious subjects dealing with illnesses and the Mexican-American civil rights struggle, will leave their mark on the public’s heart.

Ani Palacios McBride, whose novel “Nos Vemos en Purgatorio” won first place in the Spanish adventure category of the Twelfth Annual International Latino Books Awards in 2010, will present her third novel, “Plúmbago Torres y el Sueño Americano”. Photographer Steve Valdes, developed and published a planning guide for quinceañeras, a beautiful tradition which celebrates the passing from girlhood to womanhood in the Hispanic culture. Nanette Guadiano and Bertha Jacobson will present a young adult mystery anthology, “You Don’t Have a Clue”, published by Arte Público Press.

“We have been working very hard on this event, and we feel we have a good mix of authors that represent the talents and diversity of the Hispanic culture,” stated SLHWSA president Lupe M. Gonzalez. “The Society’s mission is to inspire, promote and support Hispanic writers. Our vision is to make an impact in the literary world by sharing our culture through our writings as well as to increase literacy.”

The Book Fair will also be an opportunity for the Society to raise funds since Barnes and Noble will donate a percentage of the proceeds to the organization. “This will help us to create more learning activities for our writers,” Gonzalez continued, “as well as to do more outreach in the community.”

Barnes and Noble, San Pedro Crossing, is located at 321 NW Loop 410 #104, at the intersection of Loop 410 and San Pedro.

DESTRUCCION

El fuego consume

un bello campo que ya no existe




Un incendio forestal de los mas graves que se han visto en Texas, destruyó este verano uno de los paisajes más bellos del estado.
El tramo colindante con el Parque estatal “Lost Pines”, sobre la carretera 21, atravesando la ciudad de Barstrop, sufrió grandes pérdidas. Dos semanas después de que las llamas consumieron más de quinientas viviendas en la comarca, pasamos por allí camino a College Station.
En un paisaje desolador casi surrealista, extraído de una historia de terror, o del Apocalipsis, vimos sobre capas de cenizas, los techos de casas destruidas, carros quemados, una chimenea de piedra elevándose al cielo en medio de un valle carbonizado, líneas interminables de árboles renegridos, ramas pelonas y caídas, siluetas fantasmales, testigos mudos de la destrucción.

Crepúsculo

Tiene el crepúsculo la cualidad--o defecto--de afectar en nosotros algún primitivo gene ancestral de la nostalgia. Tal vez memoria del ultimo día en el paraíso; memoria de esa noche a la que nos arrojaron, culpables de la curiosidad que nos define.

Castigo de lo oscuro, la noche tiene desde entonces el poder absoluto de lo incierto. Se la evita en el sueño. O se la reta en la aventura de la desvelada. En el insomnio gana la noche la partida.

Pensaba al caer la tarde en lo esencial del sentimiento vespertino y cómo este blog que se creó para el intercambio de nuestros sueños de escritores en ciernes o publicados evoca en su silencio el silencio del último instante, cuando la noche toma posesión del tiempo y se tiene, por un momento, la impresión del fin, el crepúsculo del día.

Dicho esto me puedo ir a dormir o a enfrentarme al combate febril del insomnio.

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Lo anterior es un tanto incoherente, lo escribí por ver si alguien lo lee y por usar la foto que tenía de un crepúsculo como muchos otros.

SLHWSA Celebra 7 años de existencia

La Sociedad de Escritores Latinos e Hispanos de San Antonio celebró el séptimo aniversario de su fundación con una entretenida velada que se llevó a cabo el día de ayer en Barnes and Noble.

Fungiendo como maestro de ceremonias, el Dr. Santiago Daydi-Tolson presentó a aquellos miembros que desearon hacer una reflexión acerca de la influencia que la sociedad ha tenido en sus carreras literarias.

Socios fundadores Ruben Soto y Vince Bosquez se dirigieron al público rememorando la primera reunión de la sociedad siete años atrás y exhortándonos a continuar trabajando para el crecimiento de la misma.

Tras agradecer a Barnes and Noble de San Pedro su infinita hospitalidad, los miembros de la Sociedad escucharon una breve presentación acerca del lector electrónico Nook y la forma en que esta tecnología ha revolucionado la industria literaria.

La velada continuó con animadas conversaciones entre los asistentes quienes disfrutaron de un delicioso pastel tres leches y botanas proporcionadas por la mesa directiva.

SLHWSA – TURNS SEVEN YEARS OLD

Reflecting on why I love the Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers,

I found the group in December 2005. And I say "found", because I had been looking for them since August.

I really didn’t know the group existed but I figured a city like San Antonio should have a writing group in Spanish. I attended First Monday at Gemini Ink and I met a lady, who gave me a name, Nancy de La Cerda, and told me that there was a group that met at Barnes & Noble San Pedro.

I arrived at Barnes & Noble San Pedro on a Thursday night; John Ward was leading the Sun Poets Society Workshop. It was in English. This is six years ago, and back then, I didn’t feel I could write in English. I met Nancy de La Cerda there and she referred me to Barns & Noble De Zavala.

I finally made it to the last meeting of 2005 at Barnes & Noble de Zavala. That day I met Ruben, Rebeca, Martha, Alfredo, Carlos, Santiago, Trinidad Sanchez and Ivan. They welcomed me into the group, and I was really excited. I had found a Hispanic Writers Group!!

The very first time I shared my writing, my ears were burning, my voice was cracking and my hands were sweating. I got several comments, but two of them really made an impression: “Lo tuyo está muy trillado”,and “Sería bueno que te compraras un diccionario.” Not very easy to take! But that was exactly the reason I was looking for a writers group: to share my writing and improve my skills.

The Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers of San Antonio didn’t give up on me, and I didn’t give up on them. I have been a very active member for 5 ½ years and I have grown as a writer because of each one of you. The most important gift the society has given me is the opportunity to network and meet people that are interested in writing, publishing and selling their work. Because of the contacts in the society, I have joined other groups such as Las Mujeres at Our Lady of the Lake, where I gained the confidence to write in English and The Society of Children Writers and Illustrators.

Because of my involvement with the society I have continued writing and have grown to believe in my dream

Thanks to the society, I met Santiago, who published my very first piece Las Babuchas de su Santidad in LabraPalabra, the UTSA Spanish Department virtual magazine. Martha, who has always been very involved with different aspects of the Arts and San Antonio and connected me with Las Comadres, a networking group of Hispanic women.

I also I met people like Vince and Ruben who are always optimistic and encouraging; I enrolled in lists that announce contests, book fairs, writing workshops and tell about writers visiting our town.

Thanks to the society, I met Sarah Cortez, and two of my stories were published in her anthologies, and Becky who encouraged me to submit articles to the magazine where she was editor in chief. These are but incremental steps that have built up my confidence to submit stories to magazines and local papers and although they are not always accepted, when they are, is a big reason to celebrate. I even got paid for one of my stories last year!

I am not about to quit my day job; we need to be realistic. Let’s say that I want to make $40.00 per hour and my royalties are $0.50 cents per book. After doing the math, I would have to sell 80 books/ hour which translates to 640 books per day, 3200 books per week,
12 800 books per month and the staggering amount of 153, 600 books in one year! That is a lot of books!

I will continue supporting the society because my friendship with many of you has grown based on our common interest; I love to exchange ideas, projects and attend critique groups. I can honestly tell you that because of my involvement in this society, I have come to believe that I, too, can be a writer.

Bertha

7th Anniversary of SLHWSA - Celebration!

Dear Fellow Writers,

We have a good reason to celebrate: The Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers of San Antonio is turning seven years old this July. This is an opportunity to look back and see what the Society has meant to all of us. Thus, to celebrate our Anniversary we would like to invite all of you to attend our next meeting.

Instead of a guest speaker, we want to hear from members who have furthered their writing career because of the Society. This program will be called:

SHOW AND TELL

If any of your writings have been published in any media (books, e-books, magazines, blogs, newspapers, etc.) in the last 18 months and you feel such accomplishment was in any way related to your association with the Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers of San Antonio, bring your work to SHOW and TELL us all about it. We can all learn from each other’s experiences! (Note: while we can show each other’s work, we will not be able to sell it that night – it is only for showing)

Following the format of Five Minutes with You, we will take turns at sharing. Please don’t read from your work, tell us about your writing career.

Afterwards we can visit with each other and have some cake!

Don’t miss our 7th Anniversary Celebration!Monday July 11, 2011 – 7:30 p.m.Barnes & Noble – San Pedro Crossings

To save your spot at SHOW AND TELL, please send an e-mail to Dr. Santiago Daydi – Tolson santiago.dayditolson@utsa.edu.

Looking forward to seeing you!

The Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers of San Antonio Board

De mi blog personal

Creo que puede ser de interés a quienes escriben leer la última entrada que he subido a mi blog personal; tiene que ver con el bloqueo mental que sufren los creadores. Aquí va el enlace:

http://dayditolson.blogspot.com/2011/06/bloqueo-mental-writers-block.html

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