Mayra Lazara Dole's Blog - Posts Tagged "reading"
I'd like to recommend to publishers having difficulty surviving, hiring Latino immigrant writers as origami book makers (Latino YA and MG writers don't get published regardless how brilliant their work is so you might as well use them for something!)--pay them under the table. A few pesos a day will do. Believe me. Latinos are extremely resourceful.
Recyclable, origami-style, hand-made books by Latino immigrants for on-the-go-readers have many benefits: they weigh less than 0000.1 lbs. and cost pennies to print in Brazil by starved "colored" kids thus the industry can provide a billion books per title for as little as twenty dollars!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXLhjY...
The disposable, origami-style book movement will help Latino writers who've been rejected over four-thousand times get their foot in the door of an almost all white publishing world (LGBTQ Latina/o authors write DIVERSITY though and that's not good for the industry, so I ask homosexual Latinos to refrain from applying for the origami book-making job or it will ruin my plans).
After proving themselves hard workers, Latino writers can be hired to do origami book trailers and ads. Choosing voluptuous Latinas with large melons sliding on stripping poles, wearing tight, spandex, red mini-dresses and stiletto heels, will sell more books. Have them rave in a sultry voice and strong Spanish accent about how they read the lightweight origami books.
"I read them to an audience as part of my strip tease then throw them out the window into the recycled trash bin before getting ready for my next tome."
Oh! Wait. How foolish of me. Latinos don't read!
In this economy, since no one buys books (they swap or buy USED, regardless if they spread flu's and viruses), my origami immigrant book solution will keep children's publishers from folding and will supply Latino immigrant authors with PhD's a solid job to be proud of.
Even if my origami book idea doesn't resonate with you, you're bound to appreciate the talent behind these origami works of art:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCgnFI...
Recyclable, origami-style, hand-made books by Latino immigrants for on-the-go-readers have many benefits: they weigh less than 0000.1 lbs. and cost pennies to print in Brazil by starved "colored" kids thus the industry can provide a billion books per title for as little as twenty dollars!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXLhjY...
The disposable, origami-style book movement will help Latino writers who've been rejected over four-thousand times get their foot in the door of an almost all white publishing world (LGBTQ Latina/o authors write DIVERSITY though and that's not good for the industry, so I ask homosexual Latinos to refrain from applying for the origami book-making job or it will ruin my plans).
After proving themselves hard workers, Latino writers can be hired to do origami book trailers and ads. Choosing voluptuous Latinas with large melons sliding on stripping poles, wearing tight, spandex, red mini-dresses and stiletto heels, will sell more books. Have them rave in a sultry voice and strong Spanish accent about how they read the lightweight origami books.
"I read them to an audience as part of my strip tease then throw them out the window into the recycled trash bin before getting ready for my next tome."
Oh! Wait. How foolish of me. Latinos don't read!
In this economy, since no one buys books (they swap or buy USED, regardless if they spread flu's and viruses), my origami immigrant book solution will keep children's publishers from folding and will supply Latino immigrant authors with PhD's a solid job to be proud of.
Even if my origami book idea doesn't resonate with you, you're bound to appreciate the talent behind these origami works of art:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCgnFI...
Ajiaco (A-hee-a-COE) sounds like a Cuban sneeze, but it’s not.
Ajiaco is a robust, one-pot winter stew that will inspire you to chop wood, shovel snow and consider climbing Mt. Everest (http://www.ehow.com/how_17485_climb-m...).
Although Ajiaco isn’t an elegant gourmet meal, it might still motivate you to recite Pablo Neruda's passionate love poem to a same-sex guest you didn't know you had a crush on: I Crave Your Mouth, Your Voice, Your Hair... (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-crav...).
This hearty stew will knock the shivers right out of you.
Miami’s record-breaking temperatures have felt bitter cold due to humidity seeping into our bones--feels much colder than when I lived in Boston and walked to Cambridge in zero degree weather. All week for lunch, and in order to thaw out my frozen fingertips, I ate Ajiaco and heard a few of my favorite older books on tape during work breaks (The Watsons Go to Birmingham, The Kite Runner, and A Single Shard).
If you enjoy cooking stocky winter stews and inviting friends over for meals or making huge batches of stew and chowing down all week long, visit a Bodeguita or Mercado Cubano in your area and purchase the following items--don’t forget to bring home the Extra Virgin (makes all the difference!)
I worked as a chef while studying nutrition and writing. I even had my own catering service. Here’s my mom’s authentic, Cuban Ajiaco recipe (for a healthier version, skin the chicken and leave out the chorizo):
Enjoy!
Ajiaco
2 large, chopped onions
1 chopped green bell peppers
1 chopped red bell pepper
6 crushed garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil
1 boniato cut into cubes (Cuban white yam)
1 cup calabaza chunks (pumpkin)
1 malanga cut into cubes
1 yuca, peeled and cut into cubes
4 ears of sweet corn on the cob cut into 4 pieces each (16 chunks)
2 green plantains peeled and cut into four pieces
2 ripe plantains peeled and cut into four pieces (skin should be BLACK)
Eight pieces of chicken
1/ 2 lb pork loin cut into large chunks
1 shredded, lean, skirt steak (normally tasajo is used but it’s difficult to make)
1 small, diced chorizo
Juice of 1 lime
3 ripe, chopped tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tps salt (or more, to taste)
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp oregano
2 bay leaves
Pinch Spanish paprika
4 cups salted chicken
4 cups water
Optional: Pinch of cayenne and tsp of fresh squeezed ginger
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large cauldron, sauté onions, bell peppers and chorizo in extra virgin olive oil until onions are soft.
Add chicken and meat pieces in drippings and cook a few minutes on both sides without browning.
Sauté garlic five seconds (must not brown).
Add tomatoe paste and stir.
Add broth, water and spices, and bring to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to low.
Add rest of ingredients EXCEPT juice of one lime.
Cover and simmer (very low boil) for two to three hours.
Serve in deep soup bowls with a splash of lime juice and garnish with parsley.
Note: for an even healthier version of Ajiaco, buy everything organic. After skinning the chicken and leaving out the chorizo, serve with brown rice or quinoa.
Ajiaco is a robust, one-pot winter stew that will inspire you to chop wood, shovel snow and consider climbing Mt. Everest (http://www.ehow.com/how_17485_climb-m...).
Although Ajiaco isn’t an elegant gourmet meal, it might still motivate you to recite Pablo Neruda's passionate love poem to a same-sex guest you didn't know you had a crush on: I Crave Your Mouth, Your Voice, Your Hair... (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-crav...).
This hearty stew will knock the shivers right out of you.
Miami’s record-breaking temperatures have felt bitter cold due to humidity seeping into our bones--feels much colder than when I lived in Boston and walked to Cambridge in zero degree weather. All week for lunch, and in order to thaw out my frozen fingertips, I ate Ajiaco and heard a few of my favorite older books on tape during work breaks (The Watsons Go to Birmingham, The Kite Runner, and A Single Shard).
If you enjoy cooking stocky winter stews and inviting friends over for meals or making huge batches of stew and chowing down all week long, visit a Bodeguita or Mercado Cubano in your area and purchase the following items--don’t forget to bring home the Extra Virgin (makes all the difference!)
I worked as a chef while studying nutrition and writing. I even had my own catering service. Here’s my mom’s authentic, Cuban Ajiaco recipe (for a healthier version, skin the chicken and leave out the chorizo):
Enjoy!
Ajiaco
2 large, chopped onions
1 chopped green bell peppers
1 chopped red bell pepper
6 crushed garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil
1 boniato cut into cubes (Cuban white yam)
1 cup calabaza chunks (pumpkin)
1 malanga cut into cubes
1 yuca, peeled and cut into cubes
4 ears of sweet corn on the cob cut into 4 pieces each (16 chunks)
2 green plantains peeled and cut into four pieces
2 ripe plantains peeled and cut into four pieces (skin should be BLACK)
Eight pieces of chicken
1/ 2 lb pork loin cut into large chunks
1 shredded, lean, skirt steak (normally tasajo is used but it’s difficult to make)
1 small, diced chorizo
Juice of 1 lime
3 ripe, chopped tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tps salt (or more, to taste)
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp oregano
2 bay leaves
Pinch Spanish paprika
4 cups salted chicken
4 cups water
Optional: Pinch of cayenne and tsp of fresh squeezed ginger
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large cauldron, sauté onions, bell peppers and chorizo in extra virgin olive oil until onions are soft.
Add chicken and meat pieces in drippings and cook a few minutes on both sides without browning.
Sauté garlic five seconds (must not brown).
Add tomatoe paste and stir.
Add broth, water and spices, and bring to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to low.
Add rest of ingredients EXCEPT juice of one lime.
Cover and simmer (very low boil) for two to three hours.
Serve in deep soup bowls with a splash of lime juice and garnish with parsley.
Note: for an even healthier version of Ajiaco, buy everything organic. After skinning the chicken and leaving out the chorizo, serve with brown rice or quinoa.
A friend recently told me, "As a kid I was obsessed with reading because it helped me avoid reality and it saved my life. My brain became physically addicted to reading, much like a heroin addict to the drug.”
What?
I thought reading was as good for you as breathing, lovemaking or eating and losing yourself in literature during traumatic times is lifesaving, not addictive.
As an avid reader, I think the drawbacks to reading if you don't read ebooks or books with recycled paper are:
1. http://www.actforclimatejustice.org/w...
http://mentalfloss.cachefly.net/blogs...
http://arbertechno.files.wordpress.co...
2. Glasses, contacts, eye laser surgery
3. Severe pollution from paper mills
http://static-p4.fotolia.com/jpg/00/0...
I suppose anybody can be addicted to anything they use as an escape mechanism, but I wouldn't use the word "addiction" for reading unless it's making your life, and the lives of those you love, miserable. http://www.readingaddiction.com/20/beati...
Here's when I'd worry:
You haven't seen your best friend in a while because you need to finish a 6,254 page historical novel (you shower, eat and sleep while reading) and he texts you:
“Woo hooo! Got unexpected inheritance. Bought tickets 4 us. 2 week vacation @ Rio de Janeiro!”
http://www.rentanapartmentinrio.com/p...
http://www.threebestbeaches.com/uploa...
As he’s helping you place three suitcases filled with a dozen novels into the taxi's trunk, he kisses your cheek. “I’ll give you 25,000 dollars if you leave the books behind and don’t read on our vacation."
His words make you hyperventilate. You start having panic attacks thus you don't take him up on the offer.
After reading this post you might want to prove to the world that you’re absolutely not a reading addict.
Well…
Warning: Before taking a few weeks off from reading, COLD TURKEY, please be aware of withdrawal symptoms:
1. Screaming for no apartment reason
2. Uncontrolable shaking along with involuntary arm and leg spasms
3. Hallucinations involving shivering, wailing turkeys huddling together for warmth at a bookless library.
4. Shock
4. Heart failure
5. Death
The moral/immorality of the story?
Reading builds immagination, brain power, and sharpens your intellect and it's especially beneficial if it enhances your critical thinking skills which in turn motivates you to think ahead, take action and consider buying books that use recycled paper (used books still get printed new thus millions of trees need to be cut. E-books are great, but some people prefer the feel of a book in their hands for the full reading experience).
"Challenge yourself and others" http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1497
2 quick things you can do:
1. Instead of printing your emails, store them in comp folders
2. Stop junk snail mail http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/
OK. So I did my part today in saving the world and now I must get back to reading...
Ps. # 1 links are deforestation pics (30 million trees per DAY are cut to produce virgin paper. Paper mills release severely toxic pollution into the atmosphere and paper is bleached with chlorine. Obviously, the bigger the books, the more trees are destroyed. I'm really excited that most publishers have gone Green).
What?
I thought reading was as good for you as breathing, lovemaking or eating and losing yourself in literature during traumatic times is lifesaving, not addictive.
As an avid reader, I think the drawbacks to reading if you don't read ebooks or books with recycled paper are:
1. http://www.actforclimatejustice.org/w...
http://mentalfloss.cachefly.net/blogs...
http://arbertechno.files.wordpress.co...
2. Glasses, contacts, eye laser surgery
3. Severe pollution from paper mills
http://static-p4.fotolia.com/jpg/00/0...
I suppose anybody can be addicted to anything they use as an escape mechanism, but I wouldn't use the word "addiction" for reading unless it's making your life, and the lives of those you love, miserable. http://www.readingaddiction.com/20/beati...
Here's when I'd worry:
You haven't seen your best friend in a while because you need to finish a 6,254 page historical novel (you shower, eat and sleep while reading) and he texts you:
“Woo hooo! Got unexpected inheritance. Bought tickets 4 us. 2 week vacation @ Rio de Janeiro!”
http://www.rentanapartmentinrio.com/p...
http://www.threebestbeaches.com/uploa...
As he’s helping you place three suitcases filled with a dozen novels into the taxi's trunk, he kisses your cheek. “I’ll give you 25,000 dollars if you leave the books behind and don’t read on our vacation."
His words make you hyperventilate. You start having panic attacks thus you don't take him up on the offer.
After reading this post you might want to prove to the world that you’re absolutely not a reading addict.
Well…
Warning: Before taking a few weeks off from reading, COLD TURKEY, please be aware of withdrawal symptoms:
1. Screaming for no apartment reason
2. Uncontrolable shaking along with involuntary arm and leg spasms
3. Hallucinations involving shivering, wailing turkeys huddling together for warmth at a bookless library.
4. Shock
4. Heart failure
5. Death
The moral/immorality of the story?
Reading builds immagination, brain power, and sharpens your intellect and it's especially beneficial if it enhances your critical thinking skills which in turn motivates you to think ahead, take action and consider buying books that use recycled paper (used books still get printed new thus millions of trees need to be cut. E-books are great, but some people prefer the feel of a book in their hands for the full reading experience).
"Challenge yourself and others" http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1497
2 quick things you can do:
1. Instead of printing your emails, store them in comp folders
2. Stop junk snail mail http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/
OK. So I did my part today in saving the world and now I must get back to reading...
Ps. # 1 links are deforestation pics (30 million trees per DAY are cut to produce virgin paper. Paper mills release severely toxic pollution into the atmosphere and paper is bleached with chlorine. Obviously, the bigger the books, the more trees are destroyed. I'm really excited that most publishers have gone Green).
Latino cultures are as Distinct, Diverse and Different as ants http://www.antstuff.net/html/species_... (Cubans being fire ants of which there are 280 different species).
Latinos don’t share the same “language,” heritage, values, history, stories, customs or culinary traditions. The reason you might think we do is because we’ve been lumped into the category of “Latino” or “Hispanic” which strips uniqueness from our cultures.
A few months ago an Anglo author/professor emailed me to let me know she was preparing tacos, homemade guacamole, chips and salsa for her book club. She said, "We're reading Down to the Bone and want the full Cuban experience!" I gently explained that what she mentioned was Mexican food and the only Latinos who grow up eating Mexican fare are Mexican. "Don't feel embarrassed," I said. "Most of my Latino and Chicano friends had never heard of Ropa Vieja, Moros y Christianos, Boliche or Ajiaco until they met moi."
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
The root of our mother tongue is Spanish. Latinos understand all Spanish-speaking folks, but sometimes we don't fully comprehend parts the other's dialect just as you may not completely understand someone speaking Shakespearean or British English.
Our different dialects form a crucial part of our identity.
Spanish spoken in Argentina and Uruguay is influenced by Italians who settled there in the early nineteenth century thus they sound massively different from other Spanish speaking cultures (my ex was Argentinean and we spent a great deal of time laughing after explaining what we meant by this or that).
Latinos don't use the same territorial colloquialisms or standard dialect in our nineteen countries (not including Puerto Rico). South American Spanish is different from Caribbean Spanish (we drop our S's). Latinos don’t understand Catalan Spanish spoken by Catalan folks in Cataluña. Some of us have Indian or African blood while white Latino ancestry (blonde hair and blue eyes included) can be linked not only to Spain, but to England, Scotland and so forth. (Oh, and our accents differ, too!)
Since our cultures and traditions are as diverse as the Europeans (Germans, Italians, Spaniards and French aren’t lumped in one “European” category) the literary world should consider making distinctions between us. A German would never say something as cliché as, “I’m European. All Europeans Eat wurst and drink beer!” http://www.tulane.edu/~rouxbee/kids04... (She/he is German first and then European.)
180--(at least it’s not a 360!)
I still can’t find many culturally authentic Latina/o YA and middle grade novels with true diversity from big publishers and there are barely any with LGBTQ characters (many kids come out in middle grade).
“Culturally Authentic” means:
* A Bilingual author born in Latin America and raised in a Hispanic US community intimately knows what she/he is writing about because she/he has lived, breathed and experienced it to the fullest.
* A US-born author with Hispanic parents or grandparents doesn't speak Spanish but grew up in a Latino community, feels "Latino," has Latino friends and understands the dialect.
* A U.S.-born author with Hispanic heritage who may not speak Spanish or Spanglish. She/he understands, respects and loves the culture, has lived in a Hispanic community, feels Latino and has Latino friends. (Included are Nuyoricans and Chicanos.)
Authentic does not mean:
* Caucasian authors (Marcy SingaLittleTune or Sam GetMeOuttaHere)using pen last names such as Garcia and Rodriguez.
* Authors with Spanish last names with no clue what it means to be Latina/o (the only words they know in Spanish are “No” and “Sí Señora”) and have never lived in a Latino community or heard family stories but give Spanish names to characters to fill diversity quotas.
This post isn’t about cultural pride. Some journal reviewers and publishers’ book lists refer to “Latino” or "Hispanic" categories. This will lead children to believe we are all the same and thus why I hope the publishing world considers announcing what kind of Latino culture is being depicted in contents, such as:
Cuban-American (Cubiche)
Puerto Rican (Nuyorican/Boriqua)
Chilean-American
Nicaraguan-American
Colombian-American
Dominican-American
Mexican-American/Chicano (two-thirds of Latinos in the US are Mexican and most children's books are Mexican thus why most think all our customs and traditions are Mexican.)
And so on…
The words “Latino” and “Hispanic” when talking about books don't allow children and young adults to understand or learn about the rich diversity in our massively different cultures (which can transfer into desire to learn geography and history).
It’s important for kids to connect with their heritage through literature but we have no authentic MG book and only one or two YA books that authentically show our varied and unique cultures. Latino kids and teens in the US need to feel pride in their heritage and every kid in our country deserves to be exposed to diversity in literature thus I strongly feel publishers shouldn't consider Latino books stricly for a "niche" audience and publish authenic Latino authors.
Ignoring critical distinctions lump us in one category and it will be easier for kids and teens to see us as one-dimensional and to judge us as ONE group.
When I came from Cuba the only Americanito blonde, blue-eyed boy in our Cuban barrio called our neighbors and me, SPICS! He’d speed his bike along the sidewalk, spit, and boom, “You SPICS!”
Note: The word SPIC probably originated from the way some Latinos say “speak.” My mom never learned English because there is no need for it in Miami (a Latin American “country”). She and our neighbors always said, “Me no espiky dee Engli.” Espiki = SPIC?
Well, yes. I’m a SPIC and proud!
360--TIDBITS:
If you’re still interested and aren’t snoozing http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/... here’s a mini Latino 101 course:
“Latin” doesn't mean "Latino." Latin has to do with romance languages such as Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, French, etc. http://www.referencecenter.com/ref/re... .
"Spanish" is our mother tongue/language. The only people on earth who call themselves “Spanish” are born in Spain.
"Hispanic" was coined by the government to lump us together which in some ways is a powerful political tool to enhance our visibility. Normally, when folks say, "I'm Hispanic," they're usually whiter and better educated and don't like to be called "Latino."
“Latino” in the US was once related to the working-class and a word incorporated by Hollywood, the media, and publishers, to glamorize actors and authors. Once Latino’s climb the ladder of success they tend to call themselves "Hispanic." For accurate representation of these words, check out: http://www.elboricua.com/latino_hispa...
In the following interview I talk more about Latino cultures and Miami's LGBTQ Cuban subculture: http://www.chasingray.com/archives/20...
And for the record, I'm a Cuban-American LATINA!
Latinos don’t share the same “language,” heritage, values, history, stories, customs or culinary traditions. The reason you might think we do is because we’ve been lumped into the category of “Latino” or “Hispanic” which strips uniqueness from our cultures.
A few months ago an Anglo author/professor emailed me to let me know she was preparing tacos, homemade guacamole, chips and salsa for her book club. She said, "We're reading Down to the Bone and want the full Cuban experience!" I gently explained that what she mentioned was Mexican food and the only Latinos who grow up eating Mexican fare are Mexican. "Don't feel embarrassed," I said. "Most of my Latino and Chicano friends had never heard of Ropa Vieja, Moros y Christianos, Boliche or Ajiaco until they met moi."
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
The root of our mother tongue is Spanish. Latinos understand all Spanish-speaking folks, but sometimes we don't fully comprehend parts the other's dialect just as you may not completely understand someone speaking Shakespearean or British English.
Our different dialects form a crucial part of our identity.
Spanish spoken in Argentina and Uruguay is influenced by Italians who settled there in the early nineteenth century thus they sound massively different from other Spanish speaking cultures (my ex was Argentinean and we spent a great deal of time laughing after explaining what we meant by this or that).
Latinos don't use the same territorial colloquialisms or standard dialect in our nineteen countries (not including Puerto Rico). South American Spanish is different from Caribbean Spanish (we drop our S's). Latinos don’t understand Catalan Spanish spoken by Catalan folks in Cataluña. Some of us have Indian or African blood while white Latino ancestry (blonde hair and blue eyes included) can be linked not only to Spain, but to England, Scotland and so forth. (Oh, and our accents differ, too!)
Since our cultures and traditions are as diverse as the Europeans (Germans, Italians, Spaniards and French aren’t lumped in one “European” category) the literary world should consider making distinctions between us. A German would never say something as cliché as, “I’m European. All Europeans Eat wurst and drink beer!” http://www.tulane.edu/~rouxbee/kids04... (She/he is German first and then European.)
180--(at least it’s not a 360!)
I still can’t find many culturally authentic Latina/o YA and middle grade novels with true diversity from big publishers and there are barely any with LGBTQ characters (many kids come out in middle grade).
“Culturally Authentic” means:
* A Bilingual author born in Latin America and raised in a Hispanic US community intimately knows what she/he is writing about because she/he has lived, breathed and experienced it to the fullest.
* A US-born author with Hispanic parents or grandparents doesn't speak Spanish but grew up in a Latino community, feels "Latino," has Latino friends and understands the dialect.
* A U.S.-born author with Hispanic heritage who may not speak Spanish or Spanglish. She/he understands, respects and loves the culture, has lived in a Hispanic community, feels Latino and has Latino friends. (Included are Nuyoricans and Chicanos.)
Authentic does not mean:
* Caucasian authors (Marcy SingaLittleTune or Sam GetMeOuttaHere)using pen last names such as Garcia and Rodriguez.
* Authors with Spanish last names with no clue what it means to be Latina/o (the only words they know in Spanish are “No” and “Sí Señora”) and have never lived in a Latino community or heard family stories but give Spanish names to characters to fill diversity quotas.
This post isn’t about cultural pride. Some journal reviewers and publishers’ book lists refer to “Latino” or "Hispanic" categories. This will lead children to believe we are all the same and thus why I hope the publishing world considers announcing what kind of Latino culture is being depicted in contents, such as:
Cuban-American (Cubiche)
Puerto Rican (Nuyorican/Boriqua)
Chilean-American
Nicaraguan-American
Colombian-American
Dominican-American
Mexican-American/Chicano (two-thirds of Latinos in the US are Mexican and most children's books are Mexican thus why most think all our customs and traditions are Mexican.)
And so on…
The words “Latino” and “Hispanic” when talking about books don't allow children and young adults to understand or learn about the rich diversity in our massively different cultures (which can transfer into desire to learn geography and history).
It’s important for kids to connect with their heritage through literature but we have no authentic MG book and only one or two YA books that authentically show our varied and unique cultures. Latino kids and teens in the US need to feel pride in their heritage and every kid in our country deserves to be exposed to diversity in literature thus I strongly feel publishers shouldn't consider Latino books stricly for a "niche" audience and publish authenic Latino authors.
Ignoring critical distinctions lump us in one category and it will be easier for kids and teens to see us as one-dimensional and to judge us as ONE group.
When I came from Cuba the only Americanito blonde, blue-eyed boy in our Cuban barrio called our neighbors and me, SPICS! He’d speed his bike along the sidewalk, spit, and boom, “You SPICS!”
Note: The word SPIC probably originated from the way some Latinos say “speak.” My mom never learned English because there is no need for it in Miami (a Latin American “country”). She and our neighbors always said, “Me no espiky dee Engli.” Espiki = SPIC?
Well, yes. I’m a SPIC and proud!
360--TIDBITS:
If you’re still interested and aren’t snoozing http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/... here’s a mini Latino 101 course:
“Latin” doesn't mean "Latino." Latin has to do with romance languages such as Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, French, etc. http://www.referencecenter.com/ref/re... .
"Spanish" is our mother tongue/language. The only people on earth who call themselves “Spanish” are born in Spain.
"Hispanic" was coined by the government to lump us together which in some ways is a powerful political tool to enhance our visibility. Normally, when folks say, "I'm Hispanic," they're usually whiter and better educated and don't like to be called "Latino."
“Latino” in the US was once related to the working-class and a word incorporated by Hollywood, the media, and publishers, to glamorize actors and authors. Once Latino’s climb the ladder of success they tend to call themselves "Hispanic." For accurate representation of these words, check out: http://www.elboricua.com/latino_hispa...
In the following interview I talk more about Latino cultures and Miami's LGBTQ Cuban subculture: http://www.chasingray.com/archives/20...
And for the record, I'm a Cuban-American LATINA!
SATIRE using Latino cliches:
I’m sure it’s every literary person's fantasy to awaken next to a voluptuous Latina. For valor, you grab Beowulf, the Old English heroic epic poem you were reading before falling asleep, and quickly flip to the page you left off: http://www.lone-star.net/literature/b...
Your eyes veer over to the seductress you just met...
For some reason she's in your room and suddenly, you remember spooning her last night.
She slips on a spandex mini-dress decorated with mandarin orange ruffled sleeves. With a flick of a finger, she turns on the CD player and sensual music fills the room. Her hips jiggle, feet shuffle, shoulders shake and bootay bounces as she cakes on neon glitter eye shadow.
Your Ping Pong eyes bounce from her stiletto heels clickety clacking towards you, to her EXTRA LARGE…
gold hoop earrings and fruit-filled sombrero.
In a Spanish accent, and sultry, dripping-in-caramel-voice, she whispers into your hair, “I’m going to serve you breakfast in bed, Papi (or Mami). I’m saving the ripe banana for desert, before I set off to teach Borges at the university. Afterwards, I'm giving a lecture on deconstructionism and why 'the interpretive movement in literary theory rejects absolute interpretations and stresses ambiguities and contradictions in literature.' Later on tonight, I'm flying to Venezuela to save female authors from oblivion..." http://www.laht.com/article.asp?Categ...
You wag your head in disgust and wish she'd STOP the literary nonsense and either peel your banana or sing to you, "I'm Chiquita Banana and I've come to say/I eat the Banana in a special way...." http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/old_r...
Now, let me show you why some Latinos and people of color would love the opportunity to write our own books: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC7v0G...
What it looks like when authentic Latinos and people of color write our own stories:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4e7Vc... (check out the footwork/moves of the guy in the chartreuse shirt and white pants).
Oops, gotta go! It's time to shake my maracas and whip out an exquisite breakfast in bed for my special mujer!
Tidbits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLTUC7... (brilliant, artistic manipulation of how advertisers make Americanos think we look like and behave in the kitchen. Do you blame me for loving it and wanting to RUN to buy Tostitos and salsa or perform a little cha-cha-cha of my own in the kitchen?).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFDOI2...
http://www.wikihow.com/Peel-a-Banana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uKACm...
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...
I’m sure it’s every literary person's fantasy to awaken next to a voluptuous Latina. For valor, you grab Beowulf, the Old English heroic epic poem you were reading before falling asleep, and quickly flip to the page you left off: http://www.lone-star.net/literature/b...
Your eyes veer over to the seductress you just met...
For some reason she's in your room and suddenly, you remember spooning her last night.
She slips on a spandex mini-dress decorated with mandarin orange ruffled sleeves. With a flick of a finger, she turns on the CD player and sensual music fills the room. Her hips jiggle, feet shuffle, shoulders shake and bootay bounces as she cakes on neon glitter eye shadow.
Your Ping Pong eyes bounce from her stiletto heels clickety clacking towards you, to her EXTRA LARGE…
gold hoop earrings and fruit-filled sombrero.
In a Spanish accent, and sultry, dripping-in-caramel-voice, she whispers into your hair, “I’m going to serve you breakfast in bed, Papi (or Mami). I’m saving the ripe banana for desert, before I set off to teach Borges at the university. Afterwards, I'm giving a lecture on deconstructionism and why 'the interpretive movement in literary theory rejects absolute interpretations and stresses ambiguities and contradictions in literature.' Later on tonight, I'm flying to Venezuela to save female authors from oblivion..." http://www.laht.com/article.asp?Categ...
You wag your head in disgust and wish she'd STOP the literary nonsense and either peel your banana or sing to you, "I'm Chiquita Banana and I've come to say/I eat the Banana in a special way...." http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/old_r...
Now, let me show you why some Latinos and people of color would love the opportunity to write our own books: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC7v0G...
What it looks like when authentic Latinos and people of color write our own stories:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4e7Vc... (check out the footwork/moves of the guy in the chartreuse shirt and white pants).
Oops, gotta go! It's time to shake my maracas and whip out an exquisite breakfast in bed for my special mujer!
Tidbits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLTUC7... (brilliant, artistic manipulation of how advertisers make Americanos think we look like and behave in the kitchen. Do you blame me for loving it and wanting to RUN to buy Tostitos and salsa or perform a little cha-cha-cha of my own in the kitchen?).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFDOI2...
http://www.wikihow.com/Peel-a-Banana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uKACm...
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...
