Bronwyn Mauldin's Blog, page 13

GuerrillaReads No. 25

Luis J. Rodriguez is a poet, novelist, memoirist and – now – a guerrilla reader! Here he is reading from short story collection, The Republic of East L.A. It begins powerfully:

I wanted to be a writer even before I knew what writing was about. I wanted to carve out the words that swam in the bloodstream, to press a stunted pencil onto paper so lines break free like birds in flight…

Rodriguez is the author of fourteen books. He's also co-founder of Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural and Bookstore, a terrific resource for things literary and Latino, in the heart of L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.

Tagged: author, East L.A., guerrilla, Latino Book and Family Festival, literature, Luis J. Rodriguez, reading, short story, writing

GuerrillaReads No. 24

Sure, there's plenty of not-so-good poetry out there, but only Pamela August Russell has proudly staked a claim as The Very Bad Poet.

Here she reads from her book, B is for Bad Poetry, which includes such masterworks as

Nietzche And The Ice-Cream Truck
Despair, Party of One
Capitalism Can Fall Not Like I Fell For You

What's more, Russell finally gives answer to G.K. Chesterton's rather pointed observation that "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8dcX3...

Tagged: author, bad poetry, cheese, guerrilla, literature, Pamela August Russell, poet, poetry, reading, West Hollywood Book Fair, writing

GuerrillaReads No. 23

Alicia Partnoy is a human rights activist, poet, translator and scholar.

A political activist in Argentina in the 1970s, she is a survivor of the secret detention camps where more than 30,000 people "disappeared" from her country. Her testimony before the Argentine Commission for the Investigation of Disappearances, entitled "Nunca Más," became a bestseller when it was published in 1984. She is perhaps best known as the author of The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival.

In this guerrilla reading, Partnoy reads from her book of poetry, Little Low Flying / Volando Bajito (translated by Gail Wronsky).

Learn more about Partnoy and her work.

Tagged: Argentina, author, desaparecidos, guerrilla, Latino Book and Family Festival, literature, poet, poetry, reading, writing

GuerrillaReads No. 22

Melanie Lutz is a magnificent woman.

In this guerrilla reading, Lutz reads from the title poem in her book, I Am a Magnificent Woman.

I open up to new possibilities

I am an active and purposeful participant

I own my gifts

And use them.

It's inspiration for the magnificent woman in all of us.

Tagged: author, feminist, guerrilla, literature, magnificent, Melanie Lutz, poet, poetry, reading, West Hollywood Book Fair, writing

GuerrillaReads No. 21

Author David Corbett reads from his novel about immigration, war  and family, Do They Know I'm Running?

Corbett explained his approach to this book in a recent blog post:

Believing that what was genuinely needed at this time was a more sincere, empathetic but not sanitized attempt to imagine the lives of people we think of as different, and remembering one of my favorite quotes from John Coltrane–"If there is something one does not understand, one must go humbly to it"–I tried in Do They Know I'm Running? to depict a Salvadoran-American family dealing with both the damage of war and the nightmare of deportation.

Before writing his first novel, Corbett worked for a private investigations firm and his wife's law practice. He's the author of three critically acclaimed novels as well as many articles and stories.

Tagged: author, border, David Corbett, El Salvador, guerrilla, immigration, Latino Book and Family Festival, literature, noir, novel, reading, veteran, writing

GuerrillaReads No. 20

In this guerrilla reading, Vanessa Libertad Garcia reads from her book, The Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive.

The book is a work of fiction inspired by events surrounding the 2008 election. Here's how Garcia explains it:

My inspiration for writing the book was the social environment I was living in and surrounded by over the course of the 2008 presidential elections. Many of my friends and I were going through similar spiritual, emotional, and psychological bewilderments, which outwardly manifested into reckless mayhem. This happened during a time when the US depended on our votes, our generational voice more than ever to change the political direction of the country. I was inspired by the fact that whether we liked it or not, whether we were even aware of it or not, regardless of our feelings of insignificance, we affected and were affected by the politics happening around us.

You can buy the book online at all the usual places.

Tagged: 2008 election, author, guerrilla, literature, poetry, politics, reading, short stories, Vanessa Libertad Garcia, West Hollywood Book Fair, writing

GuerrillaReads No. 19

Clouds brushed the wings of the airplane. José Francisco Verguerio Silva looked out the window and suddenly had the feeling of bursting through the glass, tumbling slowly through white heavenly wisps, and finally colliding with the ground, his long Brazilian name smashing into pieces and scattering. He got up to his feet, sobbing as he looked for all the parts of his name, but he had lost them.

By the time he lands in Los Angeles and leaves the airport, all that's left of his name is "Joe."

Click to learn more about Kathleen de Azevedo and her award-winning novel, Samba Dreamers.

Tagged: author, Brazil, guerrilla, Kathleen de Azevedo, Latino Book and Family Festival, literature, novel, reading, writing

GuerrillaReads. No. 18

Enlightenment comes in many forms, in many unexpected places. Especially here in Southern California. Leave it to Chrystine Julian to share her experience of enlightenment by… wasabi?

Julian's guerrilla reading is an excerpt from her book Saddling Dragons. Learn more about the author and her book on her website.

And remember, guerrilla readings are always more enjoyable after you vote. Happy Election Day 2010!

Tagged: author, Chrystine Julian, enlightenment, guerrilla, literature, reading, wasabi, West Hollywood Book Fair, writing

GuerrillaReads No. 17

How to live the good life? Just ask Fritz Donnelly. Each chapter of his book explores a different aspect of what makes the good life, such as

Walk to work
Talk to strangers
Prefer locomotion to stillness, swimming to walking
Marshall expedients

This guerrilla reading features chapter 4 – Take note.

There are shades of Dostoyevsky in this enigmatic book; humor and pathos in the narrator's voice. It's as laugh-out-loud funny as you dare to read: "Part psychological adventure tale and part hilarious philosophical investigation."

You can see more chapters or buy the book: How To Live the Good Life: The Complete Book of Rules.

Dostoyevsky


Tagged: author, Fritz Donnelly, guerrilla, How To Live the Good Life, literature, New York City, novel, reading, writing

GuerrillaReads No. 16

Meet Yolanda Sahagún, a clever young woman who finds the symbolism in life's smallest acts and events. She grew up in Palm City, an immigrant neighborhood near San Diego. Now she's in college, thanks to a scholarship from the Daughters of the American Revolution in wealthy La Jolla.

In this guerrilla reading, Patricia Santana reads from her award-winning book, Ghosts of El Grullo, at the Latino Book and Family Festival.

The book was honored with an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation and the Premio Aztlán Literary Prize from the National Latinos Writers Conference and the History and Literary program of the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

Learn more about Santana and her work.

Tagged: author, El Grullo, guerrilla, Latino Book and Family Festival, literature, Patricia Santana, reading, writing