December: Erika Martinez and Juana Medina - Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Book Club

December 2016 – Book of the Month

Daring to Write – Contemporary Narratives by Dominican Women

Edited by Erika M. Martínez

Synopsis:

martinez_daringwrite200 With this new Latino literary collection Erika M. Martínez has brought together twenty-five engaging narratives written by Dominican women and women of Dominican descent living in the United States. The first volume of its kind, Daring to Write offers readers a wide array of works on a range of topics, including love and family, identity and belonging, immigration and the meaning of home. The resonant voices in this compilation reveal experiences that have been largely invisible until now.

The volume opens with a foreword by Julia Alvarez and includes short stories, novel excerpts, memoirs, and personal essays and features work by established writers such as Angie Cruz and Nelly Rosario, alongside works by emerging writers. Narratives originally written in Spanish appear in English for the first time, translated by Achy Obejas. An important contribution to Latino/a studies, these writings will introduce readers to a new collection of rich literature.

Bio:

martinez200 Erika M. Martínez was born in New Jersey to Dominican parents and lived many of her childhood years in Santo Domingo. She is the editor of the anthology, Daring to Write: Contemporary Narratives by Dominican Women. Recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship and a Hedgebrook Writing Residency, she holds an MFA in English and Creative Writing from Mills College in Oakland, CA where she currently resides. Her writing was adapted for the stage and has been featured in the anthologies, Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education; Homelands: Women’s Journeys Across Race, Place and Time and Second Sense of Place: The Washington State Geospatial Poetry Anthology. Her work has also recently appeared in Muthamagazine.com, Consequence Magazine, and the Afro-Hispanic Review, among other publications. She has taught creative writing in the Dominican Republic and works with the National Writing Project in New Hampshire.

Author Website: http://www.erikammartinez.com/

Publisher Website: http://www.ugapress.org/index.php/books/daring_to_write/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daringtowrite/?fref=ts

Erika Martinez

Twitter: @Erikammwriter
December 2016 – Additional Conversations with selection

Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

Published by: Candlewick Press

Synopsis:

juanaandlucascvr200 Juana loves many things — drawing, eating Brussels sprouts, living in Bogotá, Colombia, and especially her dog, Lucas, the best amigo ever. She does not love wearing her itchy school uniform, solving math problems, or going to dance class. And she especially does not love learning the English. Why is it so important to learn a language that makes so little sense? But when Juana’s abuelos tell her about a special trip they are planning—one that Juana will need to speak English to go on—Juana begins to wonder whether learning the English might be a good use of her time after all. Hilarious, energetic, and utterly relatable, Juana will win over los corazones — the hearts — of readers everywhere in her first adventure, presented by namesake Juana Medina.

Fans of Judy Moody and Clarice Bean will love Juana, the spunky young Colombian girl who stars in this playful, abundantly illustrated new series.

Bio:

juanbaptiste200 Juana Medina was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. She is the illustrator of Smick! by Doreen Cronin and the author-illustrator of One Big Salad. Juana Medina has studied and taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and now teaches at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University. She lives in Washington, D.C.