LAS COMADRES Celebrates Member Accomplishments for June 2022

 Success doesn't come to you.  YOU Go to It!

Join us in Congratulating these Comadres on their Accomplishments. 

 

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COMADRES!  We celebrate You!

 

Debra Antis (NY) wrote her second book, Daughter of the Boricua.

 

Malynn Abigail “Aby” Catalan (CA) ran the last Students Run LA series Race (5k) with her High School Seniors earlier this month.  She was also named Employee of the Month at the North Valley Orthopedic Institute.

 

Martha Cotera (TX) will receive the Tortuga Award from Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) at the annual conference and institute in Ft. Collins Colorado. The award is granted to a scholar for her commitment to interdisciplinary Chicana, Latina, Afro-Latina, Native American and Indigenous feminist scholarship, cultural productions, and activism (belief in the scholar-activist model).  Her friend, Dr. Brenda Sendejo nominated her, and together with Martha’s daughter Maria Eugenia and surrogate daughter Linda Garcia Merchant they worked hard on her nomination.  Martha is honored and wants to share this Award with Las Comadres and ELLAS. 

 

Lilli DeCair (n/a) is a Health Educator.  She started a YouTube channel to help others learn stress management tools. She also offers her entire Reiki course free. Lilli has 35+ videos on her channel.

 

Gabriela Duncan (CA) completed her Masters in Project Management at the University of Southern California.

 

Anna Giraldo-Kerr (MA) joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an Organizational Development Consultant to partner with MIT leaders in fostering an inclusive culture at the Institute.

 

Dr. María Alma González Pérez (TX) is proud to announce that she was featured in the June issue of Texas’ statewide magazine, Texas Co- Op Power. Here is the link to the article: https://texascooppower.com/speaking-to-children/

 

Selena Hernandez (CO) wrote a children's book, I Like Pink! A Story about Self- Acceptance.  

 

Adela Kowalski-Garza (TX) ran and was elected the Democratic candidate for the 484th District court. She is now the Judge-elect and will be sworn into office this November. In the meantime, Adela is still working as an Assistant District Attorney in charge of felony and capital offenses and continues to teach part time at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. (She’s been teaching since 2003!)

 

Phoenix Lara (CA) started a new job as Director of People and Organizational Culture in San Francisco.

 

Thelma Reyna (CA) is proud to announce that the anthology she edited, Doctor Poets & Other Healers, was named a finalist in the Poetry Anthology Category of the International Latino Book Awards. She is excited at being a contender for the gold medal.

 

Hilda Rivas (TX) completed her master’s in social work at the Texas State University, and she got a new job as a planner with Travis County Health and Human Resources.

 

Lily Roman (CA) got married! After a 16-year trial period, two kids and a pandemic, Lily and Rudy tied the knot. Lily Banos is now Lily Roman.

 

Terry Saucedo (CA) Is proud to announce that she has been promoted to Warehouse Trainer.

 

Magalis Troncoso (n/a) got a new job!

 

Cristina Wilson (TX) just learned that she will be awarded the HWNT Estrella de Fe Award on July 1^st.

 

Edna C. Zalenski (NJ) wrote her third book, Amor, Cafe y Politica.

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to all!

 

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NOTE:  these listings are for congratulatory purposes only. We are not endorsing any products, services or candidates for public office.  

 

LAS COMADRES & FRIENDS BOOK CLUB RELEASES 8TH ANNUAL SUMMER READING LIST

PRESS RELEASE

 

LAS COMADRES & FRIENDS

NATIONAL LATINO BOOK CLUB

 

** Connecting Readers All Over The World

Through Latino Literature **

 

8^th ANNUAL

SUMMER READING LIST

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             JUNE 21, 2022 

CONTACT:  Maria Ferrer, Project Manager  

mferrer.lcbookclub@gmail.com

 

 

New York, NY—Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Book Club is pleased to announce the release of its eighth annual Summer Reading List on this the first day of the summer.

 This year’s Summer Reading List has 15 books in honor of the Book Club’s Quinceaňero!  The list includes a classical novel celebrating its golden anniversary; a love letter to women of color from a Latinx rebel; a compelling memoir about embracing gay Latinx identity; a cookbook with 600+ scrumptious recipes; a children's book on how to make the world a better place; and a couple of anthologies on migration, survival, and uprootedness.

 “We are so proud to be celebrating our 15th Anniversary as a Book Club,” says Dr. Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Founding Director. “I am looking forward to someone asking me what book(s) I'm reading this summer.  I have my list handy to share – 15 Latina/o authors for everyone’s reading pleasure!”

We encourage readers of all ages to purchase our Summer Reading List selections and add them to their TBR piles, give copies to family and friends, order copies at your neighborhood library, and enjoy Reading Latino Lit.

 

2022 Summer Reading List

1.      *Areli is a Dreamer by Areli Morales (Random House)—children's book

2.      *Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (Penguin Classics)—classic, fiction

3.      Does My Body Offend You? by Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt (Knopf Books)—fiction, YA

4.      For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez (Seal Press)—nonfiction

5.      High-Risk Homosexual by Edgar Gomez (Soft Skull)—memoir

6.      Home in Florida: Latinx Writers and the Literature of Uprootedness edited by Anjanette Delgado (University of Florida Press)—nonfiction, anthology

7.      *Just Help!: How to Build a Better World by Sonia Sotomayor (Philomel Books)—children's books

8.      Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore (Feiwel & Friends)—fiction, YA

9.      The Latin American Cookbook by Virgilio Martinez (Phaidon Press)—nonfiction, cookbook

10.  Luther, Wyoming by Tomas Alamilla and Mario Acevedo (Five Star Publishing)—fiction, western

11.  More Than You'll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez (William Morrow)—fiction, thriller

12.  My Book of the Dead by Ana Castillo (High Road Books)—poetry

13.  Somewhere We Are Human edited by Reyna Grande and Sonia Guiňansaca (HarperVia)—nonfiction, anthology

14.  You Sound Like a White Girl by Julissa Arce (Flatiron Books)—nonfiction, anthology

15.  Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (One World)—fiction

 

* This book is also available in Spanish 

Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Book Club started in 2007 and is currently in 15 cities, with more cities to follow.  All books are in English, written by Latino authors. Membership is free and open to all readers.  Each month, Las Comadres & Friends Book Club features a Book of the Month selection and one or two additional “Conversations with” books.  At the end of the month, there is a LIVE zoom teleconference with the author(s), plus a simultaneous TwitterChat on @ReadLatinoLit. Registration is free and open to all readers.  

 For more information on Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Book Club, to register for the monthly teleconference or to submit your book for consideration, visit www.latinolit.com.

 For more information on the 2022 Summer Reading List, email Maria Ferrer, Project Manager, at mferrer.lcbookclub@gmail.com.

 

 Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Book Club

www.latinolit.com

www.readlatinolit.blogspot.com

Twitter: @ReadLatinoLit

Hashtags:  #ReadLatinoLit, #LasComadres, #LCBC

  

Leadership Team

Maria C. Ferrer, Project Manager

Tess Tobin, Submissions Coordinator

Dora M. Abreu, Social Media Coordinator

Karen D. Gonzales, Assistant Coordinator

 and

Dr. Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Founding Director

#####

LAS COMADRES SPEAKER SERIES: Q&A WITH AMANDA ZAMORA, CO-FOUNDER & PUBLISHER OF THE 19TH

 

My hope for the next generation, including women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ journalists, is that they have to fight less within their own news organizations to be seen and heard, to be compensated fairly and to be valued as whole people. – Amanda Zamora

Join us on Wednesday, June 29, 7pm ET and meet Amanda Zamora, Co-founder and Publisher of The 19^th .  

 

 

Inside the Asterisk: *Building Community with News that Represents

Q&A with Amanda Zamora

Co-founder and Publisher of The 19^th

  

Amanda Zamora is co-founder and publisher of The 19th, an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics and policy. She has spent nearly two decades at the forefront of digital journalism, working as a reporter, digital producer and editor, product manager, audience strategist and fundraiser. As publisher of The 19th, Amanda leads editorial, product and business operations in pursuit of the nonprofit’s mission to empower women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community with the information, resources and community they need to be equal participants in our democracy.

 

Before helping launch The 19th in 2020, Zamora led double-digit audience gains and a 65% increase in membership revenue as chief audience officer at The Texas Tribune. Prior to the Tribune, Zamora was ProPublica’s senior engagement editor, where she helped produce Pulitzer Prize-winning projects and established the industry touchstone for crowdsourced journalism. Before that, she worked nearly eight years at The Washington Post, and managed one of the first social media teams at a major U.S. newspaper. 

 

A native of Houston, Texas, Zamora graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2002 with a journalism degree. 

 

 

Register here for her talk:  https://forms.gle/XiSqiBZ6j1VfXtYF9 

For Speaker Series calendar, visit us here:  https://lascomadres.com/lco/speaker-series/

 

 

LAS COMADRES Celebrates Member Accomplishments for May 2022

 Define success on your own terms. – Anne Sweeny

 

 

 

​Join us in Congratulating these Comadres on their Accomplishments. 

 

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COMADRES!  We celebrate You!

 

 

Raysa Amador (NY) is going to be a grandmother in June, and she’s recovering from Covid-19.

 

Daniela Ariza (TX) finally finished her translation training at Austin Community College, and she can call herself Spanish to English and English to Spanish Professional Translator.  

 

Gabriela Duncan (CA) completed her Master's degree in Project Management at the University of Southern California.

 

Amelia Folkes (TX) got a new job as Director of Public Relations at Raise Your Hand Texas.

 

Karen Gonzalez (CO)’s story The Mystery of La Llorona and Mr. Lloron won second place in the Sandra Seton Michel Middle School Book or Story category. This is part of the 2022 Biennial Competition in Letters sponsored by the National League of American Pen Women.

 

Dora Herrera (CA) is proud to have been selected as one of 50 nationwide Tory Burch Fellows for 2022! The year-long Fellows Program for women entrepreneurs helps founders grow and scale through workshops with expert instructors, a rich peer-to-peer network, a business education grant, and access to capital. #ToryBurchFellows  PLUS!  On April 3, together with other local restaurateurs & brewers, they helped raise over $650K for the Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena. It’s the 5th year of this wonderful Masters of Taste event!

 

Christy Martinez-Garcia (TX) was elected to Lubbock City Council District 1 with 66% of the vote! She was sworn in on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, and took part in her first City Council Meeting on May 24!

 

Emma Navarro (TX) was hired as a funeral home attendant for one of the busiest and most beautiful funeral homes in Austin, Cook-Walden Funeral Home Pflugerville. She will be helping with all aspects of greeting funeral attendees, receiving flowers for the descendants, keeping funeral rooms in tiptop shape and making sure everyone attending is comfortable. She’s proud of her work for Cook-Walden, who pride themselves on their attention to detail.

 

Maritza Ramos Pratt (FL) is a new member of the National Association of Professional and Business Women in Orlando, FL.

 

Rosemary Rivera (NYC) is happy to announce that her debut picture book Myra and the Drawing Drama will hit bookstores (in English and Spanish) September 2022 and it has also been adapted into a musical that premiers in October 2022!

 

Veronica Rodriguez (CA) completed her B.S. from Cal State U: Dominguez Hills in Business Management, one year after her daughter completed her B.A. in Anthropology from UC-Riverside. SIGUE ADELANTE!

 

Shirley Yanis (NYC) started a new job on May 24!

 

 

 

Congratulations to all!

 

 

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This Accomplishments List will be published monthly and distributed to all Comadres.  To share your accomplishments for next month, register here:  https://forms.gle/gXjeZMreitTT6XDt7

 
 
NOTE:  these listings are for congratulatory purposes only. We are not endorsing any products, services or candidates for public office.  

 

 

 

FROM LAS COMADRES & FRIENDS BOOK CLUB: JUNE BOOKS

Celebrate our Book Club's Quinceañero all year long.  Every month we bring you two books for your reading pleasure.  Here are our selections for June 2022.  

 

Our first book is a historical fiction novel set during the controversial annexation of Texas by our Comadre Reyna Grande.  Our second selection is a contemporary novel set in a predominantly Dominican part of New York City by debut author Cleyvis Natera.

 

 

SAVE THE DATE!  Our next Book Club Zoom Teleconference will be Monday, June 27, 8pm ET.  

 

FREE BOOK.  Sign up today for the teleconference and you may win a FREE BOOK.  Register here:  https://latinolit.com/join-teleconference/

 

FREE AUTOGRAPHED BOOKS PLATES from Reyna Grande to all who attend the teleconference.

 

Book of the Month

 

A BALLAD OF LOVE AND GLORY

by Reyna Grande

Atria Books

 

The year is 1846. After the controversial annexation of Texas, the US Army marches south to provoke war with México over the disputed Río Grande boundary.  Ximena Salomé is a gifted Mexican healer who dreams of building a family with the man she loves on the coveted land she calls home. But when Texas Rangers storm her ranch and shoot her husband dead, her dreams are burned to ashes. Vowing to honor her husband’s memory and defend her country, Ximena uses her healing skills as an army nurse on the frontlines of the ravaging war.

Meanwhile, John Riley, an Irish immigrant in the Yankee army desperate to help his family escape the famine devastating his homeland, is sickened by the unjust war and the unspeakable atrocities against his countrymen by nativist officers. In a bold act of defiance, he swims across the Río Grande and joins the Mexican Army—a desertion punishable by execution. He forms the St. Patrick’s Battalion, a band of Irish soldiers willing to fight to the death for México’s freedom.

 

When Ximena and John meet, a dangerous attraction blooms between them. As the war intensifies, so does their passion. Swept up by forces with the power to change history, they fight not only for the fate of a nation but for their future together.

 

About the Author:  Reyna Grande is an award-winning author, motivational speaker, and writing teacher. As a young girl, she crossed the US–Mexico border to join her family in Los Angeles, a harrowing journey chronicled in THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Her other books include the novels A BALLAD OF LOVE AND GLORY, ACROSS A HUNDRED MOUNTAINS, AND DANCING WITH BUTTERFLIES. Reyna lives in California, with her husband and two children. Visit her at ReynaGrande.com.

 

 

Conversations with Book

 

NERUDA ON THE PARK

by Cleyvis Natera

Ballantine Books

 

 The Guerreros have lived in Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of New York City, for twenty years. When demolition begins on a neighboring tenement, Eusebia, an elder of the community, takes matters into her own hands by devising an increasingly dangerous series of schemes to stop construction of the luxury condos. Meanwhile, Eusebia’s daughter, Luz, a rising associate at a top Manhattan law firm who strives to live the bougie lifestyle her parents worked hard to give her, becomes distracted by a sweltering romance with the handsome white developer at the company her mother so vehemently opposes.  As Luz’s father, Vladimir, secretly designs their retirement home in the Dominican Republic, mother and daughter collide, ramping up tensions in Nothar Park, racing toward a near-fatal climax.

 

About the Author: Cleyvis Natera was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at ten years old, and grew up in New York City. She holds a BA from Skidmore College and an MFA from New York University. Her writing has won awards and fellowships from PEN America, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Kenyon Review’s Writers Workshops, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She lives with her husband and two young children in New Jersey. NERUDA ON THE PARK is her first novel.

 

 

 

WRITE A REVIEW. SUPPORT AN AUTHOR!  Support Latino authors by buying their books and writing short reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, etc.  And, always remember to Read Latino Lit.

 

JOIN the book club today.  Sign up here and invite your friends:  https://latinolit.com/join-book-club/

VISIT our book shop here:  https://bookshop.org/shop/lascomadresbookclub


Happy Reading!   

LAS COMADRES CELEBRATE MEMBER ACCOMPLISHMENTS -- APRIL 2022

COMADRES!  We celebrate Your Accomplishments!

Join us in Congratulating these Comadres on their Accomplishments.  We have job anniversaries, promotions, appointments, new jobs, graduations, certifications, marathon winners, etc.   

Andrea Arroyo -- I will be presenting my solo art exhibition "Andrea Arroyo: Art as Solidarity" at three art institutions in NYC, from April-July 2022.  The two outdoor exhibitions at The Hispanic Society Museum and Library and The United Palace, and an indoor exhibition at the Morris-Jumel Mansion Museum, will be presented in conjunction with a variety of programs. The opening reception at the Hispanic Society museum was Saturday, April 23. Please visit www.andreaarroyo.com to join my mailing list and for dates and information.

 Nylda Dieppa -- After publishing my award-winning book "Alborada, A Poetic Memoir Across  Cultures" and writing a first draft of a historical novelization of my mother's memoir, I was derailed by a rare undiagnosed ailment (possibly one more autoimmune disease.) I have spent the last few years struggling with exhaustion, back and neck pain and other problems, and searching for the right healthcare. I am proud to announce that, in spite of not having a diagnosis yet, in 2022 I have made some healthy lifestyle changes and finished a course of physical therapy that have allowed me to improve my stamina to the point that I am able to walk over a mile on a regular basis and was able to walk over three miles during one good day with minimum pain. My pain level has decreased significantly, and I am looking forward to catching up on all the chores and projects that I was forced to neglect during this frustrating period of my life.

 Isabel Sáez – I am celebrating 22 years as a Bilingual Therapist in Private Practice in New York City, serving adults, couples and families/groups.

 Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.-- I have been recently nominated to serve on a statewide Council on Assessment and Accountability convened by Raise Your Hand Texas, a 20-member group that is seeking to make changes to policy in anticipation of the next 2023 Texas Legislative Session.

 Delila A. Vasquez – I have created “Cafecito Con,” is a podcast on Clubhouse APP and YouTube building community one story at a time.  

 Kyisha Velazquez -- I published my 1st book "Navigating Trauma: A Guide" in Spanish on Amazon: "Navegando el Trauma: Una Guia" on March 5, 2022. 

 

 Congratulations to all!

  

NOTE:  these listings are for congratulatory purposes only. We are not endorsing any products, services or candidates for public office.  

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