Drum roll please: We're moving....

...over here.

We are happy to share that our Proyecto Latina online site is moving to a new platform! We have been working very hard to get this project done. We are currently in 'beta' mode while we resolve minor tech hiccups. If you catch something, please let us know. So, please, GO EXPLORE!

What does that mean for you?

• This site is staying but this is our last post here.
• All new updates can be found here.
• We have imported our complete archives (including comments) therefore we are turning-off the comments feature here.
• If you want to comment on a post that you found on our blogger-site, search for it on the new site and comment there.
• Because of the way Google Friends Connect works on blogger we cannot 'take' our current friends with us--we know, major bummer.
• To ensure you stay connected you will need to "follow" us by going to our new site and re-subscribing again.

Those are the only changes for now. We will continue sharing comings-and-goings of Latinas making an impact in our communities. And we have some plans that may mean even more interviews and resources. In the meantine we would love feedback on what's working and what needs refining. You can also pitch us your story ideas at: info@proyectolatina.org.

From Knitting To Photography

We wanted to take a moment to formally welcome our newest Proyecto Latina team member Thelma Uranga. Last year, we featured her and now she is back as our photographer. She's getting ready to take off to Guadalajara, MX for some fun and photography and will return with a photo narrative of her trip.

Thelma Uranga is a photographer interested in the tensions inherent when looking at cultural identity within contemporary American society. Thelma received a BA in Studio Art/Photography from Illinois State University in 2008. During her time in Bloomington-Normal, her photographic work focused on the area’s youth and their cultural duality as children of immigrant parents living in America. In 2008, Thelma was recognized by the Center for Visual Arts at Illinois State University when she received the University Galleries Award in Photography at the Student Annual. In 2007, she participated in the Pilsen Open Studio and in the summer of 2009, Thelma served on the teaching staff at Yollocalli Arts Reach, a youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art. Thelma is also an avid knitter; she is the co-founder and main organizer of El Stitch y Bitch: a multi-cultural knitting circle that collectively creates large-scale projects and public works. Currently, Thelma is exploring cultural identity on a personal level through fiber-based installation works and is also interested in documenting the current state of her hometown Cicero, IL, a bustling Latino community.

Contact info: Thelma.Uranga@gmail.com

Proyecto Latina Recap - Ruth On The Rocks

If you didn't get a chance to come to Proyecto Latina this past Monday here is a visual snippet of a hilarious evening with our feature Ruth Guerra. She brought us everything from stories about the tooth fairy to blind dates.




We had a fabulous audience full of great chismes including this one anonymous one:

My acupuncturist says that my uterus is angry because I have not had a baby yet. I think my uterus is being a little unfair.

If you were at Proyecto Latina that evening or at other Proyecto Latina events and had a blast at our event let us know. Send us your comments or feedback at info@proyectolatina.org






Ruth recounting the time she ended up calling the calling the Columbia College radio station and ending up on a hilarious blind date. As I was sitting there watching Ruth do her thing I could help think, "Wow! What a wonderful storyteller Ruth is!"






Ruth Guerra is all smiles with Irasema Gonzalez (left) and myself at Cedahlia's Café.

If you have suggestions for features you would like to see us present we'd love to hear from you.

Send us in a 100 words or less what makes your feature suggestion so awesome to info@proyectolatina.org

Domingo Newsbytes

Happy Sunday Everyone! Hope you are done doing laundry, grocery shopping and now relaxing. Here is a little recap of Latinas in the news for your reading pleasure. As always, if you see a story in the news about or impacting Latinas please share the link with us at info@proyectolatina.org. Last call for news link is every Saturday by noon.

Here is our round up:

HEALTH

The largets study ever of breast cancer in Latin American women is being launched in a unique multi-country, public/private partnership with $1 million in additional funding from the world's largest breast cancer organization, Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

More than one in four Latinas is a mother by the age of 19, was included in a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

Every year there is a growing epidemic of teenage Latinas attempting to commit suicide. Find out about a teen suicide prevention program for Latina teenagers and their family. The program is run by Dr. Rosa Gil.

Many undocumented women fail to report domestic violence because they fear deportation. Help is available through the Violence Intervention Program, a nationally recognized Latina organization that provides services to women of domestic violence.

Domingo Newsbytes

Happy Chinese New Year! It's now the year of the Tiger and we hope you are getting ready to pounce into the year with good vibes and prosperity. This Sunday is also Valentines Day! Double Happiness! We hope you aren't running down the street being chased by a cupid with sharp arrows instead we hope it's filled with heart shaped candy, lots of love and maybe even some flowers.

This week the Chicago Foundation for Women announced the awardees of this year's IMPACT Award and among them was Veronica Arreola. Felicidades!

Proyecto Latina kicks off Monday, Feb. 15th with Ruth On The Rocks @ Cedahlias Cafe @ 7pm so bring something to share and some chisme for the chisme box!

Here is our weekly round up of Latinas in the news:















Local

Pros Arts Studio Mobil Lab at Dvorak Park offers a free computer lab for people looking for jobs online or want to improve their computer skills.

Extra Newspaper Columnist Rebecca Sanchez reports that in the Little Village neighborhood food distribution from 2008-09 has increased by 95%.

Education/Language
North Carolina school secretary loses her job for translating to Spanish-speaking parents.

Health & Wellness
Latinas tend to have higher rates of diabetes than non-Hispanic white women, but there’s a silver lining, says psychologist Jane Delgado in her new book, “The Latina Guide to Health: Consejos and Caring Answers.”

Entertainment
America Ferrera talks to Bust Magazine about Hollywood racism.

During the week if you see stories about Latinas or that impact the Latina community send us the links and we will post them in our Domingo round up. Send to info@proyectolatina.org

February Feature: Ruth on the Rocks

This month Proyecto Latina is thrilled to present writer/performer Ruth Guerra. She will be doing a reading/performance called Ruth On The Rocks that explores the act of dating and casual encounters from the point of view of several women's ideal image of what it should be.

Arrive early to grab a chair, settle-in, and sign up to share some of your work and drop a friendly chisme in the Chisme box.

Ruth Guerra hails from the south side of Chicago, the Back of the Yards neighborhood where eating tacos de la Internacional, cruisin’ to house music, and the ability to hinder the stockyards’ stench are just some of the wonderful attributes that contribute to her personality. As a kid, she watched shows like El Palomo, Chiquilladas and Kids Incorporated, encouraging her to create and perform her own sketches and routines for friends and family in her parents’ garage. Her love for the windy city, took her to Second City where she learned the art of improvisational theater and performed with several ensembles. Shortly after, she discovered a new found love in storytelling and moved on to do theater. Her theatrical debut was in 2005 with Teatro Americano and since has been performing with different groups in the city. Ruth recently embarked on a memoir writing journey where she sticks to her roots as she documents her life experiences in Chicago.








Monday, February 15 @ 7PM - FREE
Cedalhia Cafe
1010 S. Western
Chicago, IL
http://www.mapquest.com
Street parking available

Photo by Thelma Uranga. Thanks to our venue sponsor: Cedahlia Cafe.

Domingo Newsbytes

Its Superbowl Sunday--we hope the team you're rooting for wins--we are happy to share a couple of touchdowns of our own this week. First, make sure to check out our most recent audio essay, The Firefighter's Hat by Yolanda Cardenas--the story generated some encouraging comment feedback and we were also happy to see it tweeted by Fire Daily a Chicago portal for and by firefighters. Second, we are also happy to introduce Proyecto Latina alumna, Thelma Uranga as our newest contributor. Thelma is a photographer and Stitch y Bitch founder and she will be helping us with photo assignments. Her first is the portrait at the top of this post, Ruth Guerra our February 15th, 2010 feature--event details coming soon.

Now, our weekly roundup:

Leading health concerns for Latinas
Via Wise Latinas Linked we found out that: Breast cancer is the number one cancer killer of Latinas, most of it due to late detection, their post features an organization in California that aims to change that. Another leading hazard is heart disease, according to the American Heart Association, via My Latino Voice, Hispanic women on average develop heart disease ten years earlier than their Caucasian counterparts. On a more positive note, Spanish-speaking mothers are creating an advantage for their children--they're turning off the t.v.

Bolivia tackles gender equality in government
One new appointment as a result of these efforts is Nemecia Achacollo, a 39-year-old mother and grandmother who rose through farmworkers unions, was recently tapped to become minister of land and rural development just days after she became a member of congress.

Literary Latinas
Editorial consultant Marcela Landres interviews founding publisher of Palabra Magazine, elena minor. Palabra is a Chicano and Latino literary magazine, check out their guidelines and consider submitting your work. Author Zetta Elliott took an innovative approach to publishing her novel, A Wish After Midnight, about a black-Latina teen who travels back in time.

Also of note...
The cover story for Cafe Magazine this month is Blacktino, the issue includes profiles of people and families living the Afro-Latino experience including local freelance curator and DJ Sadie Woods. We're kind of bummed that we can't link you to the stories but you can find free copies of this magazaine at various distribution points throughout the city--I usually grab a copy in Pilsen.

The Firefighter's Hat

Yolanda Cardenas with her father in 1976.


The Firefighter's Hat by Yolanda Cardenas 7:57

"Chicago missed out on an exceptional firefighter but I never missed out on an exceptional father."

Yolanda Cardenas reflects on growing up in Back of the Yards, a field trip to the neighborhood firehouse, and a missed opportunity for her father.

Doming Newsbytes

The first month of 2010 has ended and we hope your year is off to a great start. We are getting geared up for our February Proyecto Latina and are excited to be featuring Ruth Guerra--look for those details later in the week. For now its the Sunday round-up of Latinas in the news and other media.

Chicago Sun-Times Columnist, Esther Cepeda and Maria de los Angeles Torres, Director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago
got a chance to chime in on Chicago's New Latino Political Landscape on WBEZ this week.
A quick point made by Torres in that segment is that Latinos who speak English and Spanish make make better salaries, that reminded me of a completely different story where actress Jessica Alba shares a completely different motive for hiring a Spanish language teacher to ensure she raises a bilingual daughter.

Speaking of Latina moms and their children--check out how one mom and son blog together in South Texas to air their greivances about Cesar Chavez missing in school textbooks.

Marisa Treviño at Latina Lista breaks down a new study that shows a rise in teen pregnancies--with higher rates for Latina and Black girls--that correlates with the timing of federal promotion of abstinence-only programs. Treviño spotlights a program that is striving to change those odds for Texas teens--the bottom line: Me now...baby later.

Domingo Newsbytes

Well another week has passed us by and hopefully you were able to sleep in a little later and now have a cup of coffee in hand along with your Proyecto Latina Domingo NewsBytes. Here are some links we wanted to share with you. If you see any interesting articles on Latinas send them to us and we will include them in the Sunday round up. Send them to info@proyectolatina.org

Did you know that evasive cervical cancer is most prominent in Latinas than in white women? Find out what the Planned Parenthood in Madison, WI is doing to educate Latinas on cervical and breast cancer.

Could La Llorona have been suffering from post partum depression? Approximately 1 in 10 mothers get the post partum blues after delivering a baby.

Learn To Be A Latina directed by Mary Gúzman is scheduled to open in February as part of Impact Theatre's season of theatre.

West Coast blogger Cyndi Lu of Loteria Chicana is contemplating some very tasty looking Chilaquiles. Read more!

New to the blogosphere is Veronica Lopez and her Ay Mama blog on Chicago Now. She shares her thoughts on raising kids in Chicago while Chicana On The Edge Regina Rodriguez - Martin writes about her experience getting married while in her 40's.

Please note the photo above is courtesy of thisisharmonie.blogspot.com

Join us for a 5th birthday and a little more

Date: Monday, January 18, 2010 @ 7 p.m.



Featuring: Stephanie Diaz Reppen




Held at: Cafe Cedahlia, 1010 S. Western, Chicago, Il

Domingo Newsbytes

Last Sunday, we announced that we are adding a new feature to our site. A week in review of Latinas in news. If you see something in the news that is either about Latinas or impacts the Latina community send us the link to info@proyectolatina.com



Proyecto Latina has reasons to celebrate
-We kick-off our 5th year this Mon., Jan., 18th on Martin Luther King Day. Event details.
-We are happy to announce that we have received our first grant by the Fire This Time Fund.




Ericka Gutierrez co-owner of The 35th Street Cafe in McKinley Park has welcomed Proyecto Latina into her space in the past. We were thrilled to see a recent profile of her lovely establishment and how its quickly becoming a gathering place for her community in the Chicago Tribune.

More First appointments for Latinas The first two weeks of 2010 saw two more historic appointments: Carmen Milagros Ortiz becomes the first Latina to be sworn in Massachusetts and Eva Guzman becomes the first Latina to be appointed to the Texas Supreme court.

Why women need abortion rights a commentary that explores access to abortion for underage and poor women including the risky practice of self-induced abortions among Latina and immigrant women. This got us thinking about Stephanie Diaz Reppen's powerful audio essay.

Stephanie's Reprieve

Reprieve,9:12
Newly married and just starting to try for a baby, Stephanie Diaz Reppen reflects on a choice she made over ten years ago--it was the repreive of her 26th summer.

Stephanie, a Guatemalan-American writer/performer is the Proyecto Latina feature for January 2010. She will be reading an excerpt from her novel-in-progress, You Can't Call the Indians Maria Anymore. She will also premiere a new performance piece entitled Dichos, featuring the mesmerizing art of Bunraku puppetry, and starring "Abuelita." Get bio and event details here.

Front and Center: Ahora las Mujeres

Proyecto Latina, November 2009, Ivonne Canellada unveils her poetic side and Paloma Martinez-Cruz lets her musical side shine.


A couple of weeks back Francisco Aragon, director of Letras Latinas, invited a group of Latinas, "to think about the period 2000 – 2009 and write 300 words about a "poetry event" that impacted you in some special way—that is, in a positive way." Francisco explains, "I simply wanted to hear...a perspective that was missing in the Poetry Foundation roundup.

You can read my reflection, that includes the story behind the photos above, along with contributions from six other Latinas in Ahora las Mujeres, which proves we have plenty to share.

Latinas On The Move - Week In Review

Today we wanted to do a week in review of Latinas in news for you to enjoy with your Sunday morning coffee. We hope to make this a regular feature so if you see something in the news that is either about Latinas or impacts the Latina community send us the link to info@proyectolatina.com















Nancy Andrade dishes out tasty tamales and savvy business advice...check out The Chicago Tribune's full article.

















We are excited that poet Julia de Burgos is being honored by the U.S. post office with her own stamp so the next time you are mailing something out make sure you have your Burgos stamps. Check out Liternista!










We are also sad to hear of 37-year old song bird Lhasa passed away...a fitting tribute at the Canadian Globe and Mail.

The magic of the Three Kings

The magic of the the Three Kings has been a part of Liza Ann Acosta's life since she was a child. As an adult she still believes in The Three Kings and relives the magic of the holiday every January 6th by making a pilgrimage to her father's town, Juana Diaz in Puerto Rico, where a grand celebration takes place. Listen to her story below.

The magic of the Three Kings (11:50)