Listening To Latinas

In a new report "Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation" was released August 27 by MALDEF and National Women’s Law Center highlighting the greater challenges Latina students face than their counterparts. The report is meant to offer strategies to get young Latinas to graduate High School.

The report took a close look at the drop-out crisis in the Latino community and found the following:

• The latest data show that 41% of Latina students do not graduate on time with a standard high school diploma.

• The study reports that while 98% of high school seniors want to graduate from high school, and 80% aspire to higher education, Latina students continue to face numerous challenges in reaching these goals.

The recommendations of the report include:

• Calling on schools, policymakers, and government agencies to: invest in the future of Latino children through high-quality early learning program

• Ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary educational opportunities, ensure safe school environments that are culturally inclusive and free from discrimination
  

• Improve efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and provide support for pregnant and parenting students, and require better data collection and promote school accountability.

Together we can improve the quality of life for Latinas by reaching out to our community and encouraging them to stay in school. Irasema Gonzalez and I are proud to say that we’ve had the opportunity to mentor some amazing young Latinas who are the next wave of Latina leaders in the city and they include Mayra Macias and Zulema Ortiz.

The report is available here.

For more information on this report, visit MALDEF.org.

The MáS Memoir Writing Workshop

Well, the lazy days of summer are almost over and with September around the corner it's time to flex those writing muscles. Next month Ana Castillo returns to the Windy City to offer her Más Writing Workshop. Irasema Gonzalez, Coya Paz, Yolanda Cardenas and I had an opportunity to take her last writing workshop. It was thought provoking and very useful for anyone wanting to write memoir.

"We’ll write from our hearts and our minds. And then, we’ll learn to get rid of all the sentimentality and leave on the page what is important for the reader to know about your memoir". -Ana Castillo

This workshop welcomes back previous participants. It will include first time participants. Together, you’ll take a look at writing-in-progress, learn workshop method and discuss new writing tips and techniques.

Sunday, Sept. 20 - 10AM to 2PM - Location TBA.

In memoir, the reader must be persuaded that the narrator is writing honestly, whether or not he/she is, is secondary. It doesn’t matter as much ‘what happened’ as what you make of what you remember may have happened.The workshop will consist of exercises, which help us to know how to get started when desiring to work on a memoir essay.

Persons interested must submit 1 pg writing sample to apply.18 yrs. and up.

All Inquiries and to Apply:

Email: anacastilloworkshops@gmail.com Cost: $175 per person Limit only 15 per workshop * Exact locations and times will be given once applicant has been accepted.

August - Proyecto Latina

August brings sunshine, barbecues and Proyecto Latina! This month we are featuring Proyecto emerging writer and Chicago Public School teacher Ericka Sanchez. A few years back, I met Ericka at one of our Proyecto Latina readings and thought what a fabulous storyteller.

When Ericka isn't in the trenches of the the public school system she is our Proyecto Latina correspondent doing interviews with Latinas making an impact in our community. You can also thank Ericka for the chisme box!

As an emerging writer Ericka will be sharing some hilarious and reflective new work that hopefully will inspire you to pick up the pen or keyboard and write. –Diana Pando

This month’s August Proyecto Latina will take place at Monday, August 17 @ 7PM:













Cedahlia's 1010 -12 S Western
Chicago, IL 60608 (312) 733-0885
Street Parking Available
http://www.transitchicago.com
http://www.mapquest.com

Our friend Jesse Iniquez has generously donated his space.

Ericka Sanchez is a transplant from Mexico, raised in one of the cultural meccas for Mexicanos, Little Village. Her current incarnation as a school teacher by day allows her to run rampant for her love of photography, writing and crafting, music and movie obsessions as well as supporting fellow Latinas and their creative imaginings! Erick is currently a Proyecto Latina Correspondent.

Proyecto Latina Congratulates New Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor!

A picture really is worth a thousand words. Photo courtesy of our friends at Emily's List.

Yesterday, was a proud moment as the senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor 68-31 to become the third woman and first Latina to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. Proyecto Latina congratulates Sotomayor for her accomplishment and dedication to law. On our Proyecto Latina wish list is an interview with Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor:)

Of Summer Time and South Side Literary Landscaper Irasema Gonzalez

Little Village Literary Landscaper Irasema Gonzalez Is Featured In July Proyecto Latina Reading Series

Join Us It's FREE on July 20th @7pm in Little Village

In a neighborhood on the South Side of the city that often gets over looked and arts funding is next to nonexistent Proyecto Latina will host its first reading series in Little Village to reach out to Latinas of all ages and encourage them to come out and share their own writing about their lives and neighborhood.

The feature includes local writer and Little Village resident, Irasema Gonzalez, on Monday, July 20th at 7pm at the Chicago Public Library Toman Branch, FREE and open to the public.

She will be sharing her reflections on growing up in the Little Village and what it means to be a woman in that part of the city. “I am really hoping that Little Village writers (I know they’re out there and I want to meet them) come out to join me in sharing their work through our open mic," says writer Irasema Gonzalez.

Irasema Gonzalez is a writer and merchant. She is the owner of Tianguis.biz the current incarnation of her former book and teashop in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood"which is also the exclusive distributor for Momotombo Press. She is passionate about books that tell the stories of the Latino community. Also, a founding member of the Proyecto Latina reading series and the co-producer for the Proyecto Latina Radio Show at Radio Arte. Her poems appeared in the Ariel XXVIII (Triton College, 2009), Afternoon Wine: Vicios, Sueños y Confesiones (Maravilla Writing Collective’s chapbook, 2006), and in Between the Heart and the Land: An Anthology of Midwestern Latina Poets by March Abrazo Press, 2000. She has presented featured readings at venues throughout the city including: Palabra Pura, the Sor Juana festival and Poetry Fest at the Chicago Public Library. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, where she earned a B.A. in journalism and creative writing. She resides in Little Village with her family and is giddy about hosting and featuring at Proyecto Latina in La Villita this July.

The reading will be Monday, July 20 at 7pm (FREE) at the Chicago Public Library Toman Branch 2708 S. Pulaski Road Chicago, IL 60623 - (312) 498-4067 / Street Parking Available/60 Blue Island Bus / 31st S. Pulaski Bus

Proyecto Latina provides a platform to showcase work by Latina writers, poets and performers. In its fourth year, the reading series takes place the third Monday of every month, it includes a feature, an open mic and a chisme box! Proyecto Latina proudly features emerging and established artists like: Lisa Alvarado (Poet), Achy Obejas (Writer),Coya Paz (Poet/Performance Artist) Yolanda Cardenas (Poet), Vida Bella Ensemble (Performance) Stephanie Elizondo Griest(Author), Tanya Saracho (Playwright) Liz Ann Acosta (Writer) and many more!

Proyecto Latina Team

Meet the team of mujeres that make Proyecto Latina happen weekly and monthly, year-round.













Irasema Gonzalez is a writer and merchant. She is the owner of Tianguis.biz, the current incarnation of her former book and tea shop in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. She is passionate about books that tell the stories of the Latino community, and is honored to be the exclusive distributor for Momotombo Press. She is a founding member of the Proyecto Latina reading series and most recently has become the co-producer for the Proyecto Latina Radio Show at Radio Arte. Her poems appeared in her writing group's chapbook, Afternoon Wine: Vicios, Sueños y Confesiones and in Between the Heart and the Land: An Anthology of Midwestern Latina Poets by March Abrazo Press. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago where she earned a B.A. in journalism and creative writing. She resides in Little Village with her husband and two cats.
















Diana Pando is a multi-genre writer from Chicago. Diana likes to flex her writing and advocacy skills to support Latinos in the arts and nonprofits impacting Latina women and girls in underserved communities. She is a founder of the Proyecto Latina Reading Series. "When I first got the idea I knew it would be a collaborative effort with other dynamic women like Coya and Irasema". Together we bring Latinas in the arts together once a month to tell their stories and support their creative efforts by providing a platform where they can share and express their creativity while building community. She is the Co-Producer of Proyecto Latina Radio Show on 90.5 F.M. WRTE highlighting Latinas making an impact in their communities. Diana’s kryptonite includes: Writing Cupcakes, military history, coffee, and cumbias.















Coya Paz is a poet, director, and lip gloss connoisseur who was raised in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil before moving permanently to the United States in 1987. She is a cofounder of Proyecto Latina and Teatro Luna, and teaches in The Theater School at DePaul University. She is finishing a PhD in Performance Studies at Northwestern University, and believes in the power of performance and poetry to build community towards social change. For a full manifeto, visit her on the web at www.coyapaz.com



















Yolanda Cardenas lives in a city known as a mecca of arctic cold, bizarre weather and medicine, a modern day Dr. Zhivago emerges. Currently, Dr. Cardenas is serving as the music director of Proyecto Latina Radio on 90.5FM WRTE Radio Arte but her radio debut was on NPR's "848" which aired a poem in a segment about the Proyecto Latina Open Mic series. In 2007, Yolanda participated in "Niki Nights: Literature and Music in the Garden" at the Garfield Park Conservatory as well as in the National Museum of Mexican Art's "Sor Juana Festival." In 2006 she was a semi-finalist in the 13th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award and her work appeared in "Afternoon Wine: Vicios, Sueños y Confesiones" a compilation of poems in a chapbook featuring her writing group. In 2004, Yolanda Cardenas completed her family medicine training, while fine tuning the art of medicine, this Chicago native also honed her writing. Although there's no Russian revolution in her future, she's primed for social change and a medical revolution.






















Ericka Sanchez is a transplant from Mexico, raised in one of the cultural meccas for Mexicanos, Little Village. Her current incarnation as a school teacher by day allows her to run rampant for her love of photography, writing and crafting, music and movie obsessions as well as supporting fellow Latinas and their creative imaginings! Erick is currently a Proyecto Latina Correspondent.

El Grito del Bronx

Local Actor Sandra Delgado stars in the new play El Grito del Bronx by Migdalia Cruz. In this interview she talks to Diana Pando about her new role as Lulu in the play and how the role has impacted her as an actor along with a few tips for emerging Latina actors. We want to hear from you if you like this interview let us know!

Part I: Sandra Delgado on El Grito del Bronx, 5:49


Part II: Sandra Delgado on El Grito del Bronx, 6:39



Part III: Sandra Delgado on El Grito del Bronx, 5:08


interview by Diana Pando