Blog Posts by Subject: Latin American Studies

April is Immigrant Heritage Month. In New York City, April 17th to 24th is Immigrant Heritage Week. In honor of both celebrations of Immigrant Heritage, this blog will focus on the multiculturalism of the 7 train.

If you live in Queens, New York, and you work in midtown like me, there might be a possibility that you often take the MTA train to work, particularly the 7 line which runs from Main Street, Queens to Times Square, New York.

One of the most interesting things about this line is that it runs into various ethnic pockets of Queens. The train brings and transports a multicultural group of people from all over the world from Queens to Manhattan on a daily basis. Here 

Harper Montgomery, a writer in the Wertheim Study, has curated a fascinating exhibition at Hunter College, going until May 4. At 68th and Lexington, it is a smallish (read: do-able) delight — Open Work in Latin America, New York & Beyond: Conceptualism Reconsidered, 1967-1978.

Hispanic Heritage Month is observed in the U.S. each year from September 15 to October 15. This year's national theme is "Diversity United, Building America's Future Today." At the Bronx Library Center - NYPL's premier Latino/Puerto Rican Heritage Center, we have a variety of programs and events to learn and celebrate the Hispanic experience. Listed below are just a few of them:

Vamos a celebrar lo que va del verano ¡al ritmo tropical hispano! Como ya sabemos, muchos de los peloteros mas famosos mundialmente provienen de la República Dominicana, tales como Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez y muchas otras destacadas personalidades del deporte.

Carlos Fuentes falleció hace pocos días, el 15 de Mayo del 2012. Nació en Panamá de padres mexicanos el 11 de Noviembre de 1928. Su padre era diplomático, lo que le brindó la oportunidad de vivir en diferentes ciudades en Latinoamérica.

It's Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15), the time of year to celebrate and recognize the contributions made by people of Hispanic descent to this great nation. This year's national theme is Many Backgrounds, Many Stories... One American Spirit.

Not that it happens very often, but when asked who my favorite contemporary writer is I always split it down the middle between Charles Portis and Mario Vargas Llosa.  Vargas Llosa's La Casa Verde - The Green House - is one of my all-time favorite novels along with The War of the End of the World, Conversation in the Cathedral, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter—the list goes on.  I only wish my Spanish was good enough to better appreciate them in the original, but fortunately all of his books have been well-translated.

In every corner of the world, as far back in history as the time machines of archaeology and anthropology can take us, music has been used by humans to communicate with the gods. It’s hard to remember in our world today, steeped as it is in the bubblegum profanity of pop culture; but Mongo Santamaria’s album, Afro-Roots, reminds us. It is a gateway into the spirit-world. The conga drum itself is our metaphysical guide, bridging the gap between the visible and invisible worlds, and thus bringing us into direct contact with all those psychic forces that control the destinies of humankind (Adegbite).

Come now through December to see an Exhibit at Teen Central in the Grand Central Library of Photos, Stickers and Zines from the streets of São Paulo.

In this pulsating, polluted metropolis of 18 million people – many of whom barely survive – exists a flourishing array of subcultures.  An extraordinary range of vibrant public art thrives amid broken buildings, garbage-strewn streets and abandoned alleyways.

The New York Public Library’s premier Puerto Rican/Latino Cultural Center—The Bronx Library Center—kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with Pioneros II: Puerto Ricans in New York City 1948–1998, an exhibit from the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. The exhibit is based on the book by the same title by Virginia Sánchez Korrol (Professor emerita at Brooklyn College) and Pedro Juan Hernández (Archivist at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College).

A class field trip to El Museo del Barrio inspires the students' creativity.

The Mariposa Club by Rigoberto Gonzalez

It’s tough being a Latino and a gay teen, but Maui does the best he can. Danger is around every corner; the local Los Calis gangs are not fans of homosexuals. If he didn’t have his other gay friends Trini, Isaac, and Liberace he might just go insane. The boys realize there’s strength in numbers and decide to form a LGBT alliance at their school. When they unexpectedly lose one of their number, the club fizzles until there’s just one boy left trying to get it off the ground. When someone starts a fight with him at school, the club gains newfound support. But will it be enough to start the 

If you enjoyed spending time with the lively and passionate characters of Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado this month, you may also find these titles interesting:

Have you been enjoying Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado? Please join me in discussing this novel by considering some of the following questions, or posting your own questions, thoughts, or favorite excerpts.

The story begins with the shooting of Dona Sinházinha (the wife) and Dr. Osmundo (the lover) by Colonel Jesuino Mendonca (the husband), and with old Filomena leaving Nacib. These two elements set forth the motion of the entire story and set the main thematic element — out with old, in with the new.

Read what Juan de Onis writes about Gabriela in 1962 for the American publication of Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon:

“…an exciting and enjoyable romp of a book, rich in literary delights […] For Americans, ‘Gabriela’ has additional significance, as a striking portrait of Brazilian reality and change, it may serve to bridge the ‘gap of understanding’ between two culturally and psychologically distinct areas of the New World.” — New York Times Book Review 

"'Bahiana' in tipical dress." Picture Collection, NYPL.

Welcome to the Reader’s Den!

Please join me in reading the book selection for March, Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon (Gabriela, cravo e canela) by Jorge Amado.