Opera, Pop Tarts and Chicharrones

Here in Central Texas I’ve been busy helping with a book festival. The big draw this year was a former Texas Ranger who wrote a memoir. He was a caricature of the infamous Texas lawman (A 6-foot-5, thin, cowboy hat wearing, boot clad man who spit out ain’ts like chewing tobacco) and the crowd ate it up. However, the most interesting writers in attendance, in my humble opinion, were Tony Diaz and Diana Lopez both of whom were overshadowed by the soon-to-be adapted onto film Ranger’s story. These two writers had original ideas, thoughts and things to say.

Diaz spoke about his fears for book publishing and reading in general. He said he was afraid that reading will become like opera—an art form only recognized by the elite and monied and one that falls further into obscurity. He said that as we close ourselves off from reading and writing, we close off our access to the halls of power. Hopefully, a festival like the one in our town will keep reading alive and well.

Lopez read the first chapter from her soon-to-be published young adult novel “Confetti Girl.” I enjoyed the way she blended the American with Mexican in her prose, so subtle, yet, for many a young Mexican American girl so empowering. The way the young girl in her novel nonchalantly listed the things she saw on the kitchen selves of her home, ie. Pop Tarts next to a bag of chicharrones is the subtle way Lopez lets us know this girl is American of Mexican descent. And I liked how in this Mexican American household there were books, hundreds of them lining the shelves of her home, contrary to what some people will have us believe. I can’t wait to read the entire novel in 2009.

All in all, it was a successful festival and I can’t wait for next year.

El Paso reviews

Although I haven’t been writing much prose I have been able to read some reviews and this Sunday the New York Times Book Review skewered John Rechy, the man and his new book “About My Life and the Kept Woman.” I’m trying to decide if this David Leavitt is on target, in love with Rechy, or hates him. See for yourself his review is called “Hustler.”

Roberto Ontiveros has a good review in the DMN about another El Chucoan, Benjamin Alire Saenz. Sounds like another book I need to buy and read. So little time so many books.