THIS WEEK ON LATINOPIA: DAVID ROMERO ON “THE ENEMY SLEEPS,” DAVID ROMERO READS FROM “THE ENEMY SLEEPS,” RICARDO ROMO ON CHEECH MUSEUM SHOWCASES 61 CHICANO ARTISTS, AND QUETZAL PERFORM S “VOCES.” (VOICES).
THIS WEEK WE HAVE MYSTERY, ART AND MUSIC! We begin with a visit with poet and novelist David A. Romero who is co-founder of El Martillo Press and author of the poetry collections “My Name is Romero,” and ” Diamond Bar 2.” His latest work is a cross-genre mystery novel titled The Enemy Sleeps. In the first of two videos, he spoke to Latinopia about the novel and its themes. While adhering to the tenets of the mystery novel, Romero goes further raising themes of racism, queerphobis and colonization. This is a pioneering approach to the mystery genre, loaded as it is with the author’s unabashed social commentary. Bravo! He then also reads a brief passage from the novel. Really provocative, check it out!
A;so this week, Ricardo Romo returns with his Tejano Report. This week his report is from California and the Cheech Museum in Riverside. The museum is showcasing 61 Chicano artist in an exhibit titled, “We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A.” Check out the array of Chicano talent which includes Texas based Cesar Martinez and Vincent Valdez.
And we repost a classic music video from the group Quetzal, a popular East Los Angeles band whose music reflects the struggles of poor people everywhere. Their original song, “Voces” (Voices) was inspired by the struggle of Latinos for human rights. They performed their song at the Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena, California on August 24, 2013. Band members include singer Martha Gonzalez, Quetzal Flores on guitar and jarana, Tylana Enomoto on violin, Peter Jacobson on cello, Juan Perez on bass and Alberto Lopez on percussion.
Enjoy your week on Latinopia!
Tia Tenopia