What up Latinopians! Wow, what an exciting week! Your Tia Tenopia couldn’t resist attending the Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) at the Universal Sheraton hotel in Los Angeles this week-end. The three day conference had really interesting platicas on the new Youtube channels, how Latinos are using Facebook and Twitter to expand film marketing to Latino audiences, and yes, even a panel discussion on new media that highlighted  Latinopia.com!  The finale was a fabulous dinner that was MCed by that terrific actor and comedian Joe Hernandez-Kolski. The dinner honored legendary actress Rita Moreno (West Side Story) for her lifetime of artistic achievements–she is the only Latina to have won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony award and Grammy award! Pesada! Your Tia was inspired to see so many talented Latino writers, directors, producers and actors working together to tell our stories to the world. Hay que orgullo!

Okay, back to our Latinopia world. This week, we have yet another installment of the epic journey of the librotraficantes bringing banned books to the children of Tucson. This time the librotraficantes visit legendary pioneer of Chicano letter Rudy Anaya, whose novel Bless me Ultima is perhaps the most widely read ( and perhaps most banned) novel by an American born Latino yet. Sin embargo, next week, Rudolfo Anaya will receive the Roberto Kirsch Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Los Angeles Times. Mira nomás! Check out this video as another celebrated Chicano author, Dagoberto Gilb, visits with Rudy Anaya.

In Art, we commemorate a historic event. In 1970, the residents of the Logan Heights barrio in San Diego were promised a park in the land under the recently built Coronado Bridge. But then the city reneged on the agreement. The city fathers decided they wanted to lease  the land to the Highway Patrol for a substation. The community responded by occupying the land! In the years that followed they not only built their CHICANO PARK but also filled it with amazing murals. This is the first of a two-part video on the founding of Chicano Park which will be celebrating its 42 anniversary this coming weekend. Ajua!

And of course, check out Dan Guerrero’s blog–this week he tells us about a new up and rising Cuban star. And–Ojo!–we will soon be enjoying two new regular blogs. One from journalist Sara Inez Calderon and another from cartoonist Sergio Hernández–watch for all of this in the next few weeks on Latinopia.com!

Abrazos mis queridos! Tia Tenopia