Welcome Latinopians or as we say in  Razaspeak, Latinopianos  (no relationship to Baldwin, Steinway or Wurltizer )! Your Tia Tenopia welcomes you to this week’s exciting Latinopia postings! Great stuff this week..Art and Literature!

We visit with renowned New Mexico author Rudolfo A. Anaya and learn how he came to write his  classic, legendary novel,  Bless Me Última.  Your Tia Tenopia gave a call to Señor Anaya and found out that this author is as hot as ever. In 2011, the play adaptation of Bless Me Última, which he also wrote, was performed by Teatro Visión at the Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater in San Jose, California. And Sr. Anaya  has three books coming out in 2011.  His novel, Randy Lopez Goes Home, will be out this Fall on University of Oklahoma Press and was already favorably reviewed on NPR.   And he has a collection of seven plays being published later this year as well a new children’s book.  Dios Mio! Your Tia has never walked away from a good party that goes into the wee hours, but when does this guy sleep?

In Art we have a video profile of Los Angeles-based muralist Barbara Carrasco.  Barbara is known for her murals and her political work, much of it on behalf of the United Farm Workers Union and the Dolores Huerta Foundation.  We are also posting an interview with San Francisco artist, printer maker and general all around artistic genius, Rupert García.   And complementing him, is an interview with his San Francisco neighbor, installation artist Amalia Mesa Baines.

So enjoy and learn on Latinopia! Les mando abrazos, Tia Tenopia.