Implications for our writers, our stories, our readers?

Data from the recently released “Latino Equity Report” from the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) will be discussed during a symposium of nationally recognized education scholars today in Las Vegas.

The symposium, “ELL−How Students Learn to Achieve,” will explore successful approaches and achievement gap challenges in English Language Learners (ELL) curriculum design.

A comprehensive ILS study sponsored by EdisonLearning led to the creation of “Latino Education Equity: A Web-Based Index and a Compendium of Best Practices in Latino Education in the United States,” which highlights the significant role Latinos play in the economic future of the United States.

Using educational achievement as a predictor of a worker’s future lifetime earning and career potential, “Latino Education Equity” reviews the implications for the U.S. workforce if schools continue to under-serve the Latino population.

“Latinos are the fastest growing segment of this nation’s population, and major gaps in educational achievement seriously limit the potential of Latinos,” ILS director Gilberto Cárdenas said. “Unless progress is greatly accelerated in narrowing these gaps, the enormous potential contribution of Latino’s to the nation’s economic and cultural life will not be realized to its full potential.”

The report identified the following issues as crucial to better serving the Latino population:

Educators and policymakers must address the lack of appropriate teacher education coursework and programs in institutions of higher education.

Low levels of parental education and lack of support from parents, teachers and the community are key contributors to high dropout rates among Latinos. Pointing to potential progress, the report notes a significant increase in community-centered approaches to engaging Latinos in education.

By empowering Latino students with work-readiness skills, schools can help them overcome the social and cultural barriers that obstruct Latinos from higher paying, skilled jobs. Community colleges are singled out as institutions that can play an important role in this area. The Latino Education Equity Index is available at:

http://latinostudies.nd.edu/equityindex/.

“Through our partnership with Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, we have uncovered rich findings that can inform our work with English Language Learners in Las Vegas and across the United States,” said EdisonLearning chief education officer Joseph Wise. “Using the research as our guide, we are bringing together local educators to put ideas into action among the growing ELL population, to build a stronger workforce of tomorrow.”
EdisonLearning is the nation’s leading public school innovator and partner for school districts and charter schools serving more than 350,000 children in 24 states.

Founded in 1999, the Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) is committed to providing policymakers, community leaders and the general public with accurate, current information to facilitate decision making across all levels of government and community. In addition, the ILS promotes understanding and appreciation of the social, cultural and religious life of U.S. Latinos by advancing research, expanding knowledge and strengthening community.

Weighing in with my 20

I've been reading with great interest the various 20-book lists that have been peppering the blogosphere in response to, I believe, Aaron Smith's prompt:

"What are 20 poetry books (if there are twenty) that made you fall in love with poetry, the books that made you think: I want to do this, I need to do this. What are the books that kept you going? Don’t put down the books that you think you’re "supposed," to like, but list the core ones, the ones that opened all of this up for you..."

In thinking what books I would list, I've decided to focus in on those years when I was an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley in the mid to late 80s. In other words, that period when I was beginning to discover contemporary poetry in earnest for the first time. I won't, for example, list poetry books I read in Spain during the better part of the nineties; nor will I list, for example, The Collected Books of Jack Spicer, which I read while I was a graduate student in a seminar on the San Francisco Renaissance led by Gary Snyder; nor Basil Bunting's Briggflatts, which is a key text for me today. If the question posed were, "Which books do you return to, again and again, today (2009)?" some of the books listed below would not make it.

So consider this list, then, a sort of time-capsule, a snapshot of what captured my imagination before I even knew that I was going to pursue poetry for the long-haul. Some of the titles, and their authors, remain important to me. Others (and I won't name them) you might say I've "outgrown." Here are the titles, "in no particular order:"

Selected Poems (Wake Forest University Press)
John Montague

Spring and All (New Directions)
William Carlos Williams

Golden State (George Braziller)
Frank Bidart

Storm Over Hackensack (Moyer Bell)
August Kleinzahler

At the Rainbow (University of New Mexico Press)
Robert Vasquez

Entering a Life (Arte Público Press)
Ernesto Trejo

History of My Heart (Ecco)
Robert Pinsky

Field Guide (Yale University Press)
Robert Hass

Black Hair (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Gary Soto

The Gold Cell (Knopf)
Sharon Olds

Cloudless at First (Moyer Bell)
Hilda Morely

By Lingual Wholes (Momo’s Press)
Victor Hernandez Cruz

Collected Early Poems (New Directions)
Denise Levertov

The Country Between Us (Harper Perennial)
Carolyn Forché

Roots and Branches (New Directions)
Robert Duncan

The Passages of Joy (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Thom Gunn

October Light (Kearney Street Workshop Press)
Jeff Tagami

Emplumada (University of Pittsburgh Press
Lorna Dee Cervantes

Facegames (As Is/So&So Press)
Juan Felipe Hererra

Martín & Meditations on the South Valley (New Directions)
Jimmy Santiago Baca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Letras Latinas Residency Fellowship:

John Chávez

FROM CHICAGO

LETRAS LATINAS IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE:

John Chávez, current resident of Lincoln, Nebraska, is the second recipient of the "Letras Latinas Residency Fellowship." He will receive $1,000 and be in residence for one month this June at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota. This annual distinction solidifies the partnership between the literary program of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame and the Anderson Center. The aim of the initiative is to identify and support an emerging Latino or Latina writer for whom a one month residency would suppose a crucial boost. There is no application process.

*

"We are very excited about hosting John Chávez this June, and especially
pleased that he is a poet and critic since one of the Anderson Center’s mission is to encourage writers who work in a range of genres, including scholars. We're also looking forward to a long-standing relationship with Letras Latinas.”

---Robert Hedin
Executive Director, Anderson Center

*

John Chávez is a Colorado native and spent a significant part of his childhood in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the San Luis Valley.

As a Master of Fine Arts candidate at New Mexico State University, he taught creative writing at Santa Teresa High School as part of the Writers-in-the-Schools Program, and he has read as a sponsored reader for New Mexico State University’s annual hunger benefit, Casa de Peregrinos.

In 2004, his chapbook Heterotopia was published by Noemi Press (Las Cruces). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Xantippe, Conduit, Puerto del Sol, The Portland Review, The Laurel Review, and Grist: The Journal for Writers.

A Ph.D. candidate in creative writing at the University of Nebraska, John co-curates the no name reading series, and is working on his manuscript, That Center Still Holds.

*

THE SOUL OF THINGS
(Or beginning with a line by Enrique Gonzales Martínez)

There are hours I imagine that I am a sleepless bird
an ambulance ululating at dawn
that I am flailing in the great American escape
in the second of three minor ambitions
of the uninterrpted mind
that I am a shadow descending a mountain
a marble remnant of daylight
that I am a subject not belonging to the world
but to the limits of the world
that I am the first of two curtain calls
critically praised & garnering applause
that I am a whirlwind of vicissitude
& incantatory anaphor
that I am humorless & devoid of wit
a garden a jungle a terrific constellation
of unjaundiced stars
that I am a soundless & blue winter moon
paler than lamplight under a blouse
that I am a coterie of rooftops in a midnight mist
a set of somber & nude chimneys
that I am moving through my own limitations of language
vowel-conscious & tasting every sound
that I am a broken line of sparrows
banging inside the atmosphere of a man's body
that I am a garden of sunflowers
emptying a red southwestern sky
that I am perpending the brave machinery of birds
speeding through the high trees
that I am a translucent pond
cradling, on its water, the sky's golden coin of fire
that I am a book of questions
a meadow in late autumn's last trapping of warmth
its drumbeats cloying & yellow explosion

--John Chávez

"The Soul of Things" originally appeared in Heterotopia, a title published by Noemi Press, a literary press run by Carmen Giménez Smith in Las Cruces, NM, and whose current poetry editor is Rosa Alcalá. It later appeared in Xantippe in 2007, edited by Kristen Hanlon. The poem is posted here at Letras Latinas Blog with the permission of the author.

Latinos and Latinas at AWP (part 3)

For those joining us late, let's re-visit the numbers:

57 Latino and Latina poets, writers, teachers, other literary folk are taking part on 34 panels.

In addition to the insider's glimpse of the 4 panels discussed previously by elena minor, Blas Falconer, and Gabe Gomez, here are 8 more panels involving 18 more Latino/as at this year's AWP conference:

THURSDAY, February 12

1:30 – 2:45 PM

"Building, Breaking, Rebuilding: Six Chicago Literary Landscapers."

(Ellen Placey Wadey, Erin Teegarden, Krista Franklin, Joel Craig, Jennifer Karmin, Irasema González) We are the bold sluggers who run Chicago's independent reading series. Set vividly against the established grid, we build literary communities in neighborhoods from the ground up. How are we thriving in the face of our challenges? Less like a panel and more like a virtual show-and-tell, organizers from a diverse group of popular, D-I-Y reading serieses discuss building, breaking from, and rebuilding Chicago's literary landscape.

3:00 – 4:15 PM

(3 to choose from)

"Something to Declare? Writers Discuss America's Internal Border."

(Stacy Leigh, Luis Alberto Urrea, Tyehimba Jess, Achy Obejas, Roger Sedarat) The United States sees itself as a land of racial, ethnic, and cultural convergences. Yet time and again, publishers doubt American readers' willingness to cross cultural borders, even for a good story. Many readers seem unaware of, or seriously misinformed about, the wealth of American perspectives to be found in all genres of contemporary writing. How do writers cope with these strikes against their work? How does persistent cultural amnesia on the part of American readers and perpetual skepticism on the part of critics and publishers affect the writer's approach to storytelling? Four writers tell of highs, lows and, ultimately, successes in bringing their stories to broad audiences.

"Writing Class / Writing Gender."

(Teresa Carmody, Selah Saterstrom, Corrina Wycoff, Ali Liebegott, Veronica Gonzalez) The stories of poor women have been traditionally written realistically, in order to faithfully depict the grind and grit of poverty to readers often presumed to be not-poor. What happens to the reality of poor women when rendered in non-realist, non-naturalist writing? Is realism actually more artificial than the sometimes surreal state of being a have-not? This panel presents five women writers whose work addresses the realities of social class and gender in a not-strictly realist style.

"Political Poets of Portland Reading."

(Frances P. Adler, Cindy Williams Gutierrez, Gerardo Calderon, Willa Schneberg) Poet-dramatist Cindy Williams Gutierrez retrieves subversive voices of historical Aztec and Mexican figures. Mexican American musician Gerardo Calderon accompanies her on pre-Columbian flutes and drums. Poet Willa Schneberg worked in Cambodia for free elections and bears witness to the killing fields. Frances Payne Adler, who exhibits activist poetry in Capitol buildings, founded a Creative Writing and Social Action program. Come hear these Portland poets perform for peace and social justice.

4:30 – 5:45 PM

Las Mocosas Gritan: A Reading by Macondista Snot-noses.

(Lorraine Lopez, Gabriela Jauregui, Angie Chau, Daisy Hernandez, Erin Badhand, Laura Negrete) This cross-genre reading will present poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by a group of emerging women writers, all members of the Macondo Workshop established by Sandra Cisneros in San Antonio, Texas. These authors, who come from around the country and abroad—brought together through creativity and community activism—will share a variety of original works inspired by and in tribute to this extraordinary homeland for writers of color and other creative spirits at the margins.

FRIDAY, February 13

noon – 1:15 PM

"A Polyphony of Voices: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Poetry Faculty Reading."

(Brenda Cárdenas, Maurice Kilwein Guevara, Rebecca Dunham, Kimberly Blaeser, James Liddy) The poetry faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's PhD program will read from their work, diverse in cultural, aesthetic, and thematic concerns, yet each containing a polyphony of voices and perspectives. Critics have praised their poetries' magical naturalism, inter-lingual syncretism, and introspective ekphrasis and have noted influences from Irish Modernism to Anishinabe cultural traditions.

1:30 – 2:45 PM

"Not Your Usual Workshop."

(Bonnie Rose Marcus, Robbie Q. Telfer, Regie Cabico, Victoria Sammartino, Johnny Vázquez Paz) Writers with extensive experience teaching workshops in non-traditional settings outside academia discuss the challenges, joys, and methods of teaching in afterschool centers, homeless shelters, senior centers, hospitals, and prisons and consider how their teaching informs their work as writers.

SATURDAY, February 14

3:00 – 4:15 PM

Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature.

(Daniel Olivas, Manuel Muñoz, Kathleen Alcalá, Michael Jaime-Becerra, Estella González) Latinos in Lotusland (Bilingual Press, 2008) is a landmark anthology spanning sixty years of Los Angeles fiction that includes the work of thirty-four Latino writers. We're introduced to a myriad of lives that defy stereotypes and shatter any preconceptions of what it means to be Latino in the City of Angels. These actors perform on a stage set with palm trees, freeways, mountains, and sand in communities from East L.A. to Malibu, Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley, Venice Beach to El Sereno, CA
*

I haven't done any comparisons with previous editions of the conference, but I would venture to say that Latino and Latina writers are represented in ways that seem more various than in previous years. I view it is a good sign that there so many Latino and Latina writers taking part in so many panels that aren't officially presented as "Latino" or "Latina." It's evidence, at least where the AWP annual conference is concerned, that Latinos and Latinas are becoming a regular part of the landscape. It would be interesting to see how previous conferences stack up.

Latinos and Latinas at AWP (part 2)

"After Magical Realism: New Adventures in U.S. Latino Literature"

elena minor writes:

"The idea for the panel presentation titled “After Magical Realism: New Adventures in U. S. Latino Literature” came to me during last year’s AWP conference in New York. After attending several panel presentations by Chicano & Latino writers, I felt the time was right to open a discussion about the new directions in which U. S. Latino literature is moving.

One of the reasons I founded PALABRA A Magazine of Chicano & Latino Literary Art was to create a venue for writing by Latinos that didn’t fit the mold—imposed either internally or externally. I was beginning to see a glimmer of new “stuff”— different and cool—and thought to make a friendly place for work that veered, to varying degrees and in a variety of forms, from literary conventions.

What was beginning to appear now and then was writing [by Latinos] that didn’t conform to established expectations. It wasn’t realistic; it wasn’t magical realism; it wasn’t necessarily about belonging-otherness, coming of age or any variation on the immigration theme. And if it was, it waxed on in fresh and singular ways. Regardless, it was exciting, risky, wild. It blurred the lines yet still felt organic and crafted. It pushed at the edge and crossed into new and untried territory. Mostly it was [and is] the fresh breeze[s] that must flow through if the literature is going to thrive. Therein lies its importance.

The new stuff is alternately classified as avant-garde or hybrid or experimental or innovative or post postmodern. I simply call it all “unconventional” work, primarily because it’s as diverse in form, structure and treatment as there are writers who are working it: John-Michael Rivera, Gina Franco, Fred Arroyo, Salvador Plascencia, Gabe Gomez, to name a few. They’re writing in ways that bend genres with a distinct Latino ethos.

How well it/they will endure is yet to be determined in this day of texting and pix. Perhaps it’s simply transitional—a bridge to truly new and not yet created forms. I may be dead by then and won’t care. But I’m not now, so I do. And the discussion about this work is as important as the work itself. If you’re going to be at AWP, please join John-Michael Rivera, Gina Franco, Fred Arroyo, Paul Martinez Pompa and Aaron Michael Morales for their respective takes on all this stuff."

******

"Diverging Lines: Understanding the Evolution of Contemporary Latino Poetry"

Blas Falconer writes:

"Last year, I chaired a somewhat similar panel at the AWP Conference in New York. The panel considered the influences and experiences of Latina/o poets reared outside of Latino communities. Patti Hartman, the acquisitions editor at University of Arizona Press, attended and seemed open to the possibility of publishing an anthology inspired by the papers that we presented. To my delight, three outside reviewers expressed interest in the book proposal; however, all three recommended that I broaden the subject in some way. Two reviewers suggested that I change the scope of the project to include any poet—regardless of where he or she was reared—who seemed to reflect the dynamic body of Latino poetry today.*

Inspired by the recommendation of the reviewers, I put together this panel, hoping to generate a larger discussion on the subject. I chose the panelists because their work piques my interest, because they write in a very different style from my own, and because I am curious to learn about their influences within and outside of Latina/o poetry. The panelists will consider how their own work might challenge or complicate, build upon or diverge from, the aesthetics and themes often associated with Latina/o Literature. The ultimate goal, however, is to reflect diversity in the work of these—as well as the greater community of—contemporary Latina/o poets.**

_______

*Based on the advice of the third reviewer, Arizona has requested that I also include essays by fiction writers. Lorraine Lopez, fiction writer and professor at Vanderbilt University, has agreed to co-edit the book. The inclusion of these fiction writers will make the book more useful in contemporary Latino Literature classes. The downside, of course, is that there will be far less room for the many Latino poets writing such interesting poetry right now.

**I came to choose each poet in a unique way. For example, I heard Rodrigo Toscano’s work at an Acentos reading, where forty-some other Latina/o poets read. No one else sounded like him. It was thrilling. After Gina Franco and I read together in Chicago last year, she shared some of her new prose poems with me, and I thought that what she was doing was entirely new. When I read Peter Ramos’s book, I couldn’t help but think of Berryman’s Dream Songs and wondered what his other influences were. When I taught Rosa Alcalá’s poems to my undergraduate class, they couldn’t stop talking about them. They were taken by the lyricism and mystery of her work. Roberto Tejada, who is celebrated for his poetry, also happens to be an accomplished visual arts critic, photographer historian, and curator."

******

"Revising Modernisms: Innovative Latino Writing in the 21st Century"

"Breach: Emerging U.S. Latino and Latina Poetry"

Gabe Gomez writes:

"I’m involved in two panels Revising Modernisms: Innovative Latino Writing in the 21st Century and Breach: Emerging Latino and Latina Poetry. The “Revising Modernisms” panel explores the relationship between contemporary “experimental” US Latino/a poetry and Modernism, the role of the media in the construction of identity and spectacle, and how both literary and visual art may posit counter-narratives to media-appropriated representations. I’ll be discussing Breach Press, which is my new publishing venture with J. Michael Martinez, who organized this panel.

The “Breach” panel is straightforward reading by five poets (including me), and is our way of officially launching our press. I wanted to organize a reading that represented the vanguard of Latino/a poets, so I invited Roberto Tejada, Carmen Gimenez-Smith, Rosa Alcalá, and J. Michael Martinez to read. In my opinion, these writers are creating the most exciting work in contemporary Latino/a poetry; it’s a real honor to be reading with such a tremendous group of young writers. We’ve created a small chapbook for the occasion, which includes work from all the Breach panelists. We will distribute them throughout AWP. Ultimately, these two panels represent the kind of work and theory that we would hope to publish through our press. The panels represent a small sampling of the diverse styles and points of view that concern or address the topic of innovative Latino/a writing."

Latinos and Latinas at AWP (part 1)

Number of Latinos and Latinas taking part on AWP panels next week:

57


Number of panels these Latinos and Latinas will be on:

34


In order of appearance:

Ray Gonzalez

J. Michael Martínez

Antonio Viego

John Michael Rivera

Gabe Gomez

Jennifer Reimer

Blas Falconer

Rosa Alcalá

Gina Franco

Peter Ramos

Rodrigo Toscano

Roberto Tejada

Joy Castro

Irasema González

Jacob Saenz

Derrick Medina

Maria Galvez

Sasha Peña

Antonio Villaseñor

Ruben Quesada

Rafael Campo

Veronica González

James Espinoza

Luis Alberto Urrea

Achy Obejas

Marjorie Agosín

Willie Perdomo

Cindy Williams Guitierrez

Gerardo Calderon

Lorraine López

Gabriela Jauregui

Daisy Hernandez

Laura Negrete

Valerie Martínez

Danny Solis

Brenda Cárdenas

Maurice Kilwein Guevara

Johanny Vázquez Paz

Vivian Garcia

Alberto Ríos

elena minor

Fred Arroyo

John Michael Rivera*

Gina Franco*

Aaron Michael Morales

Paul Martinez Pompa

Aldo Alvarez

Maurice Kilwein Guevara*

Judith Ortiz Cofer

Lorraine Lopez*

Ada Limón

Rigogerto González

Ray Gonzalez*

Josette Torres

Achy Obejas*

David Hernandez

Daniel A. Olivas

Manuel Muñoz

Kathleen Alcalá

Michael Jaime-Becerra

Estella González

Sandra Alcosser

J. Michael Martínez*

Gabe Gomez*

Carmen Giménez-Smith

Rosa Alcalá*

Roberto Tejada*

*deontes a second (or third) panel participation

Un hombre: su pueblo

Manuel Diosdado Castillo Jr.
November 23, 1968 - January 6, 2009

One of the highlights of my time in San Antonio last summer for the NALAC Leadership Institute was a visit to San Anto Cultural Arts---and meeting Manny.

He took us on a wonderful walking tour of the murals on the Westside, peppering us with stories and information on how San Anto Cultural Arts was making a difference in the life of the community. Afterwards, a group of us went out for dinner at a local outdoor spot and I had a chance to speak with him over a beer for nearly an hour.

The idea he was mulling over in his head, at the time, was to start a more advanced version of the Leadership Institute---a "boot camp" of sorts, he said---to further train Latino and Latina arts administrators. He wanted to impart what he had learned from his own experience to the next generation of arts administrators in Latino arts.

Something that caught my attention and was a testament to his stature in his community was a long-term fundraising initiative that went like this: He persuaded quite a number of people in his community and beyond to agree to have a modest amount of money deducted from their bank accounts, every month, to further the mission of San Anto Cultural Arts. It was a fundraising program that was in its relative infancy---and it was brilliant. But it worked because of the trust and respect he commanded (parents saw first hand the effect his center's programs had on their kids). People signed up willingingly to have $5, 10, 15 dollars deducted from their bank accounts every month and deposited into the coffers of an organization that was making a difference in the lives of ordinary people---above all, youth.

At the time that I met Manny, San Anto Cultural Arts was set to move to a new location---one that was going to present more challenges. Manny was looking forward to it. In short, he was the most inspiring person I met that week. He sat on the board of directors of NALAC, an organization that had this to say about him:

"NALAC laments the passing of Manuel Diosdado Castillo Jr., a member of the NALAC board of directors from San Antonio, who lost his battle with cancer on January 6 at age 40. Manny was our youngest board member, elected to the board in 2004. A graduate of the first NALAC Leadership Institute in 2001, Manny was a major force in the community cultural arts movement in San Antonio and across the country. He will be missed by many.

As a leader, Manny was kind, caring and always available with advice,support and an open door. His boundless spirit and energy, sense of humor and willingness to collaborate with others enabled Manny to accomplish great things. He was extremely respectful, and we never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. Manny's love of art, community, music and culture was expressed through his work, both as an Executive Director and a professional drummer. Manny was equally comfortable making a presentation to a foundation, hosting a community barbecue fundraiser, or jamming on drums with a local Conjunto legend.

Through his non-profit organization, San Anto Cultural Arts, Manny created programs that provided opportunities to youth from San Antonio's Westside for creative expression as muralists, journalists, photographers and filmmakers. Through San Anto's programs, local youth would gain valuable experience, transitioning into mentors for younger students,and then emerging as young adults able to pursue a college education or a career in the arts.

In a single decade, San Anto artists painted more than three dozen murals on the Westside dealing with such issues as mental health, domestic violence, tributes to community leaders, and local Vietnam War veterans.

There is also a special mural where the names of recently deceased community members are memorialized each year as part of San Anto's annual Dia de los Muertos procession. Through his artist-in-residence programs, Manny brought in talented artists from Georgia, California, New York, Philadelphia and Kansas City to work with local youth.

Through San Anto's youth newspaper, El Placazo, Manny created a vehicle for local children to become engaged in their communities and connected with their culture. Its pages feature articles, interviews, youth poetry, inmate art, and photo essays on issues impacting the community. In El Placazo could be found stories on diabetes, nutrition, teen pregnancy, environmental pollution, other health issues, and profiles of community figures. Like San Anto's other programs, El Placazo chronicled the contributions of people doing important work who may not be recognized by the mainstream media. The San Anto Multimedia Institute and new online version of El Placazo provide a larger forum for the talented youth who call San Anto home.

Manny was an important member of the NALAC Board and was a tireless advocate at the local and national level on issues impacting the Latino arts field. His understanding of the role of art as an integral part of community life, as a healing force, and as a bridge connecting generations serves as an inspiration to us all. We honor his time on the NALAC board.

We will miss Manny dearly and are grateful for the time we spent with him. Our deepest sympathies go to his family and friends.

For those who wish to send cards or expressions of sympathy, please direct them to:

San Anto Cultural Arts
1300 Chihuahua St.
San Antonio, TX 78207"