UPCOMING EVENTS:
| May 14th & 15th, 9:30am-4:30pm at UCLA | TWO-DAY WORKSHOP WITH MARIA! Maria is teaching a writing workshop at UCLA called Finding Your Unique Voice. Course description: Just as every human being has a unique personality, every writer has--potentially--a unique voice through which his/her vision may be best expressed. Designed to help beginning and established writers discover/develop that voice, this workshop includes exercises to discover personal patterns of diction and imagery, dissolve blocks, recover lost memories, tap into the individual wellsprings of creativity, and explore personal mythologies. You also study selected writers to determine what constitutes a "style" and read student works in a supportive atmosphere. Through active and playful class participation, you learn how to listen for your own writing voice and let it emerge. Enrollment limited to 20 students. Sign up now! https://www.uclaextension.edu/r/Course.aspx?reg=W3174 |
RECENT NEWS:
NEWPORT BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY LITERARY SERVICES Maria participated in the Third Annual Gift of Literacy Fundraising Luncheon at the Radisson Newport Beach with Sonia Nazario.
UCLA WRITING STUDIO Maria taught a four-day, full immersion workshop designed to teach students how to release their own, distinct voice and make it emerge from their inner wealth of experience, authentic feelings, desires and fears.
CHICANO CONFERENCE AT FERIA DEL LIBRO DE GUADALAJARA Feria del Libro de Guadalajara (the third largest book fair in the world) in association with the University of Guadalajara, hosted the City of Los Angeles as its guest city this year, and planned a Chicano Conference with two panels of scholars, journalists and artists, including best-selling author María Amparo Escandón, journalist Ruben Martínez, best-selling author Luis Rodríguez, playwright José Ignacio Valenzuela, Denise Sandoval, Sandra de la Loza, and others. Time was not enough, or course, but all of the participants laid down some basis for the discussion of the issues around Chicano expression in the artistic creation nowadays in Los Angeles.
UCLA EXTENSION MAGIC REALISM: CROSSING LITERARY BORDERS In this hands-on, two-day course, María Amparo Escandón taught how the term “Magic Realism” was coined and how this movement flourished in Latin American fiction, what is understood as Magic Realism today, which are the best examples, and how Magic Realism can be adopted by American fiction successfully. Students also learned how to apply this to their own work by writing a short piece in class and writing an assignment to be submitted on the second day of the course.
II GATHERING OF HISPANIC WRITERS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES/TRIBUTE TO MARIA AMPARO ESCANDON PEREGRINOS Y SUS LETRAS hosted II GATHERING OF HISPANIC WRITERS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES/TRIBUTE TO MARIA AMPARO ESCANDON. With the purpose of promoting the creative work of Hispanic writers living in the United States of America, Chandler Gilbert Community College, Arizona State University, YMCA (Young Men Christian Association), MACHE (Maricopa Association of Chicanos for Higher Education), Culturadoor and Orbis Press sponsored this tribute with the intention of presenting the immigration experience of Mexicans in the United States. Escandón represents an entire community who has come to live in a new nation making it their own. A bilingual novelist, short story writer, screen writer, and film producer, María Amparo was recognized for her literary work that characterizes the experiences of millions of people, presenting bicultural themes that break the stereotype of the migrant population coming to the USA. The event took place November 19th and 20th at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and the Glendale Civic Center in Phoenix Arizona. —MORE
LOS ANGELES LATINO BOOK AND FAMILY FESTIVAL María Amparo Escandón signed books and and spoke on a panel on Sunday, October 11th at 12:30p. Event was held at California State University, Los Angeles. Admission was free and open to the public. —MORE
WEST HOLLYWOOD BOOK FAIR María Amparo Escandón participated in the panel "Adapting & Optioning: The Road from Book to Film," featuring Karl Alexander, Trisha R. Thomas and others. West Hollywood Book Fair is an award-winning event features nearly 300 authors/poets/performers, 100 booths and 12 stages. The event included a variety of eclectic panels, poetry readings, writing workshops, book signings, special guests and a wide array of other activities in support of writing and literacy in the community. Authors hosted book signings at the booths of participating booksellers.
GONZALEZ & DAUGHTER TRUCKING CO. PUBLISHED IN GERMANY González & Daughter Trucking Co. is now in German: González & Tochter, Trucking Company (Roman) Edition Köln, Verlag Peter Faecke, Köln.
FINDING YOUR UNIQUE VOICE, UCLA EXTENSION WORKSHOP On May 2 - 3, María Amparo Escandón taught her Creative Writing workshop at UCLA. For more of María's workshops, visit https://www.uclaextension.edu/r/Default.aspx Syllabus: Just as every human being has a unique personality, every writer has--potentially--a unique voice through which his/her vision may be best expressed. Designed to help beginning and established writers discover/develop that voice, this workshop includes exercises to discover personal patterns of diction and imagery, dissolve blocks, recover lost memories, tap into the individual wellsprings of creativity, and explore personal mythologies. Participants also study selected writers to determine what constitutes a "style" and read student works in a supportive atmosphere. Through active and playful class participation, each student learns how to listen for his/her own writing voice and let it emerge.
WHITTIER READS 2009 The Whittier Public Library and the Whittier Public Library Foundation selected Escandón's González & Daughter Trucking Co. as their 2009 book for the community to read. Talks, film screenings and events took place throughout the month of April to celebrate its sixth year in an ongoing project to encourage literacy, promote cultural awareness and stimulate community spirit.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN EVENT The American Association of University Women, AAUW, Huntington Beach, CA branch invited María Amparo Escandón to speak at their yearly fundraising luncheon.
CATHOLICS IN THE MOVIES CONFERENCE, NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY On April 2-4, the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame held the 2009 Conference on Catholics in the Movies, where María Amparo Escandón's film Santitos was screened along with On the Waterfront. Cinema is arguably the most understudied and potentially enlightening lens through which to examine the historical trajectories of Catholics in the United States over the previous century. This conference will explore how American Catholics produced, acted, viewed, boycotted, and were depicted in film. —MORE
ARTS DAY LA ArtsDay LA is a day-long educational experience offered by the UCLA Extension Department of the Arts. This free yearly event offers aspiring designers, writers, filmmakers, and artists a rare opportunity to immerse themselves in current creative issues. María Amparo Escandón participated in the panel Your Career and Life as a Writer.
PEN CENTER EMERGING VOICES March 1 was the kick-off for this year's PEN Center's Emerging Voices Mentorship Program. María Amparo Escandón has been a mentor to young, minority writers for several years, including Reyna Grande and Adelina Anthony. Selected fellows get one-on-one mentorship, classes and workshops. This year's mentee working on her projects with Escandón is Thi Dao.
INDIA BOOKTOUR DC Books published González & Daughter Trucking Co. in India last February. María Amparo Escandón went on book tour to present her novel in several Kerala cities. She inaugurated in Kochi the largest yearly book fair, did readings at bookstores, and spoke to the students at the DCSMAT College in Vagamon. Go to the Photo Gallery in this website for a visual account of these events.
PEREGRINOS Y SUS LETRAS With the purpose of promoting the creative work of Hispanic writers living in the United States of America, Chandler Gilbert Community College, Arizona State University, YMCA (Young Men Christian Association), MACHE (Maricopa Association of Chicanos for Higher Education), Culturadoor and Orbis Press sponsored this tribute with the intention of presenting the immigration experience of Mexicans in the United States. Click more to see photos of the event. —MORE