Every Day is Magic: Ada Limón
In her 2015 collection, Bright Dead Things, a National Book Award finalist for poetry, Ada Limón writes of moving to Kentucky: “Confession: I did not want to live here.” It’s perhaps not a surprising sentiment coming from a coastally oriented person who was raised in Northern California, attended college in Seattle, and then spent over a decade in New York City.
But Limón and her husband, Lucas, have been in Lexington for seven years now and the effects of settling into this place are noticeable in her new book, The Carrying (Milkweed, Aug.). It’s a phenomenally lively and attentive collection replete with the trappings of living a little closer to nature. While Bright Dead Things is marked by a preponderance of light, such as images of fireflies and neon signs, The Carrying features numerous appearances by various trees, birds, and beetles. Limón also demonstrates a greater willingness to be explicit in naming colors, particularly green. “It’s crazy green, the whole book,” she says. “Lexington is the greenest place I’ve ever lived.” Similarly, where in Bright Dead Things, Limón tells a lot of stories and anecdotes, in The Carrying she is very present in her thoughts and experiences.
As it turns out, these shifts in focus have another, altogether unexpected source. While putting Bright Dead Things together, Limón was diagnosed with chronic vestibular neuronitis, which can cause bouts of vertigo. “If I’m really having vertigo, it’s pretty intense and I really have to focus,”
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Education & Exchanges
“Our nations share deep cultural ties exemplified by over 40 million Americans of Mexican descent who cherish their roots and cultural traditions, and millions of Americans who visit Mexico each year for tourism, study, or business. A key part of our commitment to strengthen bilateral ties between our nations is expanding opportunities for interaction in the educational and cultural spheres.
The United States Mission in Mexico oversees and implements several programs sponsored by the American people for Mexican citizens to support young leaders, students, civil society, journalists, teachers, and entrepreneurs. These programs focus on building people-to-people relations to foster mutual understanding, enhance professional partnerships and collaboration, and strengthen a healthy exchange of ideas across all sectors between our two countries…”
https://mx.usembassy.gov/educational/
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Building History: FIAP and AWLATAM Ratify Their Strategic Alliance for 2024
“MIAMI, FL — March 13, 2024 — (NOTICIAS NEWSWIRE) — The Ibero-American Festival of Creativity (FIAP) and Advertising Week LatAm (AWLATAM) will continue working together this year to consolidate the largest gathering of the creative industries in Latin America.
“We’re proud to elevate the creative landscape through the FIAP Awards. This collaboration not only showcases the region’s exceptional talent but also reinforces the power of partnership in fostering innovation and excellence across the industry,” said Douglas Rowell, President of Advertising Week LatAm.
This strategic alliance, facilitated since 2023 by PRODU – a leading information outlet in the Hispanic communication industry – becomes a clear example of the collaborative power of large institutions to strengthen the creative industries in Ibero-America…”
https://www.noticiasnewswire.com/fiap-and-awlatam-ratify-their-alliance/
Meet the Jury for PhotoVogue and Vogue Mexico’s 2024 Open Call: Latin American Panorama
“Meet the Jury of Our Regional Open Call: Latin American Panorama. Vogue Mexico and Condé Nast staff, alongside experts from the international visual community with diverse backgrounds, will be reviewing your submissions!
This Open Call is open to everyone who identifies as Latin American, whether you’re based in the region or living abroad. The sole requirement is that applicants must be at least 18 years old…”
https://www.vogue.com/article/photovogue-local-open-call-2024-latinamerican-panorama-the-jury
Gustavo Arellano Honored for Distinction in Chicano Literature at UC Santa Barbara
“Gustavo Arellano — longtime reporter, columnist, and food writer who has used his pen to explore the deeply beautiful and conflicted history of Mexican-American culture in California — visited UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, February 7, to accept the Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature. The Los Angeles Times journalist was celebrated for his career-long dedication to covering the Latino community on a wide scale.
“I can’t overemphasize how humbled I am to win this award,” Arellano said. “The previous recipients are scholars, playwrights, poets, essayists, thinkers. I’m just a Mexican with glasses from Orange County in the dying trade of journalism. To be with literary Latino greats at least lets me know someone has read some of my work!”
Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano to receive Luis Leal Award
‘Reporter, author, columnist and food writer Gustavo Arellano has covered California’s fastest growing — and now biggest — ethnic group for the past two decades. His coverage of the complex influences of Mexican-American culture on the Golden State and beyond has ranged widely from weekly satire to long-form investigations — a body of work that will be honored by UC Santa Barbara’s Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature…”
Former San Clemente Columnist Remembered for Political Activism, Valuing Connections
“On Saturday, Jan. 6, family and friends gathered in Downey to celebrate the life of Herman Sillas Jr., a man of many talents who impacted numerous fields, particularly Mexican American activism, during his professional career.
Among his accomplishments, Sillas authored a long-running column in the San Clemente Sun Post News, titled View from the Pier, and a book called View from the Pier: Stories from San Clemente, in addition to many poems. He later wrote View from the Pier for the SC Times…”
Opinion My Trump interview had a purpose: Giving Latinos a chance to hear him
“Nov. 9, Televisa-Univision, the Spanish-language broadcast giant, aired an hour-long prime-time special featuring my interview with former president Donald Trump. The conversation was the first in 22 years of a current or former Republican president on the network. After days in the headlines, reactions to the interview took a turn straying far from a genuine engagement with its content and instead mirroring broader political divisions. As I watched the reaction unfold, I became concerned by the troubling innuendo in this criticism…”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/13/trump-televisa-univision-interview/
Mexican Journalist Granted US Asylum After 15-Year Journey
“Washington —
Emilio Gutierrez Soto came to the National Press Club on Wednesday with a message of gratitude. Press freedom advocates came with a call to action.
The 60-year-old journalist fled with his son to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2008 seeking asylum after receiving death threats because of his reporting on Mexican military corruption.
After 15 years, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled in favor of Gutierrez Soto.
He still needs to go in front of an immigration judge in March 2024 to receive his asylum papers, but his immigration lawyer said his case has been resolved…”
https://www.voanews.com/a/mexican-journalist-granted-us-asylum-after-15-year-journey/7379094.html
Opinion | Stepping into the world of investigative journalism as a Mexican American reporter came with challenges, but also many rewards
“I was destined to toil in the soil — even if my 10-year-old self would have rejected the idea. As a kid, I was determined to escape after-school and weekend weeding and raking alongside my father, a gardener who landscaped homes in Santa Barbara, California, where I was born and raised.
“Study and go to college,” my no-nonsense mom would say whenever I complained about getting up at dawn on Saturdays to work.
Mom worked as a housekeeper, and my sisters and I were expected to pitch in on both of my parents’ jobs. All I wanted was to bury my head in books. My favorite teacher, years later, recalled how he’d arrive at school in the morning to find my fifth-grade self patiently sitting outside the library waiting to check out another pile of books…”
Murdered journalists in Mexico: a deadly profession
“The body of Luis Martin Sanchez Iniguez was found wrapped in plastic, hands tied, a message pinned to his chest with a knife. Authorities did not reveal what the messages said, but such notes are frequently left by drug cartels with the bodies of victims. The 59-year-old correspondent for La Jornada was kidnapped in the Mexican state Nayarit last Wednesday, and found dead on Saturday. He is the third correspondent for the daily newspaper to have been murdered in recent times, and the second in 2023.
According to Mexico’s attorney general, Alejandro Gertz Manero, two further media professionals have disappeared in the past few days. While one has since been found alive, the other is still missing without a trace. It is suspected that both were working on a story together…”
https://www.dw.com/en/murdered-journalists-in-mexico-a-deadly-profession/a-66191408
Mexico City, “fragile sanctuary” for South American journalists threatened with death
“On the fourth floor of a discreet building in southern Mexico, a door opens: “My life depends on your silence”warns Ezequiel Flores Contreras, inviting The world to enter this apartment without stamp. The tense smile, this reporter for the investigative weekly Process firmly holds the collar of a large, short-haired St. Hubert who serves as her guard dog. Like him, dozens of journalists threatened with death across Mexico took refuge in the capital. The gigantism of this megalopolis of more than 22 million inhabitants offers, at first sight, a form of protective anonymity in the deadliest country in the world for media professionals…”
Diversity in Journalism and at The Bruin
‘…The Daily Bruin Outreach section, established two years ago, has refreshed its efforts to recruit a more diverse group of students at UCLA, gather community input and understand accessibility needs internally. Over the past year, the office expanded on its operations to:
- Release an intern packet to streamline integration into Daily Bruin
- Continue surveying staff needs and concerns through internal retention surveys
- Solicit feedback from members of the Mother Organizations coalition and Student Media newsmagazines that focus their coverage on marginalized communities
- Regularly conduct community surveys to receive community input
- Engage with clubs and organizations representing underrepresented groups as well as academic departments to recruit interns from diverse backgrounds
- Revamp alumni engagement efforts through social media and host alumni networking events with staffers…”
- https://features.dailybruin.com/2022/diversity-report/
Latinx Newswire Rebrands as Noticias Newswire, Announces Major Expansion of Hispanic Press Release Guaranteed Media Placements Network
“— Communications professionals targeting U.S. Hispanics – the country’s largest minority group with a $2 Trillion Buying Power – can now reach over 12,000 Latino journalists and influencers and receive guaranteed placement on over 180 Hispanic media and influencer websites — — Press wire rebrands with new icon symbolizing Hispanic unity, growth and success —..”
https://belatina.com/noticias-newswire/?l=latinx-newswire-is-now-noticias-newswire
Mexican President accuses US of acting in bad faith
“Mexico, Feb 23 (Prensa Latina) President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is misinformed about the assassinations of journalists in Mexico or is acting in bad faith…”
https://www.plenglish.com/news/2022/02/23/mexican-president-accuses-us-of-acting-in-bad-faith/
Radiography of journalism in Mexico: an incessant trickle of murdered professionals
“A total of 134 journalists were murdered in Mexico from 1992 to 2021, according to data from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), making it one of the most dangerous countries to work in. the profession being the deadliest in the world for these professionals…”
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month With PBS Wisconsin
“Every year since 1988, Congress has recognized Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month, highlighting the impact of Hispanic Americans on our nation and recognizing five of our Central American neighbors who celebrate their independence in September.PBS Wisconsin pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have enriched American society and culture with these programs airing in September and October on PBS Wisconsin and on the PBS App on your phone, tablet, Roku, Apple TV, other digital TV devices and many Smart TVs…”
https://pbswisconsin.org/article/celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month-with-pbs-wisconsin/
US journalist tangles with AMLO over his crime, coronavirus record
“President López Obrador and United States-based Mexican journalist Jorge Ramos engaged in a robust verbal duel on Monday morning as the latter challenged the former on his record in reducing violent crime and managing the coronavirus pandemic.
Ramos, a reporter for the U.S.-based Spanish language television network Univision, appeared at López Obrador’s morning press conference — the mañanera — at the National Palace in Mexico City, and didn’t hold back when given the opportunity to probe the president…”
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/us-journalist-tangles-with-amlo-over-his-crime-coronavirus-record/
In My Words: Navigating feelings of isolation as a biracial Latina who doesn’t speak Spanish
“Being biracial has allowed other people to pick and choose my identity for me.Non-Latinos have always labeled me as white and treated me as such because I am “white-passing.” Latinos have generally viewed me as Mexican and considered me a part of the communityIt has been normal for non-Latinos to ask about my ethnic background and then be surprised that I am of Mexican heritage. “Really?” they would say. “I thought you were Asian or just a white girl.”…”
Rewriting the Chicano Movement: New Histories of Mexican American Activism in the Civil Rights Era
“The Chicano Movement, el movimiento, is known as the largest and most expansive civil
rights and empowerment movement by Mexican Americans up to that time. It made
Chicanos into major American political actors and laid the foundation for today’s Latino …”
rights and empowerment movement by Mexican Americans up to that time. It made
Chicanos into major American political actors and laid the foundation for today’s Latino …”
Evan Perez Senior Justice Correspondent
“Evan Perez is a CNN Senior Justice Correspondent based in the Washington, D.C. Bureau, reporting on legal, crime, and national security issues.Perez principally covers the Russia investigation and helps lead the team that covers the Department of Justice. Most recently, Perez, along with CNN colleagues Jake Tapper, Carl Bernstein and Jim Sciutto, was awarded the White House Correspondence Association’s Merriman Smith Award in the broadcast…”
