University Library News Release
Date: September 15, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (505) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
Have Big Fun at The Big Read
A reading festival to be held throughout October will see the residents of Dońa Ana County avidly reading - and enjoying it! Similar to other "one city, one book" programs, the public is encouraged to read and discuss the same book, Bless Me, Última, by New Mexican author Rudolfo Anaya.
The month-long Big Read will include a rich schedule of programs, book discussion groups, readings, music and dance performances, film showings, contests and other events and activities related to Anaya's great novel and the culture it describes. All events will take place in the Las Cruces area, and are free and open to the public.
The festival will feature not one but two gala kickoff events. The first kickoff event, to be held Friday, October 5, at 7:00 p.m. at the Court Youth Center, will feature a keynote address by award-winning Chicano poet Jimmy Santiago Baca of Albuquerque. Baca has devoted his life to writing, teaching and speaking about the power of literature and how it can change the lives of those overcoming hardship. The Ballet Folklorico de la Tierra del Encanto will open the show.
The second kickoff event, to be held at the Rio Grande Theatre on Saturday, October 6, at 3:00 p.m., will feature Cipriano Vigil y Familia of El Rito sharing stories and songs of Northern New Mexico.
The aim of The Big Read is to celebrate and revitalize reading and to bring community residents of all ages together to discuss Anaya's classic New Mexican novel. The festival is sponsored by the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Library in partnership with the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, the libraries of the Las Cruces Public Schools, the Dońa Ana Arts Council, the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico and many other project partners.
Mardi Mahaffy, the NMSU Library's Humanities Librarian, said "I encourage everyone to get a copy of the book and join us in reading and celebrating Bless Me, Última."
Many book discussion groups focusing on themes in Bless Me, Última are scheduled during October at local libraries, cafes, bookstores and senior centers. Visit The Big Read web site at http://lib.nmsu.edu/bigread/ for the full schedule of programs, book discussions, film screenings, contests, a writing workshop and more, as well as information about Bless Me, Última and Rudolfo Anaya.
The other programs scheduled include:
Jackye Meinecke, the owner of Enchanted Gardens, will share information about herbs and conduct an activity, "Create Your Own Herb Garden," for all ages on Saturday, October 6, at 10:00 a.m. at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library. Call (505) 528-4003 or (505) 528-4000 for more information.
NMSU professor Deborah LaPorte will conduct a writing workshop, "Make Your Own Big Read!" for ages 17 and up on Sunday, October 14, at 1:00 p.m. at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library. Call (505) 528-4005 to register.
A gala evening of readings from Bless Me, Última by award-winning Chicana novelist Denise Chávez and other local personalities will be held on Saturday, October 20, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre.
Author Nasario Garcia will present two talks on Saturday, October 27. "Hispanic Fiestas of Yesteryear: From Food and Fun to Fisticuffs" will take place at 3:00 p.m. at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, and "Would You Like to Meet the Devil, Bogeyman or La Llorona?" will be held at 7:00 p.m. the same day at the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.
NMSU professor Mary O'Connell and practicing curandera Cristina Villapardo will speak on Sunday, October 28, at 2:30 p.m. on healing herbs and the curandera tradition at the Landscape Garden at the Fabian Garcia Science Center.
Historian Rick Hendricks will present a program, "Witchcraft and Religious Conflict in New Mexican History," on Thursday, November 1, at noon in the NMSU Library's Library Associates Room.
The feature film, "The Cry," a contemporary thriller based on the "La Llorona" legend, directed by Bernadine Santistevan, will be screened on Saturday, November 3, at 2:00 p.m. at NMSU's Creative Media Institute.
A runaway at age 13, Jimmy Santiago Baca earned his GED in 1979 and received a B.A. in English in 1984 and an honorary doctorate in literature in 2003, both from the University of New Mexico. A prolific poet and novelist, he has received the Pushcart Prize, the American Book Award for Poetry and many more awards and honors. In 1990, Baca received the International Hispanic Heritage Award for his memoir A Place to Stand. In 2005, he created Cedar Tree, a nonprofit foundation that provides free writing workshops, books and scholarships to people in all walks of life.
The Ballet Folklorico de la Tierra del Encanto is a professional touring folklorico dance company based in Las Cruces. Its founder and artistic director is Jose Tena, an NMSU faculty member.
Described as an American treasure, Cipriano Vigil is known for his original corridos and his performance of the traditional song "La Llorona." He has been interviewed on National Public Radio, and he and his family have performed at many arts festivals.
Deborah LaPorte teaches writing at NMSU. Her teaching philosophy is to try to keep students actively searching, inventing and contributing in and outside of class. She has published short fiction, and five of her plays have been produced, including an adaptation of "La Llorona.
Denise Chávez has published several novels and collections including Loving Pedro Infante: a Novel, Face of an Angel, The Woman Who Knew the Language of Animals and The Last of the Menu Girls. She received the American Book Award for Face of an Angel (1994). She has also published numerous plays. Well known nationally, she is also known locally as the heart and soul of the Border Book Festival.
Nasario Garcia, who grew up in New Mexico's Rio Puerco Valley, is the author of several books on New Mexico oral history and culture. An internationally known speaker, he is a professor emeritus of Spanish at New Mexico Highlands University. He was the president of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, and served as the president of the New Mexico Folklore Society.
Rick Hendricks is an historian and paleographer who serves as an historical consultant to the Rio Grande Historical Collections at the NMSU Library. He was the president of the Historical Society of New Mexico and an editor of the Vargas Project. His latest book, The Witches of Abiquiu: The Governor, The Priest, The Genizaro Indians, and the Devil, (2006) was co-authored with Malcolm Ebright.
Jackye Meinecke is a master gardener and the owner of Enchanted Gardens in Las Cruces.
Bernadine Santistevan, a native of northern New Mexico, left her job as a venture capitalist in New York City to pursue her dream of making the film "The Cry." Her research follows the "La Llorona" legend from its beginnings circa 1522 to modern women who have killed their children.
The national Big Read program is the largest federal literature program since the W. P. A. The local Big Read reading festival is part of The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest, that brings the transformative power of literature into the lives of Americans.
A 2004 NEA report, Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, identified a critical decline in reading for pleasure among American adults. The Big Read aims to address this issue directly by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities.
Support for the Dońa Ana County festivities is provided by an NEA grant to the NMSU Library and the generosity of private donors and institutional sponsors.
For more information on The Big Read, visit the web site at http://lib.nmsu.edu/bigread/ or please contact Mahaffy at the NMSU Library at (505) 646-6925 or mmahaffy@lib.nmsu.edu.
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