First of all, many thanks to our incredible poets:

Christopher Carmona, Sarah Shaney Reeves, Gloria Amescua, Ari Chagoya,  Katherine Pace, jo reyes-boitel, Abe Louise Young, Trey Moore, Lauren Espinoza, Joe Jimenez, Scott Wiggerman, Laurie Ann Guerrero, K. Denea Stewart Shaheed, Celeste Guzman Mendoza, Rachel Jennings, Jorge Antonio Renaud, Tammy Melody Gomez, Brenda Nettles Riojas, Erin Bad Hand, and Carmen Tafolla.

And many thanks to the community organizations that met with our poets for community writing workshops:Red Salmon Arts’ Save Our Youth programs; PODER’s Youth Leadership program; Safeplace; and the Mary Lee Foundation. Thank you to all the poets, coordinators, and participants who were involved.

 We are especially grateful to the following organizations and individuals for their support:

Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center

Linda Irizzary Crockett

Paul del Bosque

Red Salmon Arts

Resistencia Bookstore

Rene Valdez

Lilia Rosas

UT Center for Mexican American Studies

Deborah Paredes

Luis Guevara

Amalia Rodriguez-Mendoza, Travis County District Clerk

Ruben Barrera, Attorney

Laura Martinez, Attorney

Gloria Vera

Brenda Nettles Riojas

Steve Vera

Centro Victoria

Huizache Magazine

Dagoberto Gilb

Christine Granados

Diana Lopez

Mouthfeel Press

Maria Miranda Maloney

Katie G. Hoerth

La Peña

Cynthia Perez

Las Comadres de las Americas

Nora de Hoyos Comstock

La Sol y La Luna Restaurant

Nilda de la Llata

Humanities Texas,the state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities

Eric Lupfer

Oscar Casares

Liliana Valenzuela

And many thanks to all the incredible volunteers who are not named here!

The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center presents the Flor de Nopal Literary Festival, December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 2011.

Thee first night of the festival will feature three workshops on writing and creativity, free and open to the general public. Facilitated by Scott Wiggerman, Jo Reyes-Boitel, and Moises S. L. Lara & ire’ne lara silva. 7pm-9pm.  Email flordenopal@gmail.com to reserve a space.

On Friday and Saturday night, over twenty poets from different parts of Texas will be reading:

December 2, 7-9pm: Poetry Reading: Christopher Carmona, Sarah Shaney Reeves, Gloria Amescua, Ari Chagoya,  Katie Pace, jo reyes-boitel, Abe Louise Young, Trey Moore, Lauren Espinoza, Joe Jimenez, Scott Wiggerman,

December 3, 5pm: Presentation/Discussion with Trey Moore; 6pm: Poets’ Panel; 7-9pm:  Poetry Reading: Laurie Ann Guerrero, K. Denea Stewart Shaheed, Celeste Guzman Mendoza, Maria Miranda Maloney, Rachel Jennings, Jorge Antonio Renaud, Tammy Melody Gomez, Brenda Nettles Riojas, ire’ne lara silva, Erin Bad Hand, Carmen Tafolla.

All events are free and open to the public.

Featured poets will also be conducting workshops with various local community organizations: Red Salmon Arts’ Save Our Youth programs; PODER’s Youth Leadership program; OutYouth; Latinitas; Safeplace; and the Mary Lee Foundation.

This program is sponsored in part by Red Salmon Arts; Resistencia Bookstore; UT Center for Mexican American Studies; Centro Victoria and Huizache Magazine; Mouthfeel Press; La Peña/Indigenous Women’s Network IWN/Alma de Mujer; Las Comadres de las Americas; La Sol y La Luna Restaurant; and Humanities Texas, the state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Coordinators: Moisés S. L. Lara and ire’ne lara silva

MC: Audrea Diaz

Background Art: TK Karakashian Tunchez

www.flordenopalliteraryfestival.wordpress.com

www.facebook.com/flordenopallitfest

Schedule

Thursday December 1^st, 2011

7pm-9pm

Open Workshops on Writing and Creativity, free and open to the public.

See below for descriptions. Email flordenopal@gmail.com to reserve a space.

Friday December 2^nd, 2011

7pm-9pm

Reading, Multipurpose Room

Saturday December 3^rd, 2011

5pm: “Appalachia:  Water, Coal, Connectivity,” Presentation/Discussion led by Trey Moore

6pm: Poets’ Panel, “Sacred Earth, Sacred Nature, Sacred Utterance” Moderated by ire’ne lara silva

7pm-9pm

Reading, Multipurpose Room

Open workshops– Thursday December 1^st, 2011

1. Workshop Facilitators:  ire’ne lara silva & Moises S. L. Lara

7pm-9pm

Workshop Title- Mis Muertitos/Ours: those who have passed

Description: A workshop that will begin with singing. If you want to join in you can. The workshop will move on to discussion, sharing stories of time, place and people. Also, there will be an informal sharing of poems from the workshop facilitators and participants during the workshop. Please bring any poems you’d like to share. There will be no guided writing exercises, but we hope that you will be inspired to write by the end of the workshop.

Participants: 8-10

2. Workshop Facilitator: jo reyes-boitel

7pm-9pm

Workshop Title- How to Self-Critique Your Work Effectively, Accurately and With a Little Love

Description: As active writers we have all, at one time or another joined a writing group. Whether well-organized or meeting over coffee, the writing group offers incredible insight from out outsider perspective. However, even those who know your work well can still only guess at your larger intent, your word choice, or what was going through your mind while actually writing.

This workshop is intended for those who can’t or don’t want to now share their work with others but who still want to distill their work to its very best. Participants will walk away with the tools needed for understanding their own work, creating an arc for their writing, and techniques to help in self-critique.

In particular, we’ll touch on these ideas:

• Giving your writing room to breathe, room to cool off
• Considering different spaces for different work
• Sniffing out the truth/listening to that little voice
• Spotting your habits
• Working with a plan/key
• Recruiting a support group

While the workshop will emphasize ways to get participants to see their own writing mañas/manas and work on removing the hiccups, this will be a dialogue friendly space. Handouts will be provided so the focus is on our teaching ourselves and each other rather than frantic note taking.

Participants: 8-10

3. Workshop Facilitator: Scott Wiggerman

7pm-9pm

Workshop Title- Meeting Your Muse

Description: Poets have relied on their muses for millenia, but how many of us know our own specific muse?  This workshop will lead you toward meeting your specific muse and the creative energy that feeds him/her/it (yes, a muse can be any of these).  Through a series of questions, we will explore what leads to your individual flow of creative energy until you get to know the entity known as your muse: what makes your muse happy, where your muse likes to hang out, what your muse’s name is.  Eventually, we will create visual representations of our muses and introduce them to the class (artistic talent not necessary), as well as read our own muse poems generated by the questions.  This workshop will be-muse you!

Participants: 10-15

Flor de Nopal Literary Festival 2011

Featured Readers: Levi Romero and Carmen Tafolla

Full list of readers TBA.

More information coming soon!

Dec 1st, 7p-9p : Workshops on writing and creativity. Free. Open to the public.

Dec 2nd, 6pm: Panel followed by Reading at 7pm

Dec 3rd, 7pm Reading

For more info: flordenopal@gmail.com

If you, your organization, or your business would like to co-sponsor this event or make a tax-deductible contibution, please contact ire’ne at irenelarasilva@yahoo.com

Confirmed co-sponsors: Red Salmon Arts, Las Comadres de las Americas

Gorgeous photo above by Maria Miranda Maloney