I've been invited to read in NYC/CUN Y next Monday, September 27th in the evening. Haven't been to NYC in a few years -- since the Intl PEN Festival when I met writers from all over the world. Africa; Japan; Germany. A birthday present from Raquel Ruiz (who's writing a book on women and boxing). Right now I"m finishing a children's book on the life of Willie Velasquez, that's right the Voting Pioneer that NYC isn't interested in, but I know I know it will sell. It's called "The boy made of lightning." Today I worked getting out the vote on the Southside...for County Commissioner Tommy Adkisson. Too many people don't want signs or want to be bothered by voting. The Tea Party hype, like some nasty worm,has infested enough brains so that people are ashamed of Obama because he hasn't changed things fast enough -- spending money, etc. If you hear this enough, you start believing it. The calls to the ego by the conservativ...

Longleaf pines are native to the southeast United States, and their conservation status is vulnerable. Only three percent of this historic, unrottable pine tree forest that can live up to 500 years remains. With long leaf pine (no smack gum) by the comeback sensations, The Krayolas, it is clear they intend to make great music for the long haul. I’m talking about one song in particular, “Twelve Heads in a Bag,” a deceptive rock-ballad (written and sung by Hector Saldana, with Max Baca on bajo sexto and Michael Guerra on accordion). Twelve Heads… is dedicated to the beheaded victims of Mexico’s drug wars. As has been said before but needs to be said again, it is the first corrido of the 21st century and it’s for the history books. Twelve Heads in a Bag makes you want to dance with a Lone Star in your hand, no matter the barbeque stains on your Tshirt, wondering why it wasn’t you in that bag.

NEW READING SCHEDULE FOR GOLONDRINA, WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME? Fri Jul 10 8pm – 9pm Reading/Performance with Vicki Grise "The Panza Monologues" - Resistencia Bookstore, Austin, Texas Fri Jul 31 7pm – 8pm Book Reading - Cafe Quetzalcoatl, El Paso, Texas Sat Aug 1 Reading (TBD) at Summer MALCS Institute, Las Cruces, NM - Summer MALCS Institute, Las Cruces, NM Thu Sep 3 6:30pm – 8:30pm Reading with local novelist Jay Brandon - Brookhollow Library, San Antonio, Texas Mon Sep 14 7pm – 8pm Reading at Barnes & Noble, San Pedro Crossing, San Antonio - Barnes & Noble, San Pedro Crossing, San Antonio Sat Oct 31 Featured Author, Schedule TBD, Texas Book Festival, Austin, Texas - Texas Book Festival, Austin, Texas

Thursday, June 18th, Houston Community College Central FAC115 Downtown 10:00 am with writer/HCC professor Tony Diaz in a discussion about writing, community, and society Book Reading, Barnes & Noble, Westheimer/Voss, 7pm from Golondrina, why did you leave me? Interview on Nuestra Palabra, Houston Interview on LatinoUSA with Maria Hinojosa, June 26th, special program on Women & Books, featuring Sandra Cisneros, Josefa Lopez, and myself Book Reading, El Paso, Texas, Friday, July 31st (To Be Confirmed) Reading, MALCS Summer Institute, Las Cruces, late July-first week of August (To Be Confirmed)

I want to be the kind of writer who isn't afraid to make you cry or laugh or dream. Words matter, they have power and beauty and freedom, and with them, you can make this world a better place. Don't believe me? Check out the PEN International Book Festival. http://www.pen.org/ And check out Robert Flynn's blogs on the site.

Now this is a book reading! At my favorite bar! La Azeneth, the owner of Salute!, is struggling to keep the historic bar open (Esteban Jordan performs there every friday night, like forever). So, a Benefit/Reading/Borlote: On Friday night, May 22nd, I will read the dance chapters from Golondrina as women dance-along and some may even read-along. MAMBO! RUMBA! SALSA!!! POLKA! DANZON! LO QUE QUIERAS!!!! The Dancers are: Norma Zamora; Florinda Castillo; Dee Murff and Janie Alonso; Jessica Cerda The artist Terry Ybanez will exhibit a series of prints that are golondrina-inspired, and the photographer Joan Frederick is exhibiting twenty years of Salute! Bar photos! Also for sale. Salute! Bar International 2801 N St. Mary's San Antonio 210.732.5307 www.saluteinternational.com The Reading begins at 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm. FREE. Includes Deliciosa Comida. Cash Bar. If you want to stay and hear Esteban, $10.00 at 10:00 pm PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT AZENETH AND LA MUSICA BIEN GROOVY!

But what makes Golondrina special, what drives its considerable innovation and perfumes its hundreds of tiny pleasures, is the sheer descriptive mestizaje beauty of the novel’s language, word-by-word, in English and en español. González wields Golondrina’s Tex-Mex dialect with real mastery; in her hands, the language is lyrical, big, luxurious, funny, and terrifying. González’s arsenal, linguistically and as a storyteller, is immense and complex, with Joycean neologisms (“cornpaste”) and fierce rhythm... Golondrina, for all its potential difficulties, deserves and has the power to attract a wide audience. If you care about the changing face and language of American contemporary fiction (of world fiction; East Indian authors in particular, primarily in the UK, are pioneering new forms of English phraseology, too), and if you love a good story, and appreciate vivid descriptions of Texas landscape, architecture, culture and history rendered with surprising touches of beauty and dark humor...