>Latino Books Month is almost done, and this weekend if you’re in the Los Angeles area, you should check out the new release, Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature.

The stories and novel excerpts sandwiched in between “Kid Zopilote” and the excerpt from Chicano bring us to modern-day Latino denizens of Los Angeles and the city’s surrounding communities. And what a complex and diverse group of people we observe: young and old, gay and straight, rich and poor, the newly arrived and the well established. There’s a Cuban American screenwriter trying to pitch the “real” story behind the Bay of Pigs fiasco. We see a Mexican woman struggling with barrio life who believes she’s seen a miracle. There are youths trying to avoid gang life and others embracing it. And we’re introduced to aggressive journalists, cement pourers, disaffected lovers, drunken folklórico dancers, successful curanderos, teenage slackers, aging artists, wrestling saints, aimless druggies, people made of paper, college students, and even a private detective hot on the heels of a presumed-dead gonzo writer.

I haven’t read the book but I plan on it, it sounds like a great and interesting contribution to the Latino lit community. It features writers such as Salvador Plascencia, John Rechy, Sandra Ramos O’Briant, Luis J. Rodríguez.

Celebrating Latinos in Lotusland: Reception and Book Signing!
WHERE: Patricia Correia Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., E-2, Santa Monica, CA 90404
WHEN: Sat., May 31, 5-8:00 p.m.
CONTACT: Gabriela M. Corchado, Gallery Manager
TELEPHONE: 310.264.1760
WEBSITE: http://www.correiagallery.com/index.html

Via / LA Observed