- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock /news-archive/tag/el-zocalo-immigrant-resource-center/ ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Thu, 21 Sep 2017 13:01:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Celebrated author kicks off NEA Big Read Program /news-archive/2017/09/21/luis-urrea-big-read/ Thu, 21 Sep 2017 13:01:33 +0000 /news/?p=67959 ...]]> Author Luis Alberto Urrea Tuesday drew a crowd to the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall for the Sept. 19 kickoff of the (NEA) Big Read program. Urrea’s book, “Into the Beautiful North,” was selected as the focus of the which aims to engage diverse audiences and connect individuals and organizations through reading and sharing stories. On Tuesday, Urrea delighted audience members with stories about growing up in Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego with an American mother and Mexican father. “Our kitchen was the U.S, but our living room was Mexico,” Urrea said. “I was raised twice.” Many of the characteristics of the places and people from his childhood feature prominently in “Into the Beautiful North.” Through his storytelling, audience members came to understand how Urrea’s perspective shaped characters in his novel. His main character, 19-year-old Nayeli, is based on a childhood acquaintance with whom Urrea keeps in contact. In the book, Nayeli and her friends — inspired by the film, “The Magnificent Seven” — journey to the U.S. to bring back her father and six other men to defend their village. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock English major Nathaniel Darbonne attended the event as extra credit for a class, and his friend, Anastacia Santa Cruz, a technical writing major, tagged along for fun. “I loved the way he talked and the stories he told,” Cruz said. “I definitely want to read the book.” The duality of his upbringing shaped not only Urrea’s life as an adult but also his professional writing. Frequently called a “border writer,” Urrea’s writings often involve around issues related to immigration, though as Urrea said, “Every town in America is a border town now.” Always the writer, Urrea was the first in his family to go to college. He is a member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame and has written numerous works of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. He taught expository writing at Harvard from 1982 to 1990 and has held teaching positions at Massachusetts Bay Community College and the University of Colorado. Today, he teaches creative writing at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is working on another book. Urrea also said “Into the Beautiful North” had enjoyed “modest success,” but sales exploded once the NEA selected his book for the Big Read program. Little Rock is among 75 communities nationwide participating in the NEA Big Read from September 2017 to June 2018. The NEA Big Read is presented in partnership with The Mexican Consulate, Little Rock School District, El Zocalo Immigrant Resource Center, The Clinton Center, Central Arkansas Library System, and ��Vlog��ý-Pulaski Technical College. The entire NEA Big Read program will run from Tuesday, Sept. 19, to Friday, Nov. 3, and feature presentations, book discussions, film screenings, and related arts programming. Contributors for the kickoff event included the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William G. Cooper Jr. Honors Program in English, Arkansas Humanities Council, and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Ottenheimer Library, Division of Student Affairs, World Languages Department, Donaghey Scholars Program, History Department, Anthropology/Sociology Department, as well as KLRE/K��Vlog��ýR. View a calendar of events for the NEA Big Read at.]]> Bestselling author kicks off September Big Read event at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock /news-archive/2017/09/07/big-read-kickoff/ Thu, 07 Sep 2017 16:35:01 +0000 /news/?p=67839 ...]]> An award-winning author hailed by NPR as a “master storyteller with a rock and roll heart” will discuss his celebrated novel at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock this month. The reading, titled “Into the Beautiful North: With the Author Luis Alberto Urrea,” will be held at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Fine Arts Building. The event is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is joined by several community partners as it launches its Big Read celebration with the reading and book discussion. Urrea’s book, “Into the Beautiful North,” has been selected as the focus of the . Urrea delivers an “artfully crafted story of bridging borders between Mexico and the United States,” according to his publicist. The main character, 19-year-old Nayeli, lives in a village, Tres Camarones (three shrimp). She and her friends — inspired by the film, “The Magnificent Seven” — journey to the U.S. to bring back her father and six other men to defend the village. Critics have also described the book as a “wonderful comic satire,” one filled with great characters and subject matter that “keeps a smile on your face.” Urrea, a member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, has written numerous works of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Raised in Tijuana and San Diego by a Mexican father and American mother, Urrea says he inherited a love of storytelling from his extended family on both sides of the border. The same week, the New York City-based musical trio 9 Horses will perform a concert with music inspired by the novel. Nine Horses offers “the virtuosity of classical music together with the immediacy of jazz and folk music in a concert that is an interactive, accessible, and fun experience for all ages,” according to their website. Their performance will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, also in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. Little Rock is among 75 communities nationwide participating in the NEA Big Read from September 2017 to June 2018. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The NEA Big Read is presented in partnership with The Mexican Consulate, Little Rock School District, El Zocalo Immigrant Resource Center, The Clinton Center, Central Arkansas Library System, and ��Vlog��ý-Pulaski Technical College. Contributors for the kickoff event include the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William G. Cooper Jr. Honors Program in English, Arkansas Humanities Council, and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Ottenheimer Library, Division of Student Affairs, World Languages Department, Donaghey Scholars Program, History Department, Anthropology/Sociology Department, as well as KLRE/K��Vlog��ýR. The entire NEA Big Read will run from Tuesday, Sept. 19, to Friday, Nov. 3, and feature presentations, book discussions, film screenings, and related arts programming. View a calendar of events for the NEA Big Read at . For more information, contact Carol Macheak at cimacheak@ualr.edu or 501.569.8809. The photo of author Luis Alberto Urrea was taken by Joe Mazza.]]> Ottenheimer Library receives $13k grant to create community reading program /news-archive/2017/07/27/ottenheimer-library-big-read/ Thu, 27 Jul 2017 14:00:11 +0000 /news/?p=67540 ...]]> The , in partnership with Arts Midwest, encourages communities to engage in reading programs and events that broaden their understanding of the world and region. Ottenheimer Library is the only library in Arkansas to receive the grant this year. The program will run from Tuesday, Sept. 19, to Friday, Nov. 3, and feature presentations, book discussions, film screenings, and related arts programming. The program will coincide with local events celebrating Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16. Library project members chose the book, ‘‘ by Luis Alberto Urea, according to Carol Macheak, research and scholarly communications coordinator at the library. The book was selected to encourage dialogue on the Mexican heritage experience. Facilitators will introduce contextual topics such as a history of Hispanic civil rights in Little Rock. “This is a fictional book that explores the complex lives of several individuals along the Mexican border in a dramatic, yet sometimes humorous, fashion,” Macheak said. Ottenheimer Library is partnering with the Central Arkansas Library System, ��Vlog��ý-Pulaski Technical College, the Little Rock School District, the Mexican Consulate of Little Rock, the Clinton Presidential Center, and El Zocalo Immigrant Resource Center. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock departments of world languages, music, English, history, and sociology as well as KLRE/K��Vlog��ýR will also contribute to the program. For more information, contact Carol Macheak at cimacheak@ualr.edu or 501.569.8809. ]]>