Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Slashdot
Netscape
Furl
Yahoo
Diigo
Technorati
Newsvine
Ma.Gnolia
Googlize this
Blinklist
Facebook
Wikio
Print
Tags
Armando Celayo, OU Alumni and OU Research Assistant, will discuss contemporary Hispanic literature as part of the Sixth Annual Norman Public Library Hispanic Heritage Festival on Sunday, September 28. Contemporary Hispanic Literature: Junot Diaz, Martin Espada, Luis Alberto Urrea, begins at 4 p.m. in the Campbell Reading Room of the library, 225 N. Webster in downtown Norman “Each of these authors is a loud voice in the chorus of Hispanic lit,” says Celayo. “Considering the success of Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, people are beginning to take notice of the pluralistic nature of Hispanic Lit; so its not just about ‘magic realism’ and book covers with tropical art –though that is a part of Hispanic Lit –but about comic books and nerd love and the overwhelming burden of history.”
According to Celayo, the goal of the presentation is to inform the public about the presence and importance of Hispanic literature, the role of Hispanic literature in both Hispanic and American culture, and to show both Hispanic and non-Hispanic readers the universality of Hispanic literature.
“I’m not really sure about what makes Hispanic lit so special, but I think it’s…because, in the end, people want to escape,” says Celayo. “They want to find ways outside of the loneliness of a single perspective by searching for windows. Books are such windows. Art, more specifically books in our case, help people understand people they otherwise might not have gotten the chance to know. Books are the best form of art to be able to get into someone else’s head.”
Many of the works featured in the presentation are included in the collections of the Norman Public Library and the Pioneer Library System. Those that are not on the shelves can be obtained through the interlibrary loan service offered by the library.
This is the sixth year for the library’s Hispanic Heritage Festival which has grown in scope and size each year. The event includes live music, dancing, food, chidren’s activities, exhibits, programs, and displays in locations in and around the library from 2-7 p.m.
The family event is free and open to the public. Major sponsors include Friends of the Norman Library, Pioneer Library System, Norman Arts Council, and Oklahoma Arts Council, with additional support from Carlos Nieto, Marie Callender’s, FedEx-Kinko’s, Great Plains Coca-Cola, El Chico, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Sooner Rotary Club, and Norman Public Schools.
For more information about the Sixth Annual Norman Public Library Hispanic Heritage Festival, call 701-2600 or visit the library. The Norman Public Library is part of the Pioneer Library System, this year celebrating its 50th Anniversary of providing library service in central Oklahoma.
