PALABRA PURA - NAOMI AYALA & DIANA PANDO

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
PALABRA PURA – NAOMI AYALA and DIANA PANDO
Decima Musa, 1901 W. Loomis (Pilsen)
Free admission
7:00 PM gathering. 7:30 PM Open Mic begins. (5 slots available)

Naomi Ayala is the author of This Side of Early (Curbstone Press, 2008) and Wild Animals on the Moon (Curbstone Press, 1997). Her third collection of poems is forthcoming from Bilingual Review Press in 2009. Ayala’s work has appeared in numerous journals and has been anthologized in Seeds of Fire: Contemporary Poems from the Other USA (Smokestack Books/U.K., 2008), Boriquén to Diasporican: Puerto Rican Poetry from Aboriginal Times to the New Millennium (University of Massachusetts Press, 2007), The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (University of Arizona Press, 2007), and Latino Boom: An Anthology of U.S. Latino Literature (Longman, 2005). Ayala works as an education consultant (with a specialty in curriculum design and development), a translator, and teacher, and is currently serving as the Director of Development for Fiesta DC.

Diana Pando is a megaphone for Latinos in the arts. From poetry to press releases she wields her communications skills to generate arts press coverage for various arts organizations. She is one of the founding members of Proyecto Latina, a collaborative between Teatro Luna and Tianguis Bookstore and former contributing writer for Dinero Magazine. She has contributed writing to Teatro Luna’s critically acclaimed show MACHOS, Lunaticas, collaborated with Artist Luis DeLaTorre and maintains a blog called Art Botanas for Latinos in the arts. She is a member of the Latina Leadership Council for the Chicago Foundation for Women.

THURSDAY, JUNE 19
Naomi Ayala will teach a free poetry workshop at Tianguis Books on Thursday evening. We have four coveted spots available. You must make a reservation to attend. If you’re interested, please contact Ellen Wadey at ellenw@guildcomplex.org. First come, first served.