Doing it write: Latinos and self-publishing

by Ulises Silva

Sometimes, you just have to take matters into your own hands.

I previously discussed how industry perceptions make things harder for Latino authors. But self-publishing has emerged as one way overlooked authors can say, “So you didn’t think a novel about time-traveling ninja mariachis could work, huh?”

Self-publishing is nothing new; Mark Twain was self-published, among many others. Nor is the debate about its viability new; self-publishing is cool, but the industry looks down on self-published authors the way Beverly Hills shopaholics look down on thrift shops.

The kind of leadership Latinos really need

by Carlos Macías

As the biggest minority in the United States, Latinos are reaching critical mass by becoming a powerful voting bloc, an indispensable purchasing power and a vibrant staple of American culture. Despite all these potentials, we can hardly identify a handful of leaders that understand our shortcomings and trumpet our ideals.

The question that we need to ask ourselves is what kind of leaders we need and/or want to lead our community in the national arena? An easy way to eliminate contenders is to look at the kind of leaders that we DO NOT want:

What about farm workers’ children?

by Viktoria Valenzuela

In high school, I knew this girl.  He name was Esperanza.  She was the daughter of a migrant farm worker and the only other brown skinned person in our entire school.  Our graduating class of 64 students was from a rural high school in Hannibal, New York.  Esperanza didn’t stay the whole year, nor did she return for sophomore year.  I wonder what happen to her all the time. She was a nice person.  I can not even begin to know what being the child of a migrant farm worker is like, but I do know that no child should have to endure certain things.