Entertainment Editors

HOUSTON----

Nation's Most Celebrated Latino Spoken Word Performers
Come to Houston June 24, 2005

Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word Performance
Friday, June 24, 2005, at 8:00 p.00 (All Ages) by phone at 866-468-7621
or online at www. Through vignettes
and dramatized spoken word pieces about posthumous US citizenship for
Mexican residents who died in Iraq, racial profiling in barrios of San
Jose , and bitter but humorous bilingual romance when "Tu love es no
good," they create a clear picture of Latino life in the United
States, dispelling many stereotypes about an often misunderstood and
misrepresented culture. He is the Program Director of Youth Speaks, a
nonprofit literary arts center for teenagers in San Francisco
responsible for creating Brave New Voices: The National Teen Poetry
Slam.

Marc David Pinate is a poet, playwright, actor, organizer, and
activist currently residing in Berkeley, California. Originally from
Chandler, Arizona, he received his BA in Communications from Santa
Clara University in 1994. Pinate also holds a Master of Arts degree in
Theater Arts from San Jose State University." As a solo poet, he has performed in cities around
the nation including Chicago, Los Angeles, Tucson, Washington, D.

About MECA Summer Program

As always, classes give students the opportunity to explore and
develop their creativity and capacity for self-expression , while also
developing discipline, teamwork and critical thinking skills through
individual and ensemble practice.com), one of the Web's largest e-commerce
sites and the number-one brand among e-commerce companies, according
to the latest EquiTrend survey.com/bookprizes or by calling 1-800 -LATIMES, ext. Stone, Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime from the
Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism (W. Young, Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson,
Continental Soldier (Alfred A.)
Joshua Mehigan, The Optimist: Poems (Ohio University Press)
Spencer Reece, The Clerk's Tale: Poems
(Mariner Books / Houghton Mifflin)
Catherine Tufariello , Keeping My Name (Texas Tech University Press)

Science and Technology
Ann B. Some 150,000 people attend the
event annually.
General event information is available online at
http://www.

quotes poets

Along with teaching drama
classes part time at SJSU, he is the Program Manager at Galeria De La
Raza, located in San Francisco. For more information visit
the NPN Website at www . (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller,
today announced that its stores and Web site, Barnes + Noble. The named awards commemorate the life and
work of Robert Kirsch, who served as The Times ' book critic for more than
25 years prior to his death in 1980, and of the late Art Seidenbaum, who
founded the Book Prizes.
Author/journalist Sir Harold Evans will emcee the April 22nd event . Jefferson Parker, Sally Ride, Alice Sebold and Patricia Seidenbaum.

french quotations

,
at MECA, accompanied by local spoken word artists including Tony Diaz
and the Nuestra Palabra Collective as well as the Houston Poetry Slam
team members, and DJ Joe Manuel. Their show can be enjoyed by all ages. He was most recently awarded the National
Performance Network Creation Fund Commission to create his newest
theater project "Fear of a Brown Planet" with the Chicano Messengers
of Spoken Word. After filming her
first starring role in the independent film, "Speeder Kills" (2001),
Amalia completed a 7-state spoken word tour.C. Her poetry is featured on the spoken word compilation
CDs "PoetCD.

Business Editors

NEW YORK----

Don't Quote Me(R) - TIME For Kids Edition and Don't Quote Me(R) -
TV Guide Edition Will Be at Barnes + Noble Beginning This June

Barnes + Noble, Inc. The "TIME for Kids Edition" explores the world
through quotations and questions covering hundreds of topics.W.

vert quotes

At MECA, 1900 Kane Street, Houston, Texas 77007
$5." Calaca Press will also
feature her on the upcoming CD "Raza Spoken Here III.

Barnes + Noble To Carry the Expanded Line of Don't Quote Me Games

Don't Quote Me(R) - TIME For Kids Edition, designed for ages 10+
and licensed with TIME For Kids newsmagazine, is an exceptional kids
and family-fun game packed with outstanding content and 1,000 quotes
and questions from topics kids study and know. A popular gift for birthdays,
special occasions and summer fun, Don't Quote Me(R) belongs on every
game players ' gift list.
Seidenbaum is the widow of Art Seidenbaum, and author Jonathan Kirsch is the
son of the late Robert Kirsch. The festival will be held
April 23-24 on the UCLA campus. Putnam's Sons )

Fiction
Chris Abani, GraceLand (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Russell Banks , The Darling (HarperCollins)
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Colm Toibin, The Master: A Novel (Scribner)
Joy Williams, Honored Guest: Stories (Alfred A. Knopf)

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction
Lorraine Adams, Harbor (Alfred A.

vert some

Flores of San Francisco, California, HBO Def Poetry
artist Amalia Ortiz of San Antonio, Texas , and national poetry slam
champion Marc Pinate of San Jose, California. With the help of the
National Performance Network Creation Fund, Youth Speaks, El Centro Su
Teatro, Xicanindio Artes and MECA have co-commissioned the Chicano
Messengers to create an evening-length work of spoken word theater
entitled "Fear of A Brown Planet. Flores is a poet, performer and author of the novel "Along
the Border Lies " (Creative Arts Books, 2001) about the Tijuana-San
Diego border community where he was raised. That team placed 2nd in the nation. At the Taos Poetry Circus
2001, she placed 1st in the Open Slam and won the Tag Team Slam with
partner Gary Mex Glazner. Pinate's achievements have been recognized
and awarded by the California Arts Council and Arts Council Silicon
Valley.
Two Summer Recitals give parents and community members the
opportunity to share in the artistic achievements of MECA youth , while
providing students with valuable performance experience. Each question includes
interesting and fun facts that kids love. Players ages 14+ enjoy their favourite
episodes, familiar lines and endearing characters.com

About Barnes + Noble, Inc.barnesandnobleinc.com

W. Knopf )
Jonathan Weiner, His Brother's Keeper: A Story from the Edge of
Medicine (Ecco / HarperCollins)
Charles Wohlforth, The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern
Front of Climate Change (North Point Press / Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Young Adult Fiction
Benjamin Alire Saenz, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
(Cinco Puntos Press )
Melvin Burgess, Doing It (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful (Scholastic Press)
Adam Rapp, Under the Wolf, Under the Dog (Candlewick Press)
Meg Rosoff, How I Live Now (Wendy Lamb Books /
Random House Children's Books)

Finalist Selection Process
Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalists were selected by eight three -member
committees (the fiction panel covers both the fiction and first fiction
categories).

p french

The Chicano Messengers
will be in town as part of MECA's summer program, leading workshops
for youth interested in creative writing, spoken word and Hip Hop
performance.
The Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word are three nationally known
spoken word poets from the Southwest who hope to influence more Latino
youth to write and perform their narratives. From 1995 to 1997 he worked with the Chicano theater company,
Teatro Vision, as production manager, light board operator, actor, and
workshop coordinator. MECA also offers extracurricular
arts classes to students wishing to expand their artistic knowledge
after the end of the summer day program.

Barnes + Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world 's largest bookseller
and a Fortune 500 company, operates 820 bookstores in 50 states. In addition to its retail operations,
Barnes + Noble is one of the largest book publishers in the world. can be obtained via
the Internet by visiting the company's corporate Web site:
http://www. 25th Annual Literary Awards to Be Presented April 22, 2005

LOS ANGELES, Best-selling mystery writer
Tony Hillerman, whose writings over the past 35 years are infused with the
landscape and culture of the American Southwest, has been named the winner of
the 25th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes' Robert Kirsch Award for
lifetime achievement. Each Book
Prize includes a $1,000 cash award.
Information about the awards ceremony and the Book Prize awards program is
available at http://www.P. Additional information about The
Times is available at http://www.

poems some

MECA and the National Performance Network present the Chicano
Messengers of Spoken Word featuring celebrated writer and Youth Speaks
director Paul S. He is the co-author of
three plays in the genre of Hip Hop and Spoken Word Theater, including
"No Man's Land" with Marc Bamuthi Joseph and "The Fruitvale Project"
with Elia Arce. Paul holds an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco
State University . She has also performed at the South by
Southwest Music Conference 2000 and 2001.Com Sampler Vol . Students may see artistic performances at
the University of Houston, at Stages Theater, and a performance at
MECA by Express Children's Theater. The NPN and this
presentation of Paul Flores have been made possible through major
funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the National
Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency).
The award-winning Don't Quote Me(R) - TV Guide Edition game
features memorable quotes and trivia celebrating over 50 years of
television and movie history. Barnes + Noble conducts its online business through
Barnes + Noble.com (www.
Presenting the 2004 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes will be Douglas Brinkley,
Jennifer Donnelly, Carol Muske Dukes, Neal Gabler, Michael Kinsley, Jonathan
Kirsch, T. Knopf)
David Bezmozgis, Natasha and Other Stories (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Pete Duval, Rear View: Stories (Mariner Books / Houghton Mifflin)
Susan Fletcher, Eve Green (W.S.

homage quotes

This performance will be followed by
a MECA youth poetry performance Friday, July 1, 2005, at 8:00 p.m.

ARTIST BIOS

Paul S. Paul has published stories, poems and book
reviews in many periodicals and literary magazines including The San
Francisco Bay Guardian , The San Francisco Chronicle, and ZYZZYVA
Magazine. One of her poems was also
featured in the Slam America Tour documentary film. I," "NYC Urbana: the Very Best of 2003,"
and "The Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word. The new games are the
Don't Quote Me(R) - TIME For Kids Edition and the Don't Quote Me(R) -
TV Guide Edition.

Los Angeles Times Announces Kirsch Award Winner Book Prize Finalists

The Book Prizes will be presented April 22 at UCLA's Royce Hall in
Los Angeles. Knopf)
Edward Conlon, Blue Blood (Riverhead Books)
Michael Dirda, Bound to Please: An Extraordinary One-Volume Literary
Education -- Essays on Great Writers and Their Books
(W.

hommage poetry

" Spoken word is the fastest-growing
literary movement of the generation under 35. Since 1996 he has been a
member of the San Francisco-based poetry performance troupe Los
Delicados, dedicated to bringing new audiences into the consciousness
of Latino creative expression.
With his group, Grito Serpentino , Pinate has recorded and released two
spoken word CDs: the self-titled debut CD, "Grito Sepentino " (1999),
and the recently released, "Para La Gente" (2001).

About Paul Flores NPN Residency

MECA is a member of the National Performance Network comprised of
arts organizations throughout the United States. More information available at
www.bn. His first novel, The Blessing Way, was
published in 1970, and his most recent book, The Sinister Pig, was published
in 2003. Knopf)
Michael J. Norton + Company)
Richard Steven Street, Beasts of the Field: A Narrative History of
California Farmworkers, 1769-1913 (Stanford University Press)
Alfred F . Parson, The Proteus Effect: Stem Cells and Their Promise for
Medicine (Joseph Henry Press / National Academies Press)
Lauren Slater, Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments
of the Twentieth Century (W.
There is no nationality requirement for author nominees in any category.

literature quotes

Through their residency program the Chicano Messengers create a
forum and community among an ever-growing number of youth who are
returning to literature and reinvesting in education through the power
of the spoken word.

Amalia Ortiz is a San Antonio-based actor, director , activist, as
well as Puro Slam grand slam champion 2000, 2001, and 2002. Named Puro
Slam's 1999 MVP "based on skills, execution, winnings, and over all
sportsmanship," Amalia has graced the pages of Latina Magazine for
founding, co-writing, directing, and appearing in the 2-hour all
female poetry/theatre piece, Women of ILL Repute: Refute!, which
raised money for the Rape Crisis Center , and was presented at the
Young Tongues Theatre Festival, the San Antonio Inter-American Book
Fair , Latina Letters Conference, Austin Poetry Festival, Austin Book
Festival, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and several universities.
After participating in the Slam America National Bus Tour (Summer
2000), Amalia proudly represented San Antonio at the 2000 National
Poetry Slam as the first Latina to compete in the National Slam
Finals.
The Book Prize awards ceremony will kick off the 10th annual Los Angeles
Times Festival of Books, one of the nation's premier public literary festivals
and the largest of its kind on the West Coast. Norton + Company)
Ann Patchett, Truth + Beauty: A Friendship (HarperCollins)
Evan Wright, Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and
the New Face of American War (G. Most of the judges are published authors and serve a two-year
term.com/festivalofbooks or by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext.
Detailed speaker and event information will be provided in the official
festival program, which will be published in the April 17th edition of the Los
Angeles Times.

vert english

The immediate response
to contemporary issues as well the heavy influence of Hip Hop makes it
accessible, engaging, educational and entertaining. Both Su
Teatro in Denver and Xicanindio Artes in Arizona previously hosted NPN
residencies with The Chicano Messengers , during which the commission
was initiated. Paul has also been a featured guest on National Public
Radio's "Forum" with Michael Krasny, and has twice been an invited
literary panelist at The Commonwealth Club of San Francisco.
She has been awarded the San Antonio Current's editor pick for
"Best Local Poet" 2002 and the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Award from
Sandra Cisneros.,
New York City, Albuquerque , San Diego, and Boston.bn.
General information on Barnes + Noble, Inc. Norton + Company)
Richard Rhodes, John James Audubon: The Making of an American
(Alfred A. Norton + Company )
Lisa Glatt, A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That (Simon + Schuster)

History
Richard J. None of the judges, except for the Kirsch award, are current Los
Angeles Times employees .latimes. 7BOOK.

poets literature

m.org

W.
The Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing company, is the largest
metropolitan daily newspaper in the country and the winner of 35 Pulitzer
Prizes.

hommage poets

Pinate is the co-founder and front
man-poet of Grito Serpentino, a spoken word and music ensemble which
has toured throughout the country.
72366. Knopf)
Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan, de Kooning: An American Master
(Alfred A.
With the exception of significant new translations of a deceased author's
work, all authors should be living at the time of U.

some quotations

MECA's Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts Concert Series Presents The Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word

50 (All Ages ) At The Door

MECA Summer Youth Poetry Performance
Friday, July 1, 2005, at MECA at 8:00 p.
Just in time for summer fun, both of these games are now available
in a magnetic travel version for active kids and families on the go. For
the third year in a row , the company is the nation's top retail brand
for quality, according to the EquiTrend(R) Brand Study by Harris
Interactive(R). Its
subsidiary, Sterling Publishing, publishes over 1,100 new titles a
year and has an active list of over 5,000 titles. In addition to the Kirsch Award, the evening will honor 2004's
outstanding books in nine categories: biography, current interest, fiction,
first fiction (the Art Seidenbaum Award), history, mystery/thriller, poetry,
science and technology, and young adult fiction.
The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were established in 1980. Tony Hillerman lives
in New Mexico and has used the peoples, culture and landscape of the American
Southwest extensively in his many books, including the 16-book collection
known as The Navajo Mysteries. Knopf )

Mystery/Thriller
Alan Furst, Dark Voyage: A Novel (Random House)
Henning Mankell, The Return of the Dancing Master [translated from the
Swedish by Laurie Thompson] (The New Press)
Charles McCarry, Old Boys (Overlook Press)
Kem Nunn, Tijuana Straits: A Novel (Scribner)
Ian Rankin, A Question of Blood: An Inspector Rebus Novel
(Little , Brown)

Poetry
Richard Howard, Inner Voices: Selected Poems, 1963-2003
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Brigit Pegeen Kelly, The Orchard (BOA Editions, Ltd. The Times publishes five daily regional editions including the Los
Angeles metropolitan area, Orange and Ventura counties, the San Fernando
Valley, and an Inland Empire edition covering Riverside and San Bernardino
counties as well as a National edition.latimes.

literature his

They perform for Houston audiences on June 24, 8:00 p. Flores. In 1999 Pinate was a member of the
San Jose Slam Team which took first place at the National Slam
Championships in Chicago that year and which also earned him an
appearance on CBS's "60 Minutes " when the news program did a feature
story on slam poetry.C. Pinate's poetry,
plays and short stories have been published in The Santa Clara Review,
Razateca, Comfusion, Calaca Review, Zyzzyva and StreetLow magazine. Most Recently,
Pinate began performing with the Chicano spoken word troupe , Chicano
Messengers of Spoken Word.com), will feature the expanded Don't Quote Me(R) line of
board games beginning in June of this year. The "TV
Guide Edition" takes a romp through pop culture history , recalling all
your favourite shows and celebrities. Norton + Company)
Alan Tennant, On the Wing: To the Edge of the Earth with the Peregrine
Falcon (Alfred A.

french p

m. Paul is a
recipient of the Creative Work Fund (2001), the California Arts
Council Spoken Word Fellowship (2002) and the PEN/Oakland Josephine
Miles Award (2003)." Most notably,
Amalia has appeared on three seasons of Russell Simmons Presents Def
Poetry on HBO and the 2003 NAACP Image Awards on FOX and currently
tours with the female performance-poetry troupe Diva Diction, The
Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word, and the Def Poetry College Tour. The same year Pinate founded Los Del Pueblo
Actors' Lab, a grass roots NeoChican@ theater company which has
mounted several plays written by Pinate including "The Mex-Files,"
"The Tale of Johnny Hispanic," "Amor Rabioso," "The Lunatic" and "The
Journey of Isis. Field trips
include visits to the Children's Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, the
Holocaust Museum, Museum of Natural Science, Museum of Contemporary
Art, Museum of Health and Science, Museum of Contemporary Crafts, a
trip to the Menil Collection, the zoo, swimming at Moody Park,
roller -skating and movies.
People can enjoy playing Don't Quote Me(R) games wherever their
travels take them - on the road, on the beach or in the sky!
Don't Quote Me(R) games are easy and fun to play and provide hints
and options to help players succeed.dontquoteme.
The award was announced March 9 along with the 45 finalists for the 2004
Los Angeles Times Book Prizes during an evening reception at the National Arts
Club in New York. Serving as event hosts were Times Editor John Carroll;
Kenneth Turan, Director of the Book Prizes and Times film critic; and Times
Book Editor Steve Wasserman.
The Kirsch Award recognizes the body of work of an author who resides in
and/or whose work focuses on the Western United States. publication.

some hommage

,
directed and hosted by Paul S. MECA will provide approximately five
field trips a week for the six weeks of the programming.npnweb.com
(www. Game players love that Don't
Quote Me(R) games are packed with insightful biographies and amusing
details about every quote and question.latimes.

Book Prize Finalists

Biography
Ron Chernow, Alexander Hamilton (Penguin Press)
Stephen Greenblatt, Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became
Shakespeare (W. Evans, The Coming of the Third Reich (Penguin Press)
Max Frankel, High Noon in the Cold War: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the
Cuban Missile Crisis (Presidio Press / Ballantine Books)
Geoffrey R.

homage english

She also performed at the nation's capital and met
the President and First Lady at the National Book Festival in
Washington , D. Pinate went on to teach ESL social studies
and Chicano Literature classes at Abraham Lincoln High School in San
Jose. All of us at
MECA are very proud of our Summer Program students, and all of their
artistic accomplishments. Plus, an insightful
biography is included with each quote .W.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books was created in 1996 to promote
literacy, celebrate the written word, and bring together those who create
books with the people who love to read them.

his prevert

ticketweb.com
$7.m. He has been a featured performer at
such regarded venues as The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Chicago Museum of
Contemporary Arts, Funk Jazz Lounge Miami, the Justice League, the
National Hip Hop Festival in La Habana, Cuba , and two appearances on
"Russell Simmons Presents: Def Poetry" on HBO. He has recorded on "Handbook to the Apocalypse" (Wide
Hive Records, 2003), and "Word Descarga," Los Delicados spoken word CD
(Calaca Press, 2001). Ybarra, Washington Gone Crazy: Senator Pat McCarran and the
Great American Communist Hunt (Steerforth Press)

Current Interest
Karen Armstrong, The Spiral Staircase: My Climb out of Darkness
(Alfred A.W.com/mediacenter.