Contents Folklórico Challenge USA Big Hit at San Diego Festival Author/Animal Guru Diana L. Guerrero, Special Guest at San Diego Latino Book & Family Festival Latino Book Awards Winners Hispanic Marketing 101 Los Angeles Festival Organizing Committee Holds First Meeting News About Our Producer You Can Help

Welcome to Issue 5 of Noticias del Festival. Everyone at Latino Literacy Now appreciates your continued support of our efforts to reduce illiteracy and promote literary excellence while advancing the cause of reading in the Latino Community. We hope you are enjoying these monthly newsletters. And remember, this is your newsletter, your input as to content, changes or additions is important to us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Folklórico Challenge USA Big Hit at San Diego Festival

The Folklórico Challenge competition got off to a great start at the recent San Diego Latino Book & Family Festival. With some 10 groups competing it certainly provided the most colorful spectacle of the weekend. Crowds began gathering early Sunday morning to watch the daylong competition that featured groups all the way from elementary aged school kids to adults, young, middle aged and beyond. Everyone had a great time.

With near perfect San Diego Spring weather, the open air site at Southwestern College could not have been better suited to an afternoon of celebrating Latino culture. Taking home the first prize cash award of $1,000 was the group Ballet Ixltazihautl from Rosarito Beach, just a few miles south of Tijuana, Mexico. This group has been together for some time and participates in competitions across the country. They could prove to be hard to beat when it comes time for the national finals next year. (All first place winners from the Latino Book & Family Festivals held this year are eligible for the nationals to be held in Los Angeles in 2005 at a place and time to be announced).

Second place finishers - and the excited winners of $250 - were the Ballet Folklórico group from Santa Maria High School in Santa Maria, California. This high school club group looks forward to a shorter drive to the Folklórico Challenge at the Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival to be held on September 11 and 12, 2004.

We feel the Folklórico Challenge USA got off to a great start - especially considering it was the first time for this competition. We expect many more groups to compete in our remaining events this year and invite everyone to come out and enjoy the show.

More About Folklórico Challenge USA

	Author/Animal Guru Diana L. Guerrero, Special Guest at San Diego Latino Book & Family Festival
Diana L. Guerrero, the author of What Animals Can Teach Us about Spirituality: Inspiring Lessons from Wild and Tame Creatures, had some help from a friendly Wallaby at the recent festival in San Diego. The audience, especially the smaller kids who sat in the first two rows, was entertained and educated by Ms Guerrero as her love and knowledge of the animal world was apparent. She has worked with wild and domestic animals for over 25 years, including management of captive wild and exotic animals, work doing animal behavior consulting and training, animal restraint and handling, and dietary and health management After her stage appearance she appeared with the Wallaby to discuss her book, sign autographs and have her (well, actually their) picture taken. Our thanks to Corporate Sponsor Chase Home Finance for making Ms Guerrero's appearance possible. For more information about Diana L. Guerrero, click here. For more information about her latest book, What Animals Can Teach Us about Spirituality: Inspiring Lessons from Wild and Tame Creatures, click here. Sponsor and Exhibitor Information »

	Latino Book Awards Winners
The setting at Chicago's Mexican Fine Arts Center and Museum was perfect as the annual Latino Book Awards were handed out at ceremonies this past June 4. These awards recognize talented Latino publishers and authors who might not otherwise have this public opportunity. The judging panel is comprised of booksellers, book industry professionals and aficionados, prominent educators, among other literary intellectuals. Books are nominated and are judged under the following top- level categories: Children and Young Adult Books Nonfiction- English Language Nonfiction- Spanish Language or Bilingual Fiction- English Language Fiction- Spanish Language Design The Mariposa Award: Rewards excellence for a Latino author's first published work This year's Mariposa Award winner was John J. Mora whose Through My Eyes - A Retrospective was published by The Woodman Press. Click here for a complete list of all the winners. Latino Book Award Winners »

	Hispanic Marketing 101
Hispanic Marketing 101 - A new online publication provides Hispanic marketing information Hispanic Marketing 101 is a bi- monthly online newsletter providing helpful marketing & media insights, key events and timely research on the Hispanic market. The goal is to provide a better understanding of the rapidly growing Hispanic market and possible ways to reach it. Hispanic Marketing 101 includes sections on: Marketing Media Audiences Organizations Success Stories Book Reviews Calendar of Events Calendar Holiday Marketing Market Profile Data Facts Other Sections Include Agency and Publication Profiles, Holiday Reminders, Event Recaps and much more! "We feel HM101 will be an important new vehicle for sharing ideas on marketing to the Hispanic community," said Kirk Whisler, publisher and executive editor. "The newsletter is designed for marketing and media professionals to help them better understand the multitude of aspects involved in marketing to the Hispanic community." Please visit www.hispanicmarketing101.com to view the current issue. Hispanic Marketing 101 »

	Los Angeles Festival Organizing Committee Holds First Meeting
With representatives from the Governor's Office and the City of Los Angeles in attendance, the first bi- weekly meeting was a great get to know session where agreement on the Festival's core mission of promoting literacy and literary excellence in the Latino community was unanimous. From their Olmos Productions offices on the Walt Disney Studios lot, Festival organizing committee leads, Andre Martinez and Leo Zamora, have done a great job of lining up support for the Festival from a wide variety of politicians, city and state offices as well as the local business community. Any endeavor succeeds through teamwork and we are happy to have both these gentlemen and the entire L.A. Committee on our team. Future meetings will concentrate on forming subcommittees focusing on community involvement, promotional support, educational outreach and literary talent. Individuals living in the Los Angeles area who are interested in serving on a sub-committee may phone Andre or Leo at 818-560-8651. Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival »

	News About Our Producer
The 8th Annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, a Sister organization to the Latino Book & Family Festival, and also produced by Edward James Olmos, will be held this coming July 16 through July 25 at the Egyptian Theater. More information on films to be screened and the seminar program can be found online at: http://www.latinofilm.ofg/. Los Angeles Latino Film Festival »

	You Can Help
We hope you will use the "Forward email" feature below to spread the word about the Latino Book & Family Festival to your friends and business associates. Bring the cover page of this newsletter with you to the next LBFF in your area & receive 25% off all Festival merchandise available at the Information Booth.

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