Twelve Heads in a Bag: Hector Saldana's Krayolas painting in bold, true colors

Longleaf pines are native to the southeast United States, and their conservation status is vulnerable. Only three percent of this historic, unrottable pine tree forest that can live up to 500 years remains. With long leaf pine (no smack gum) by the comeback sensations, The Krayolas, it is clear they intend to make great music for the long haul. I’m talking about one song in particular, “Twelve Heads in a Bag,” a deceptive rock-ballad (written and sung by Hector Saldana, with Max Baca on bajo sexto and Michael Guerra on accordion). Twelve Heads… is dedicated to the beheaded victims of Mexico’s drug wars. As has been said before but needs to be said again, it is the first corrido of the 21st century and it’s for the history books. Twelve Heads in a Bag makes you want to dance with a Lone Star in your hand, no matter the barbeque stains on your Tshirt, wondering why it wasn’t you in that bag.

GOLONDRINA READING SCHEDULE SO FAR

NEW READING SCHEDULE FOR GOLONDRINA, WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?
Fri Jul 10 8pm – 9pm Reading/Performance with Vicki Grise "The Panza Monologues" - Resistencia Bookstore, Austin, Texas
Fri Jul 31 7pm – 8pm Book Reading - Cafe Quetzalcoatl, El Paso, Texas
Sat Aug 1 Reading (TBD) at Summer MALCS Institute, Las Cruces, NM - Summer MALCS Institute, Las Cruces, NM
Thu Sep 3 6:30pm – 8:30pm Reading with local novelist Jay Brandon - Brookhollow Library, San Antonio, Texas
Mon Sep 14 7pm – 8pm Reading at Barnes & Noble, San Pedro Crossing, San Antonio - Barnes & Noble, San Pedro Crossing, San Antonio
Sat Oct 31 Featured Author, Schedule TBD, Texas Book Festival, Austin, Texas - Texas Book Festival, Austin, Texas

READING SCHEDULE FOR THE SUMMER OF CALOR

Thursday, June 18th, Houston Community College Central FAC115 Downtown
10:00 am
with writer/HCC professor Tony Diaz in a discussion about writing, community, and society
Book Reading, Barnes & Noble, Westheimer/Voss, 7pm
from Golondrina, why did you leave me?

Interview on Nuestra Palabra, Houston

Interview on LatinoUSA with Maria Hinojosa, June 26th, special program on Women & Books, featuring Sandra Cisneros, Josefa Lopez, and myself

Book Reading, El Paso, Texas, Friday, July 31st (To Be Confirmed)

Reading, MALCS Summer Institute, Las Cruces, late July-first week of August (To Be Confirmed)

Confession: To be a Writer of Conscience

I want to be the kind of writer who isn't afraid to make you cry or laugh or dream. Words matter, they have power and beauty and freedom, and with them, you can make this world a better place. Don't believe me? Check out the PEN International Book Festival.
http://www.pen.org/
And check out Robert Flynn's blogs on the site.

Dance Lessons/Golondrina Book Reading at Salute! Bar

Now this is a book reading! At my favorite bar! La Azeneth, the owner of Salute!, is struggling to keep the historic bar open (Esteban Jordan performs there every friday night, like forever). So, a Benefit/Reading/Borlote: On Friday night, May 22nd, I will read the dance chapters from Golondrina as women dance-along and some may even read-along. MAMBO!
RUMBA! SALSA!!! POLKA! DANZON! LO QUE QUIERAS!!!!
The Dancers are: Norma Zamora; Florinda Castillo; Dee Murff and Janie Alonso; Jessica Cerda

The artist Terry Ybanez will exhibit a series of prints that are golondrina-inspired, and the photographer Joan Frederick is exhibiting twenty years of Salute! Bar photos! Also for sale.

Salute! Bar International
2801 N St. Mary's
San Antonio
210.732.5307
www.saluteinternational.com

The Reading begins at 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm. FREE.
Includes Deliciosa Comida. Cash Bar.
If you want to stay and hear Esteban, $10.00 at 10:00 pm

PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT AZENETH AND LA MUSICA BIEN GROOVY!

BookWoman Reading, Sunday, May 3rd, Austin, Texas

But what makes Golondrina special, what drives its considerable innovation and perfumes its hundreds of tiny pleasures, is the sheer descriptive mestizaje beauty of the novel’s language, word-by-word, in English and en español. González wields Golondrina’s Tex-Mex dialect with real mastery; in her hands, the language is lyrical, big, luxurious, funny, and terrifying. González’s arsenal, linguistically and as a storyteller, is immense and complex, with Joycean neologisms (“cornpaste”) and fierce rhythm...
Golondrina, for all its potential difficulties, deserves and has the power to attract a wide audience. If you care about the changing face and language of American contemporary fiction (of world fiction; East Indian authors in particular, primarily in the UK, are pioneering new forms of English phraseology, too), and if you love a good story, and appreciate vivid descriptions of Texas landscape, architecture, culture and history rendered with surprising touches of beauty and dark humor, I’ve got a book for you bien cierto. •(Sarah Fisch, San Antonio Current, see link above)

Golondrina, why did you leave me? Book Reading
Sunday, May 3rd, 3pm
BookWoman
5501 N. Lamar #A-105
between N. Loop & Koenig
Austin, Texas
512.472.2785

The Rosalinda Reading/Latino Cultural Center, Dallas Texas

My girlfriend, Rosalinda Garcia, a teacher from Grand Prairie, Texas, has cancer. It's bad, and it's good in that Rosalinda is loving life every single minute.

On Monday, April 20th, I'm reading at the Latino Cultural Center, a place that is a dream come true for me, as the appointee on the Commission for Cultural Affairs who initiated, and led its establishment in the early stages.

I couldn't have done it without Maria T. Garcia Pedroche. Dr. Catalina Garcia. Diana Flores. Regina Montoya. Felix Zamora. And Rosalinda Garcia, who listened, protested, and helped me with her powerful listening, patience, support, protesting, marching, and most of all - love.

So I am dedicating my reading to her. Golondrina, why did you leave me? is a love story based on my mother's life. And like her, Rosalinda is a golondrina: questioning, freedom-loving, fearless, and most of all, she knows that love is the land we're seeking.

Reading for Rosalinda
from Golondrina, why did you leave me?
The first Chicana novel from UT Press/Chicana Matters Series
Latino Cultural Center
Monday, April 20th, 2009
Dallas, Texas
7 pm

Praise for Golondrina, why did you leave me?

But what makes Golondrina special, what drives its considerable innovation and perfumes its hundreds of tiny pleasures, is the sheer descriptive mestizaje beauty of the novel’s language, word-by-word, in English and en español. González wields Golondrina’s Tex-Mex dialect with real mastery; in her hands, the language is lyrical, big, luxurious, funny, and terrifying. González’s arsenal, linguistically and as a storyteller, is immense and complex, with Joycean neologisms (“cornpaste”) and fierce rhythm...Sarah Fisch, San Antonio Current