Tonight at the Library of Congress: Michael D. Coe "The Kislak Oyohualli Shell Pendant: Eroticism and War Among the Toltecs"

7 pm Coolidge Auditorium, Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, 10 First St SE ADA@loc.gov

Mexico Swine Flu Update: Dr Carlos del Rio, Expert on Infectious Diseases, Writing for CNN

Carlos del Rio, MD, is the Hubert Professor and chair in the global health department at the Rollins School of Public Health and professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Emory University's School of Medicine. Del Rio is a native of Mexico and was executive director of the National AIDS Council of Mexico from 1992 through 1996. Read his important new article for CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/29/del.rio.flu/index.html

Rosedale, the Historic Country Estate in Washington DC Founded by General Uriah Forrest

Apropos of the publication of my novel, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, new on the webpage: Rosedale, Washington D.C.'s Historic Estate founded by the prince's great grandfather, General Uriah Forrest.
(I snapped this photo a few years ago, in winter, obviously. Right now the lawn is emerald-green and the trees in glorious bloom.)
Photo Copyright (c) C.M. Mayo

Read an excerpt from the opening of the novel, "The Darling of Rosedale" (originally in Potomac Review).

Mexico Flu Outbreak: Links

It really is serious. Here's an excellent interview by National Public Radio's Jacki Lyden with science writer Laurie Garrett--- exactly why this is so dangerous, what happened in 1918, and what you can do to protect yourself. Also, Inside Mexico offers some tips for protecting yourself here.

If you protect yourself, you may also save someone else's life. This can be highly contagious. As Laurie Garrett explains, the genetic material in this virus is similar to the 1918 strain.

More anon.

Mini Blog Vacation This Week

Meanwhile, read my guest-blog post over at Work-in-Progress (with an intro by my amiga novelist Leslie Pietrzyk, that is way too nice... ) Thanks, Leslie...

Road Trip: Review of Best of Contemporary Mexican Fiction

Pablo Jaime Sainz, contributing writer to the Union-Tribune's Latino newspaper, Enlace, just published this review of the splendid new anthology, Best of Contemporary Fiction in Sunday's San Diego Union tribune. It includes one of my translations, of a magnificent short story about Ishi by Alvaro Enrigue.

PS If you're interested in Mexican literature, check out my 2006 anthology, a portrait of Mexico in 24 Mexican works of fiction and literary prose: Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion.

Poetry From the Inside Out: A Pocketful of Voices / Un Bolsillo de Voces

A delightful new book is almost out-- publication date May 2009-- from the Center for the Art of Translation: A Pocketful of Voices / Un Bolsillo de Voces, a bilingual collection of poetry and translation edited by Maria Gould, Anita Sagastegui, and John Oliver Simon. It defies easy description; it's a charming collection of childrens poetry and translation, but much more than this. It includes side-by-side poems and translations by children as well as works by major poets, among them, Alberto Blanco, Pablo Neruda, Gioconda Belli, Octavio Paz and Rainer Maria Rilke. Read more about this book, its use in the classroom, and the Center for the Art of Translation at http://www.catranslation.org/education.html Order the book here. Teachers take note: If you want to receive information about how to bring PIO to your school or classroom, or how you can support PIO programs in your local schools, please contact Sarah Valor at svalor@catranslation.org.

The press release says,

A Pocketful of Voices is an ideal volume for introducing world poetry to children eight and up and is an indispensable resource for educators and students of all ages in literature, creative writing, Spanish, and multilingual classrooms.

I quite agree, and highly recommend it.

P.S. John Oliver Simon is the translator of Tameme's latest chapbook, Jorge Fernandez Granados' Ghosts of the Palace of Blue Tiles. Read an interview with John Oliver Simon here.

More anon.

Blogs Noted

This week's list of blogs noted:
Kate Joynes-Burgess
Poetry, Poetics, Poesis (T.R. Hummer)
Rose City Reader
Zone

Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington DC: Ruben Gallo, Barbara Tenenbaum, David Huerta, Mark Schafer

Three excellent Mexican literary events in DC this week:

Thursday April 16th @ 6:30 pm "Mexican Modernity: A lecture about artists and writers living in Mexico City in the early 20th century" A conversation between Ruben Gallo and Barbara Tenenbaum. Gallo is an award-winning writer and scholar and professor of Latin American literature at Princeton University. Tenenbaum is the Specialist in Mexican Culture at the Library of Congress. She is currently writing a history of Mexico City.

P.S. Re: Mexican artists: check out this 2008 guest-blog post for Madam Mayo here.

Friday April 17 @ 12 pm, Library of Congress, and @ 4 pm, Georgetown University, Room ICC-450, "Two Bilingual Readings with acclaimed Mexican poet David Huerta and translator Mark Schafer. Huerta is one of Mexico's most important living poets. Shafer has translated the poetry, novels, stories and essays of numerous Latin American writers. He is also a visual artist.


And then, on May 12 also at the Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington DC, I'll be presenting my historical novel based on the true story, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, with an introduction by John Tutino, professor of History, Georgetown Univertsity. More about that anon.

Agustin de Iturbide y Green (1863-1925)

Photo now on-line here.

UPDATE:

>>> The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C.M. Mayo, the novel based on the true story (Unbridled Books, 2009; paperback 2010)

>>> El último príncipe del Imperio Mexicano por C.M. Mayo, la novela basada en la historia de la vida real. (Grijalbo-Random House-Mondadori, 2010).