Author: DuranConcepts

Kicking off 2022…

by DuranConcepts

We’re excited to announce that Central American Collective has been awarded a Houston BANF grant!

The past few years have been a labor of love researching, learning, and connecting to spotlight the positive impact of Central Americans. We are so thankful for this opportunity to continue building Central American cultural capital and empowering our communities through the power of art and culture. In the upcoming weeks we will share what we’ve been working on for 2022!!

We’re proud of our team and of our fellow grantees for their unwavering dedication to serving Houston’s communities of color through the arts.

See a full list of BANF grantees on the Houston BANF page!

Gracias.

Celebrating Central American Authors

by DuranConcepts

This 2021 we celebrate literary works by Central American authors. Too often our voices are lost in the larger Latin American space so it’s important to uplift our own across all industries and mediums. We’ve compiled a list of Central American authors (one source: Teaching For Change) that we wish to highlight. As part of this effort we’ve also purchased the books and plan on raffling them off at in person events in Houston and through social media.

Please help us continue uplift our voice by supporting Central American authors and also share with us any additional authors we should highlight in the future.

GUATEMALA

Omar Castaneda – Among the Volcanoes  [Middle Grades]

HONDURAS

Melissa Cardoza – 13 Colors of the Honduran Resistance: Trece colores de la resistencia Hondureña (Letras) [HS/Adult Nonfiction]

EL SALVADOR

René Colato Laínez – Mis Zapatos y Yo Cruzando Tres Fronteras [Early Childhood/Elementary]

Jorge Argueta – Agua, Aguita | Water, Little Water [Early Childhood/Elementary]

Mario Bencastro – A Promise to Keep [Middle Grades]

Randy Jurado Ertll – The Lives and Times of El Cipitio  [HS/Adult Fiction]

NICARAGUA

Nina Serrano – Nicaragua Way [HS/Adult Fiction]

COSTA RICA

Sergio Ramírez – La Fugitiva [HS/Adult Fiction]

CENTRAL AMERICA

Edited By Leticia Hernández-Linares, Rubén Martínez, & Héctor Tobar – The Wandering Song: Central American Writing in the United States [HS/Adult Nonfiction]

Upcoming Houston area events we will be a part of:
September 15 – NEA Big Read Kick-off & Book Distribution @ 6pm
September 18 –Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta @ Houston Public Library @ 11am

Mujeres Filmmaker Series

by DuranConcepts

***This event is in partnership with the Holocaust Museum Houston in celebration of Indigenous Heritage Month as they feature artists, scholars, and films that pay tribute to Indigenous Peoples’ ancestry and traditions worldwide. ***


Did you know Central American filmmakers are telling incredible stories? Join us for this virtual program highlighting mujer filmmakers exploring our history and social justice issues affecting Central Americans across fronteras. Meet the creatives and learn about their process through special Q&A’s.
———-
In collaboration with Pan American Round Table of Houston 

Celebrating Central Americans in Houston

by DuranConcepts

Join us next Friday Oct.9 with Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say to celebrate Centroamericanos at The Ultimate Hispanic Heritage Month virtual event.

Learn more at http://bit.ly/uhhmcentroamerica

FEATURING

Roberto Lovato was born in San Francisco to Salvadoran immigrants who raised him in the City by the Bay’s historic Mission District, home to the highest concentration of murals of any neighborhood in the world—and the reason his aesthetic is California urban not “tropical.”

Lovato is an educator, journalist and writer based at The Writers Grotto. He’s also the author of Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs and Revolution in the Americas (Harper Collins). A recipient of a reporting grant from the Pulitzer Center, Lovato has reported on the drug war, violence, terrorism in Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Haiti, France and the United States.

Most recently, Roberto joined authors Myriam Gurba and David Bowles in co-founding #DignidadLiteraria, the movement advocating for equity and literary justice for the more than 60 million Latinx persons left off of bookshelves of the United States and out of the national dialogue.

Get your copy of Roberto Lovato‘s book! Support this Central American author and show major publishers that our stories are important and deserve to be published.

Available on Bookshop.org

Available on Amazon.com

PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT!

by DuranConcepts

Central American Collective (CAC) is proud to announce a new partnership with Pan American Round Table of Houston (PART Houston). Under this agreement PART Houston will serve as the fiscal sponsor and co-host programming throughout the year.

CAC will unveil new educational initiatives highlighting Central American culture and fundraise through PART Houston’s platform. We will continue to elevate our community’s voice across a variety of mediums and to an expanded audience as we both share a passion for celebrating art and the cultural richness of the western hemisphere.

Projects Under Development

  • Central American Film Screenings including Filmmaker Q&A’s
  • Vitrina Centro America – digital show highlighting Central American innovators & creatives
  • Sponsor one PART Houston scholarship to be awarded to a young lady of Central American Heritage

Please consider donating by visiting the fundraising platform

CAC in El Salvador

by DuranConcepts

We were so lucky to be home in El Salvador at the same time Cachada – The Opportunity premiered in national theaters. We invited 25 of our friends and family to attend one of the shows at Gran Villa in San Salvador and it was extremely special. The group consisted mostly of women but everyone was touched by this incredible documentary and had amazing reviews.

We encourage you to spread the word about this and other Central American films and the importance of supporting our filmmakers and creatives.