Dr. Van Wagenen Book Available at Lecture Series

Dr. Michael S. Van Wagenen will be speaking at Club Padre this Friday at 5:30 p.m. as part of the UTB/TSC Island Lecture Series. The topic of his lecture will be "The Enduring Legacy of the U.S. - Mexican War."

Michael Scott Van Wagenen, is an award-winning documentary film-maker and teaches history and documentary film at the University of Texas at Brownsville. You can read more about his extensive academic and film career at this link. His book on this topic is now under contract with the University of Massachusetts Press, but won't be available for another year.

He does have a book that was published in 2002 by Texas A&M Press titled "The Texas Republic and the Morman Kingdom of God." This is a book about the little known local history behind the Mormon church's attempt to purchase this region in 1844 to create a theocratic buffer state between Mexico and Texas.

Readers state:

“The Texas Republic and the Mormon Kingdom is well written and tells a story that few Texans know. It is easy reading that offers an excellent history of the Mormon movement and its founder. It shows another side to Sam Houston, a loyal Baptist but certainly interested in attracting other religions to his Republic. Get this little book, it will add a different perspective to the development of our state.” --Mexia Daily News

“This readable, well-researched book would be a valuable addition to any Texas history collection.” --The Gilmer Mirror

“The author of this new book furnishes us with many interesting facts and ably tells the tale of the pioneering efforts of a 150-member expedition led by Mormon apostle Lyman Wight beginning in 1845.” --Off The Press

Paragraphs will have 25 copies of Dr. Van Wagenen's book on hand at the lecture and he has graciously agreed to stay and sign copies for anyone who wishes to purchase one from us. I am offering a 20% lecture discount for a total of $16.50 with tax. I hope this will provide an added dimension to the Friday event and I thank Club Padre for the opportunity.

More about the book:

From its earliest days of colonization, Texas sparked the imagination and ambition of some of North America’s greatest leaders. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was one such man. His interest in Texas coincided with the strategic goal of Sam Houston, the president of the young Texas Republic, to create a buffer zone between the areas of Anglo settlement and Mexico. History has until now hidden how close the ambitions of these two men came to carving out a Mormon Kingdom of God in the Republic of Texas.

In 1844 Smith and his followers were received with political jealousy, religious suspicions, and distaste by their neighbors in Nauvoo, Illinois. Smith looked outside the United States for both refuge and empire. Times were difficult for Texas president Sam Houston, as well. Texas faced the wrath of the Comanches on the western frontier and of Santa Anna on the disputed southern border. To make matters worse, the U.S. Congress was balking on the annexation issue. Houston was desperate, in debt, and looking for assistance from England, France, or perhaps even the Mormons. Smith appointed an ambassador to the Texas Republic, and secret negotiations began in earnest.

According to Mormon records, Houston agreed to sell Smith a disputed strip of land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. Before the Mormon leader could take further action, however, he was murdered by a mob in Illinois. In the leadership succession crisis that ensued, the negotiations were abandoned.

Yet, the secret negotiations cannot be seen as a total failure. Houston remained a friend to the Mormons throughout his political career and was later instrumental in ending the Utah War of 1857–58. In addition, a group of Mormon settlers emigrated to the Texas Republic on the eve of statehood and became an important part of the Texas cultural mosaic.

Tickets are $2.00 per person and are available at Club Padre or the South Padre Island Visitor Center. If you are interested in purchasing a book but cannot make the event give me a call at 956-433-5057.

Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival comes to SPI

I am really excited about Paragraphs being asked to provide a venue on the Island, for this year's Poetry Festival. On April 25, at noon, we will have several poets here to read their work and guests will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with the featured artists. Refreshments will be provided and there will be anthologies, t-shirts and other items available for purchase.

The following is an e-mail I received from RGV Arts:

The Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival (VIPF) continues its second year to celebrate National Poetry Month from Apr. 23—26, 2009, with readings, workshops, and slam contests in venues across the Rio Grande Valley—all free and open to the public. This year’s festival features more than 40 poets in total, with 35 registered poets. Featured poets are Larry D. Thomas, poet laureate of Texas (2008), Amalia Ortiz, a La Feria native who supports herself through poetry readings across the country. Amalia has thrice appeared on HBO’s Russell Simmons presents “Def Poetry Jam. Also featured is Nephtalí De León, noted Chicano muralist and writer. The poets will be conducting readings in schools on Friday, Apr 24, then in coffee shops, libraries, museums, cultural centers, bookstores, and art galleries Valleywide and even in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Saturday, Apr, 25.

As far as we know we’re the only poetry festival anywhere with concurrent readings in two countries. -- festival founder Daniel Garcia Ordaz

On Friday evening, Apr. 24, there will be a youth poetry slam (recitation contest) as well as readings by college and university students, followed by the adult poetry slam—all at South Texas College (Pecan Campus) in McAllen. Music will be provided during a brief intermission by Pulse.

Poetry is a much practiced yet little celebrated literary genre. It’s in our lullabies, our sad goodbyes, our booty-calls, our bathroom stalls. It’s everywhere. Poetry is a rich and accessible form, but it’s often dismissed as too childish or way too deep, as if poetry isn’t what holds together our favorite songs, our favorite commercials, our favorite speeches. -- Garcia Ordaz

VIPF kicks off on Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009, at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce conference room with an anthology release party. Poets included in the collection will be on hand to read some of the selected entries in Boundless 2009, the anthology of the festival.

Unlike most poetry festivals, we solicit and accept submissions from all poets regardless of whether or not they registered to read at the festival. Poetry is not only for and by dead white men or young angry Chicanos; one of the goals of the festival is to be inclusive. While not every entry received was selected for publication, we are extremely proud of the caliber of the poems, which speak for themselves. -- Garcia Ordaz

Public and private venues have come forward as hosts. Aside from the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and South Texas College (Pecan and Mid-Valley campuses), other venues include Jitterz Coffee Bar (Mission), Galeria 409 (Brownsville), Paragraphs On Padre Boulevard (South Padre Island), Donna Hooks Fletcher Museum (Donna), and Museo Casamata (Matamoros).

We’re stimulating the economy here. We have poets traveling from Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, so the festival is already having a positive economic impact on the Valley. We’ll be spending money here—for food, lodging, and transportation. The McAllen Chamber of Commerce understands the business of art, which is why they’re our main sponsor. -- Garcia Ordaz

Boundless 2009 includes poems by poets from around Texas and other parts of the U.S. and even poems by an American living in London

We’re giving a voice to the often ignored and a stage to largely unknown word artists. We’re building international brotherhood and celebrating diverse cultures. Aside from giving poets a chance to ply their trade, sell books and merchandise, we’re also giving the audience free cultural programming. -- Garcia Ordaz

The festival’s grand finale will be the third annual Poetry Pachanga—the event that started it all in 2007 at UT-Pan American. The Pachanga, which follows a private dinner for poets only, is where all registered poets will take the stage, together for the first time. Doors open to the public at 7 p.m. at the Narciso Martínez Cultural Arts Center, with music by Incohero at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Poetry Pachanga. “Borderline,” artwork by Celeste De Luna, will also be on display.

Anyone who has pre-determined thoughts about poetry will find that this is not simply a festival by and for angry young Latinos—although we have some of those. Our festival poets are a broad amalgamation of very diverse poets presenting verses about love, lust, lemons, life—and everything in between. We have professors and pachucos, housewives and hoodlums, silly and serious poets coming together to teach, entertain, and make you think or even pee in your pants. -- Garcia Ordaz

VIPF 2009 is a program of Art That Heals, Inc., and with major funding from the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and also sponsored by South Texas College, the Narciso Martínez Cultural Arts Center and El Zarape Press.

Mi Educación es la Causa is NACCS Conference Theme

I found information about this conference at RGV Life:

South Texas College plays host to the NACCS Tejas Regional Conference from Thursday, Feb. 28 through Saturday, Mar. 1, 2008 and has recruited prolific and important Mexican-American scholars and authors from across the nation to participate.

In the article, South Texas College history instructor and conference coordinator Victor Gomez says:

“We are so pleased with the response to this event and the willingness of top scholars in this field to come out and, in some cases, back home to the Valley to share their perspectives with our community. This will be an invaluable opportunity for not only local educators and students, but also the community as a whole.”

The story continues:

Participants include professors and authors from New York University, Notre Dame, Rice University, The University of Colorado at Denver, The University of California at Santa Cruz, California State, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University to name a few. Faculty and students from South Texas College, The University of Texas at Brownsville and The University of Texas-Pan American will also participate.

....The two keynote speakers will speak at the McAllen Convention Center. Rodolfo F. Acuña, the author of Occupied America: The History of Chicanos, and Martha P. Cotera, the author of Diosa y Hembra: The History and Heritage of Chicanas in the U.S., will discuss their experiences in studying, teaching and writing about the Mexican-American experience. They will share their perspectives on the opportunities for Mexican-Americans in the 21st century and how education has and will continue to be a foundation for the exploration of Mexican-American culture.

Following the keynote addresses, the community is invited to an evening of cultural activities including an author meet and greet with more than 25 Mexican-American scholars signing their books. Participating scholars include: Rodolfo Acuña, Martha Cotera, José Angel Gutiérrez, Guadalupe San Miguel Jr., Norma Cantú, Armando Alonzo, Josephine Méndez-Negrete, among other very important scholars.

This sounds like a prestigious conference. Reading the announcement made me reflect on the common perceptions which many hold about the RGV. Many times since I have been researching the idea of opening a bookstore on South Padre Island I have been warned about the reading habits of the valley population.

I can't even put a number on how many times I have been told - "the valley residents don't read" or "the culture in the valley doesn't value reading" and "the Mexican nationals who visit the island won't be interested in a bookstore". Yet, here we have a conference being held in Harlingen, attended by world class scholars and 25 Mexican-American authors will be signing books.

There seems to be a contradiction here. Does the general public do the valley community an injustice with these kind of over-generalizations? I'm sure I don't know - just a thought.