THE 16TH ANNUAL BORDER BOOK FESTIVAL
SHOOTING STARS/ESTRELLAS FUGAZES/ÉTOILES FILANTES

Click here for a detailed schedule of events.

Shooting Stars, the 16th annual Border Book Festival, will take place April 8-11, 2010 in Mesilla, New Mexico. The theme celebrates the luminous beauty and spirit that is to be found in life, at once transitory, incandescent and meaningful. Our children, our youth and our elderly are the shooting stars of our lives illuminating the shimmering trajectory of our days.

Featured festival writer is Victor Villaseñor, author of Rain of Gold, considered one of the finest tales of immigrant life, often equated to an Hispano “Roots.” Villaseñor is the author of many books including the trilogy Wild Steps of Heaven, Rain of Gold and The Thirteen Senses. Other books include Macho!, Burro Genius and a recent memoir, Crazy Loco Love. His upcoming book is Rain of Gold, 2013.

Villaseñor will give a Presentation, Walking Stars: We are All Walking Stars on Friday, April 9 at the Mesilla Community Center. Tickets are $10. The Friday night event will also feature the music of Luna de Fuego which features Nancy Lorenza Green and César Ivan from El Paso, Texas. Villaseñor will be presented with The Premio Fronterizo, awarded to artists whose work heals borders, real and imagined, between people. MAANRRS, (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences), a service organization from NMSU, will received the Sunshine Community Service and Volunteer award.

Villaseñor will offer a Plática/Talk on the afternoon of Saturday, April 10 entitled Rain of Gold 2013: Indigenous Wisdom. Families, young people and the general public are invited to learn about Victor’s new novel and his creative vision. Sponsor for this event and for the School Outreach Programs is the New Mexico Community Foundation. http://www.victorvillasenor.com/

Festival events on Saturday April 10 includes a storytelling event for families and children with cuentista/storyteller Kathleen Contreras, author of Braids/Trencitas (Lectorum). The bilingual story shows the importance of family and of reading, while also emphasizing the importance of passing along cultural traditions. Following the storytelling session will be a community Lotería game. Lotería is a form of Mexican Bingo. Prizes will be awarded.

Martha Egan, author of La Ranfla and other Stories (Papolote Press) will offer a writing workshop for writers of all backgrounds and ages, Writing Stellar Prose: An Interactive Workshop For Emerging Stars. Cost is $7.
http://www.papalotepress.com/

Carlos Aceves will offer an interactive Aztec/Mayan calendar workshop during the festival limited to 20 participants. Aceves has written a novel, Diadema, set in the familiar town of Paseo, a Texas border town. In 1990 he established the Xinachtli Project, a curriculum grounded in Mesoamerican spiritual tradition, which contained complex systems of mathematics, philosophy, agriculture, and the fine arts. The workshop is by donation but registration is required.
http://www.carlosaceves.com/bio.htm

The 2nd annual ¡Viva La Vida! Music Concert, in honor of Elsa Rodríguez (1986-2002), is sponsored by Ranchway BBQ and Mexican Restaurant, owners Jesús and Elsa Rodríguez. The free evening concert on the Mesilla Plaza will feature a 12 member Cuban group, Sobredosis del Sabor/Overdose of Flavor.

Sobredosis del Sabor came to life when a group of Cuban Teenagers got together after finalizing their studies in one of the top musical schools in Cuba. Coming from different regions of the country and with different backgrounds, they created a unique sound that conquered the hearts of Cuban Salsa dancers. Bring a lawn chair and your dancing shoes for the 7:00 p.m. concert. http://www.myspace.com/sobredosisdelsabor

Sunday, April 11 will feature Pan Dulce y Café de La Olla/Mexican pastries and coffee at Galería Tepín and the Cultural Center de Mesilla. Storyteller Kathleen Contreras will delight audiences with her children’s book, Pan Dulce. This is an opportunity to meet the festival artists in an informal setting and visit one of Mesilla’s newest galleries, housed in a former coin shop and newspaper office, once a coach house and shed where skunk pelts were dried.

The festival will end with a Shooting Stars reading on Sunday afternoon with writers and storytellers Martha Egan and Nancy Green and others.

Shooting Stars, the 16th annual Border Book Festival, is an explosion of energy not to be missed. Tickets are available at the Cultural Center de Mesilla, 2231 Calle de Parian. Most events are by donation.

For more information on festival events contact the BBF.
575-523-3988 • bbf@borderbookfestival.com

Please note: We are forgoing the Trade Show format this year. Folks, we have moved chairs and tables for so long we feel a need to concentrate on smaller venues with still powerful readings, panels and workshops and fewer writers/artists.

We are not scheduling as many events as in the past to concentrate on the bookstore and our online book sales as well as Galeria Tepín. We have done a recent inventory of our first edition, out of print and rare books and will offer them online.