tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36941621007387886802024-03-17T22:01:09.735-05:00HispanicNashville.comIn the South We Are All RelatedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694162100738788680.post-77646195721859012472017-04-13T22:36:00.001-05:002017-04-14T07:45:44.322-05:0015,000 new Spanish-language ebooks at Nashville Public Library via Odilo<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2rqJb-qaN4UWp824V6byRZCMHAnYXX00KGsVAdGc7wHAT_FbFGymoplPrA4yuhVokEn8N143yZ1nU98rvla8QHIX0svceqBie8W7uq9gzHZKMZ1ugw0Ho1rf9QSilI8GifnBPN_7yphD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-13+at+10.27.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2rqJb-qaN4UWp824V6byRZCMHAnYXX00KGsVAdGc7wHAT_FbFGymoplPrA4yuhVokEn8N143yZ1nU98rvla8QHIX0svceqBie8W7uq9gzHZKMZ1ugw0Ho1rf9QSilI8GifnBPN_7yphD/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-13+at+10.27.44+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>screenshot of Odilo on Nashville Public Library web site</i></td></tr>
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A library card in Nashville now gets you access to 15,000 free ebooks and other media in Spanish, thanks to the recent launch of the Odilo service by the Nashville Public Library. Odilo can be accessed through a web browser, mobile devices, and on Kindle Fire.<br />
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The Spanish-language collection on Odilo includes ebooks, streaming audiobooks, magazines and videos. Patrons can check out up to 10 titles at a time for 7, 14 or 21 days.<br />
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“Adding Odilo’s Spanish-language ebooks to our collection furthers Nashville Public Library’s mission to connect our community and inspire reading,” said Library Director Kent Oliver. “We are proud to serve such a diverse city with materials people want and need."<br />
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The library cites the fact that "about 9% of the greater Nashville population speaks Spanish at home, according to U.S. Census data collected in 2015."<br />
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A link to the Odilo tool, and a promotional video for Odilo (not specific to Nashville), are below.<br />
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<a href="https://library.nashville.org/content/odilo">https://library.nashville.org/content/odilo</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWabdz3hpa871hlxJ8WTHioNsw8aUyVE_Rv-cTfZLNwZc1an5ALJ7_VNDtq7TePBBFVC2gLcl25yWNQWUDejTk5NWoOHvkUesbAhxYAZzV_npZjO82QQF38bhJEa87EsdixiJi1rWJ8-7/s1600/gomezsolano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWabdz3hpa871hlxJ8WTHioNsw8aUyVE_Rv-cTfZLNwZc1an5ALJ7_VNDtq7TePBBFVC2gLcl25yWNQWUDejTk5NWoOHvkUesbAhxYAZzV_npZjO82QQF38bhJEa87EsdixiJi1rWJ8-7/s320/gomezsolano.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L-R) Marcela Gomez, Javier Solano</td></tr>
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Starting with the tips, "We don't speak in one voice," and then continuing, "but sometimes we do," <b>Marcela Gomez</b> and <b>Javier Solano</b> appear on the <i>Tennessean</i> web site today with 13 tips about local Latinos for the incoming mayor of Nashville, Megan Barry. Gomez is CEO of Hispanic Marketing Group in Nashville, and Solano is vice president at McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations. Gomez and Solano are President and co-Vice President, respectively, of the <a href="http://www.tlacc.org/">TN Latin American Chamber of Commerce</a>.<br />
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Tip #9, about "Hispanic" vs. "Latino," for instance:<br />
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<b>Neither, really. </b>Mexican, Colombian, Cuban, American — any of these will work. Don’t hyphenate. That confuses us. And if you must use Hispanic or Latino, as we’re doing here, we think Latino is better because it’s more of a self-selected term. Don’t lose any sleep over it, though. Not a big deal.</blockquote>
Also, about not speaking in one voice (tip #1):<br />
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<b>Here in Nashville, we have about 65,000 Latinos, representing more than 20 countries</b>, five ways of saying the word “orange” in Spanish depending on where they’re from, <b>two chambers</b>... </blockquote>
Ah, the two chambers. The Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce used to be called the Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (see tip #9), and the other Hispanic chamber is the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The fact that there have been two Hispanic chambers in Nashville almost from the moment there was even one, and the frequently asked questions in town about "the" Hispanic chamber, were the subject of <a href="http://files.hispanicnashville.com/101.html">HispanicNashville.com's own "101" page</a> back in the day.<br />
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As for Latinos speaking in one voice, that's a reference to both <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2009/01/vote-today-it-is-important.html">the defeat of "English Only" in 2009</a>, and the more recent cause of tuition equality. Tuition equality gets its own tip (#3). Considering this mention of a statewide legislative issue, and the likelihood that some of Gomez's and Solano's statements like "we love this country" (#11) are probably already understood – <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/us/mudslinging-in-race-for-nashville-mayor-shakes-citys-political-scene.html?_r=0">compassion for immigrants was a point of agreement between Barry and her runoff opponent</a> – the authors are not just speaking to Barry. They're leveraging the recent election as an opportunity to speak to the city as a whole, its newly seated council, and the state leaders who govern from Nashville and read its daily paper.<br />
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The full column by Gomez and Solano is <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/contributors/2015/09/16/13-things-know-nashville-latino-community/72305366/">here</a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694162100738788680.post-56868048148370134002015-09-07T05:38:00.000-05:002015-09-07T05:48:04.154-05:00Thank you for your work<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmB-pqk61JtnlBRDXCUz-L-t8p5BBl1GCUF-n7WeQ4jEhsjVCqVRQSfF2wSTb1CmFq8Rts8TGbqjE8bPwTHXTio5yyn7DEgVAXtAH3WrIwwQDisf2jaZALCx3fer-03dNXuqZ1bq4J2hsz/s1600/Sounds56E-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmB-pqk61JtnlBRDXCUz-L-t8p5BBl1GCUF-n7WeQ4jEhsjVCqVRQSfF2wSTb1CmFq8Rts8TGbqjE8bPwTHXTio5yyn7DEgVAXtAH3WrIwwQDisf2jaZALCx3fer-03dNXuqZ1bq4J2hsz/s320/Sounds56E-crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francisco Castro, working on First Tennessee Park<br />
Detail of photo by <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/baseball/2015/04/18/baseball-new-sulphur-dell-park-like-old-times/25975503/">John Partipilo / The Tennessean</a></span></td></tr>
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Today is Labor Day. We celebrate work.<br />
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Today I am thinking of Francisco Castro's hands hard at work at First Tennessee Park, the popular new stadium of our minor-league baseball team, the Nashville Sounds. Castro was <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/baseball/2015/04/18/baseball-new-sulphur-dell-park-like-old-times/25975503/">photographed by John Partipilo of The Tennessean</a> in a feature about opening day.<br />
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My Facebook has lit up since then with photos of friends enjoying the place. Less visible are those who built it, so kudos to Partipilo and the paper for offering a glimpse.<br />
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We don't have a list of everyone who put their energy, effort, and skill into the construction of the stadium, but we do have Francisco's name. Thank you, Francisco, for your work - your labor, on behalf of a city excited about the home team's new home.<br />
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Happy Labor Day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MissLatinaTennessee/photos/pb.788613401223460.-2207520000.1440056797./848617065223093/?type=3&theater" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOqKdhsvBXh-P641v_vJQFklLVXyCpFN0HRnFIqJE85YzV_GAeWhOMRem3OaRIxFEfhJnq6tgRcZn-HTgZfRUUJRszrnQUrrJ1JTmdniDvHBujGipt-8RzM94lnrK13VzxjWQ2Jnczfgl/s320/11813490_848617065223093_3831019150271240897_n.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Tennessee Latina 2015 Diana Cisneros<br />
Photo by Erik Lara Photography<br />
Source: <a href="http://facebook.com/MissLatinaTennessee">facebook.com/MissLatinaTennessee</a></td></tr>
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<b>Diana Cisneros</b>, named in July as this year's <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MissLatinaTennessee/">Miss Tennessee Latina</a></b>, will be traveling to the Miss U.S. Latina pageant from August 30 through September 6 in Cancún, Mexico.<br />
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In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Spnashville/posts/1641594856124579">video interview with Su Programa</a>, Cisneros mentions her social work studies at Nashville State Community College and MTSU, her arrival to Nashville six years ago from her hometown of Queens, New York, and her proud parents, who are from El Salvador.<br />
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A <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/zjbjh8">gofundme crowdfunding page</a> has been set up at to help Miss Cisneros with expenses related to the pageant, but as of August 20, attempts to donate are generating an <a href="http://support.gofundme.com/hc/en-us/articles/205615077-Why-isn-t-my-campaign-accepting-donations-US-Canada-">error message</a>.<br />
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<i>Update: The crowdfunding page has been fixed.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9jX3kcw3wIbgmU2HZQwvYg4RWR-nrTOLz1laZVUBf-mLCLzsWfNaAiDGC0LLcLHQMpiz2Yb860Cf1V1RfKiTfDXVPRdyE9Z6e8m6O5oxzzS-hD356eblAEnQl1WCW90RltiS31zif3aI/s1600/419212_10151352099525447_194876539_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9jX3kcw3wIbgmU2HZQwvYg4RWR-nrTOLz1laZVUBf-mLCLzsWfNaAiDGC0LLcLHQMpiz2Yb860Cf1V1RfKiTfDXVPRdyE9Z6e8m6O5oxzzS-hD356eblAEnQl1WCW90RltiS31zif3aI/s320/419212_10151352099525447_194876539_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lindi Ortega (<i>Source:</i> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151352099245447.818790.16426965446&type=3">facebook.com/lindiortegafans</a>)</td></tr>
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<b>Lindi Ortega's</b> new, 10-song album "Faded Gloryville" landed her on the pages of the <i>Nashville Scene</i> this week. With the <i>Scene</i> describing Ortega's "warbling throwback vocals" as being supported by "some of the hottest producers in roots music," the talent and the art are clearly alive. Interestingly, <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/lindi-ortega-created-faded-gloryville-but-she-cant-get-away-from-it-fast-enough/Content?oid=5461260">the article</a> points out that the title track is a funeral march, which makes sense in the context of a career that the <i>Scene</i> calls, "DIY country noir."<br />
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Ortega, who is half-Mexican by way of her father, has brought the somber topic of death to her music partly through her fascination with the holiday <i>Día de los Muertos</i>. From her official web site:<br />
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Through the works of Frida Kahlo, <b>Lindi found an appreciation for Dia De Los Muertos, the Mexican Celebration of the dead</b>. As a graduate in Philosophy from the University of Toronto, Lindi has always been fascinated with the idea of death and found irony in the Mexican depiction of Skeletons dressed up and almost cartoon-like during a day where the dead were celebrated. <b>Suddenly death did not seem so morbid... It began to take on a certain whimsy.</b> Lindi believes that both life and death could stand to be a little more whimsical.</blockquote>
In <a href="http://www.americansongwriter.com/2013/01/lindi-ortega-shades-of-grey/">an interview with American Songwriter</a>, Ortega sees this mix of the morbid and the celebratory even in classic country music:<br />
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Maybe that’s the reason I like Johnny Cash songs so much. <b>“Folsom Prison Blues” has one of the most crushing lyrics of all time – “I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die” – but it’s set to this jovial, happy, clip-cloppy beat.</b> If you took away the lyrics and just listened to the music, you’d think it was a different kind of song. So it’s the light and the dark, the ups and the downs, that I’m most attracted to.”</blockquote>
Ortega is a native of Toronto and currently lives in Nashville.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9MgJAP-yIvekF8WybXDUnDX6SWOZsZWaG8r0DWhKonGUWEdmGb_Wd71b-c6EvF8uxDSrXosfmldp8rccs8hAlGVJK2RNaxajNk9YPybiXg_tHBcWbUEuULwni_j16qHEQxp6kYZRnRI9/s1600/11873766_899279053442650_7285597844714650638_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9MgJAP-yIvekF8WybXDUnDX6SWOZsZWaG8r0DWhKonGUWEdmGb_Wd71b-c6EvF8uxDSrXosfmldp8rccs8hAlGVJK2RNaxajNk9YPybiXg_tHBcWbUEuULwni_j16qHEQxp6kYZRnRI9/s320/11873766_899279053442650_7285597844714650638_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L-R) Ted Cruz, Tommy Vallejos, Michelle Garcia<br />
<i>Source: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=899279490109273&id=103152693055294">Facebook/Tommy Vallejos 14th District</a></i></td></tr>
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U.S. Senator and presidential candidate <b>Ted Cruz</b> passed through Nashville yesterday, stopping to speak to supporters in nearby Murfreesboro and Franklin. Cruz had previously announced a state Leadership Team that includes Murfreesboro businesswoman <b>Michelle Garcia</b> and Clarksville Mayor Pro-Tem and pastor <b>Tommy Vallejos</b>. While pressing the flesh, Cruz posed for a photo with Garcia and Vallejos.<br />
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From the <a href="http://blog.4president.org/2016/2015/08/ted-cruz-for-president-announces-additions-to-tennessee-leadership-team-sen-cruz-names-stephen-siao-.html">Cruz campaign press release</a> on the Tennessee Leadership Team:<br />
<blockquote>
Michelle Garcia is a wife, a mother of two, and a Tennessee native who strongly supports conservative principles and who eagerly strives to serve her community. Michelle speaks fluent Spanish and is actively involved with Hispanic outreach. Professionally, Michelle has over 16 years of experience as an association manager and meeting planner, in addition to small business management and ownership experience.<br />
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Tommy Vallejos is a retiree of the US Army, where he proudly served over 21 years and was awarded the Bronze Star. He is the Care Pastor for Faith Outreach Church in Clarksville, and he is also the first ever Latino county commissioner in our state, currently serving his second term representing Montgomery County. Tommy is a dedicated husband, father and grandfather, and he is an unapologetic advocate for Jesus Christ.</blockquote>
Garcia and Vallejos are also members of the conservative political group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LatinosForTN/">Latinos for Tennessee</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSsWKVCwYq35LwhQzXDylrCRV6gOuG8jIAtZx5v7v1ZTF6Didmx7FTuTq1YVA2PVSgBr35LVAs5eQFXEG9I0VmitpnCeiBxgua3hyKHJJqJVAyAIg0CbGIiwGGhwq30KalZobAWrojnVr/s1600/cover_7-23-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSsWKVCwYq35LwhQzXDylrCRV6gOuG8jIAtZx5v7v1ZTF6Didmx7FTuTq1YVA2PVSgBr35LVAs5eQFXEG9I0VmitpnCeiBxgua3hyKHJJqJVAyAIg0CbGIiwGGhwq30KalZobAWrojnVr/s400/cover_7-23-15.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nashville Scene</i>, July 23, 2015. Photo by Angelina Castillo.</td></tr>
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The name of U.S. President Jimmy Carter standing in a tiny corner, <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/a-lavish-rite-of-teenage-passage-opens-a-window-onto-middle-tennessees-hispanic-communities-andmdash-and-their-growing-economic-power/Content?oid=5327282">the July 23, 2015 Nashville Scene cover</a> (you've probably already seen it) features a full-size photo of 15-year-old twins <b>Stephanie and Melanie Angel</b>, smiling and raising glasses in the middle of their <i>quinceañera</i> birthday party, wearing matching aquamarine-colored dresses that their mother picked out for them. The debutante party market is booming in Hispanic Nashville, according to the feature with the straightforward title, <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/a-lavish-rite-of-teenage-passage-opens-a-window-onto-middle-tennessees-hispanic-communities-andmdash-and-their-growing-economic-power/Content?oid=5327282">Quinceañera!</a><br />
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<i>Scene</i> staff writer <b>Dulce Torres,</b> who won <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2008/11/winner-of-conexion-americas-inaugural.html">Conexion Americas' inaugural young writer essay contest in 2008</a>, interviewed suppliers feasting on the strong and growing local <i>quince</i> demand - including photographer Dalila Duarte of Miyagui Photography and Video, Andrew Vallomthail of Bridal and Formal Wear by RJ, and Rocio Zenon of Coreografias Rocio Zenon. The price tag on these Middle Tennessee parties reaches the $10,000 to $20,000 range, so much that parents are offering to buy their daughters cars instead, according to the story. Family members who treat it as a reunion are prone to defray the cost to the proud parents. From the story:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I tell my daughters that this will be something beautiful. Apart from your 15th birthday, the family you've never met will be reunited," Enrique says. He says many relatives are coming just to see long-lost family.</blockquote>The business reporting is interspersed with a narrative window into the fraternal twins' dance prep, party theme compromises, and the chants of jubilant attendees cheering on friends and family. <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/a-lavish-rite-of-teenage-passage-opens-a-window-onto-middle-tennessees-hispanic-communities-andmdash-and-their-growing-economic-power/Content?oid=5327282">Read the full story here</a>, illustrated by <i>Scene</i> photographer <b>Angelina Castillo.</b><br />
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</b> Nashville <i>quinceañeras</i> used to be <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2011/01/quinceanera.html">featured on the cover of HispanicNashville.com</a> and are still <a href="http://holatn.com/?p=8196">featured in the pages of HolaTN</a>. But a <i>quinceañera </i>cover story on the <i>Nashville Scene - </i>now that's the sign of a city growing up. Party, anyone?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeQsBjC6diwjS2iR3qunm9f-wbWBZUyFgChwr7JA0cTPzE9puTsSfnB4buOYLAkaIOGZ46oUzhlnHGNK9hKB0-lsBB16cqQwm08W1wMg5OSXR7sCRbVPa_Ct1Y5IsBszMEHZF1ByF1Opt/s1600/Florencia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeQsBjC6diwjS2iR3qunm9f-wbWBZUyFgChwr7JA0cTPzE9puTsSfnB4buOYLAkaIOGZ46oUzhlnHGNK9hKB0-lsBB16cqQwm08W1wMg5OSXR7sCRbVPa_Ct1Y5IsBszMEHZF1ByF1Opt/s1600/Florencia.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
The first opera to be presented in Spanish in Nashville will be "<b>Florencia en el Amazonas</b>," performed by the Nashville Opera at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on January 23, 25, & 27, 2015. "Florencia en el Amazonas" was composed in Spanish by Daniel Catán and is inspired by the writings of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the musical romanticism of Puccini and Debussy. The opera is sung in Spanish with easy-to-read projected English supertitles.<br />
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A related <b>preview of the opera, via visual art</b>, is open now through January 17 at The Arts Company, 215 5th Avenue of the Arts in downtown Nashville, during regular gallery hours, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The exhibition features nine local Hispanic artists. After the opera performances conclude on January 27, the exhibition will move to the Noah Liff Opera Center and will complete its run in April and May at Casa Azafran (specific dates to be announced later). The exhibition is supported through a Metro Nashville Arts Commission grant to the Nashville Opera, and presented in cooperation with Conexión Américas and The Arts Company.<br />
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The plot of the opera is set 105 years in the past, on the Amazon River:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In 1910, <b>seven people board a small steamboat</b> for a voyage down the Amazon River toward an unexplored jungle paradise. But soon the characters find themselves on a surreal journey that dares to venture deep into the mysteries of the human heart. Among all the passengers, Florencia seeks the most desperate love of all: Lost love. A true love she long ago let slip through her fingers, and now vows to find again.</blockquote>
“It is a privilege to help discover and present artists in the Nashville Hispanic community,” remarks Anne Brown, owner of The Arts Company. “Especially to work directly with the Nashville Opera and Conexión Américas, <b>tying the artwork to the theme and style of an opera written in Spanish</b>, as well as to the personal experiences of Hispanic artists living and working in the Nashville area."<br />
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Participating artists include <b>Liliana Velez, Jorge Arrieta, Orlando Garcia-Camacho, Antuco Chicaiza, Yuri Figueroa, Mandy Peitz, Mike Quinones </b>and<b> Jorge Yances</b>.<br />
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Mandy Peitz described her art and its connection to the exhibition and the opera:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My Hispanic roots flow deep inside my creativity – beautiful and dangerous like a river meandering through the jungle. <b>Vibrant shades of red, blue and orange</b> saturate my work, dancing with shadows below. This Kansas girl is thrilled to be part of a show where I can exhibit the fantastic and magical scenes that permeate my mind.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuantanameraTN/posts/327173680807855" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTzGPPssBH5mQS5trmNopJxz_mJg-YFHpNeiJDnbOtWrNmPFCc9Gtvv1GVtMA5uKUd-UT0VZQMPmE2eA0fSPn92iG5RdHKhKAiy3vPc95v0EbhyphenhyphenvCIIFnab7zVxYro1Fhc9X8_0yoGzUr/s320/Screen+Shot+2014-12-28+at+10.29.32+AM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The closure notice posted on the restaurant's Facebook page</td></tr>
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The same week that <i>Nashville Scene</i> food critic Carrington Fox listed owner <b>Alfonso Nieto</b>'s <i>paella</i> as one of "<a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/in-days-of-extraordinary-restaurant-growth-simple-tastes-stood-out/Content?oid=4848322">2014's most memorable mouthfuls</a>," on December 26 <b>Guantanamera Restaurant </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuantanameraTN/posts/327173680807855">posted on Facebook that it has closed</a>.<br />
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Starting with its April 2013 debut, the Cuban, Caribbean, and Latin American menu had featured a variety of food and drink including fried plantains, tamales, empanadas, maduros, and mojitos.<br />
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The closure announcement cites location (near the intersection of Nolensville Road and Harding Place) as the economic culprit.<br />
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The announcement goes on to say that the banquet and events business will survive, and that a second chance for the restaurant - at a different site - might be in the cards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/in-days-of-extraordinary-restaurant-growth-simple-tastes-stood-out/Content?oid=4848322" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUtEuX_efX3Ly7DyHQHlwd_FZ-NmGzDzSmaDvT20FAYTmEsXG-gkncLAqhhrJOlcVxjh2CHuw3Dg49F7b73L-VIgM6GgdKLWVCdXNsGL-1LD5vUUhDOMUiDHkxzb8Nc0cBOvxpGngm40h/s320/Screen+Shot+2014-12-28+at+10.18.44+AM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three days before it posted its closure notice, Guantanamera's <i>paella</i> was praised by the <i>Nashville Scene</i> as one of the top ten Nashville tastes of the year</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRfbhWmkAmBiemZWTTy_z9A8k3J86YsxDED7hS5SLCStiRsLl0MzRDRwlAMi8uUkUG73sQxQhv4KwslkJ5wV1fZFkMg9qk4KbGT6PWaOveSEzialx8cCLvQ6MXMOPWQF9AqljnXFXbtAi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-11+at+7.39.54+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRfbhWmkAmBiemZWTTy_z9A8k3J86YsxDED7hS5SLCStiRsLl0MzRDRwlAMi8uUkUG73sQxQhv4KwslkJ5wV1fZFkMg9qk4KbGT6PWaOveSEzialx8cCLvQ6MXMOPWQF9AqljnXFXbtAi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-11+at+7.39.54+AM.png" height="320" width="275" /></a></div>
At 3pm Nashville time on Thursday, June 12, the World Cup begins in Brazil. Middle Tennesseans can watch the opening match, Brazil-Croatia, at a viewing party at Guantanamera Restaurant, at 3744 Nolensville Pike, near the entrance to the Nashville Zoo. The party starts at 2:30pm and will be hosted by the <a href="http://www.tlacc.org/">Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce</a>.<br />
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A finger food buffet, live music, and mojitos await attendees. Admission is $35 ($30 for TLACC members) and includes unlimited access to the buffet and two drink tickets.<br />
<blockquote>
"The World Cup is the biggest and greatest sports event in the world celebrated every four years. When 32 countries come together in one location to celebrate one sport we must take notice. Every four years Latinos from all over the world gather around a TV set to see their team/country play in the World Cup, if our team didn't qualify we pick our next top choice and when or if that team is disqualified we cheer for our "mother-land", Spain. The tradition is handed down from generation to generation, the World Cup is a must watch event. This year we the, Latin American Chamber of Commerce will celebrate this tradition with passionate seasoned soccer lovers and spectators alike, we will cheer, yell, applaud and possibly cry. It was important for us to offer this viewing party in a location that reminds us of being home, Guantanamera Restaurant, offers that taste of home in South Nashville. We hope to continue to celebrate our culture and traditions in our new home city and we hope to convert spectators into fans." -Marcela Gomez, VP of the Board of the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce.</blockquote>
Read a glowing review of Guantanamera in the <i>Nashville Scene</i>, <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/bites/archives/2013/04/19/the-road-episode-29-guantanamera-restuarant-eating-our-way-down-nolensville-pike">here</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/merlin1487/5518280677/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Y0I-LH-hDold_mjgK8KNzbIEfgTRtflkH4Arym9Kq-bK0m8tynPJbbhIuTHxH3AVCmNuB5K2WGAPsS5-grPvw3cAh2viNnft4b5CcLESfc7qm54Y0L5Y-Ow_Jz8W5MgQw5Zdn1uCcbez/s1600/5518280677_581f2a1e3f_z.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/merlin1487/5518280677/">Marino González</a>. Licensed via <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">Creative Commons</a>.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A confession: some of my interviews with Hispanic Nashvillians </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 13.65pt;">have never seen the light of day. Yes, I asked questions, and the interviewees answered, but some of those exchanges </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 13.65pt;">wither away in storage collecting dust.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">One of the interviews is with a morning co-host at a local Christian radio broadcaster, who got her job in 2010 and who gave me an interview in 2011. I posted an excerpt at the time, but there was much more to it that what you saw.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Another interview collecting dust is with a Music Row executive. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 13.65pt;">Another is with a local TV news personality. You haven't seen either of those.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 13.65pt;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 13.65pt;">Just so you know, I'm dusting off these interviews. Coming soon... </span><span style="line-height: 13.65pt;"> </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694162100738788680.post-27780479499473125412014-05-06T19:52:00.000-05:002014-05-06T22:52:21.279-05:00Jackie Arredondo CMA performance and donation to follow Sabado Gigante gig<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jackiearredondo.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlOiclbz2Jta9ORvTfxiOfQ6tPgDHPh0VPgQKdyoq2-Jej3jYV-m8wKS5aCOgfiBHYc9wHpeXTH8ZuqYJJxJv0s_a3yTsMc8eYQE07h-uP464I5GjUycR9Cq1ueZt0yrS1Ox2QfjkOTeR/s320/Jackie-Boots.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jackie Arredondo. Submitted photo.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Latina country music performing artist <b>Jackie Arredondo</b> will autograph and donate a pair of her boots to the CMA Celebrity Auction, as part of the CMA Music Festival this June. Proceeds raised by the annual auction are to be donated to CMA’s Keep the Music Playing charity in support of public school music education. Jackie will be performing during CMA Fest on June 3, 2014, in an unplugged show at O Gallery, located at 1305 Clinton St., Suite 120, from 6pm-8pm. Tickets can be purchased <a href="http://www.jackiearredondo.com/">on her website</a> or in person by contacting <a href="mailto:sheyla@spanish-tvtucanal.com">Sheyla Paz</a>.<br />
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</div>Jackie was recently on a panel of experts for a singing competition on Sábado Gigante, Univision’s long-running, highly rated variety show. Arredondo was also in charge of the vocal coaching for the competition, called Viva la Diva. Arredondo has provided vocal coaching to singers working with producers like Emilio Estefan, Tommy Mottola and Sean (P Diddy) Combs.<br />
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Arredondo, a Cuban-American raised in Miami, Florida is a multi-talented artist who has already gained attention for her career as a country singer; her EP, “Just Call Me Jackie,” which was produced in Nashville by Brian G White.<br />
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Her last single “Like We Used To” was playing on radios in over 50 stations around the world including in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Scotland, Australia, Netherlands, England, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Northern Ireland, Sweden, New Zealand and France. More recently, she released her new single “<i>Amar Como Antes</i>”, the spanish version of her song "Like We Used To" to the Latino market.<br />
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She was recently in Nashville recording her upcoming single.<br />
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More info at <a href="http://www.jackiearredondo.com/">www.jackiearredondo.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/">Nashville Film Festival<u> </u>2014 </a>needs you. With ten days--April 17-April 26--and two locations--Regal Green Hills' lower level and the downtown Walk of Fame Park, NaFF needs more volunteers than ever. <br />
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Areas of service:<br />
Ushers<br />
Box Office<br />
Set-up and tear-down<br />
Facilities/Logistics<br />
Floaters<br />
Press & Industry tent<br />
Projection assistant/runner<br />
Laminate/ID checkers<br />
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Main Guidelines for Volunteers:<br />
You must be at least 18 years of age.<br />
You must be willing and able to work with the public.<br />
You must be ready to have fun!<br />
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To volunteer, go <a href="http://www.hon.org/HOC__Volunteer_Opportunity_Details_Page?id=a0CA000000XiZP9MAN">here</a>. For more information, go <a href="https://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/support/volunteer/">here</a>.<br />
cmccainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07996609079761948963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694162100738788680.post-91312790209515104982014-03-12T04:18:00.004-05:002014-03-12T04:18:40.723-05:00School board approves MNPS pre-K at Casa Azafran<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ribbon cutting in October 2013 of United Neighborhood Health Services' Unity Clinic at Casa Azafran. Another ribbon-cutting appears to be on the way, this time with Metro Schools. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.639569932754296.1073741833.148730618504899&type=3">Photo source: Casa Azafran</a></i></td></tr>
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Thanks to the Nashville public school board,<b> </b>four-year-olds may soon be attending pre-kindergarten at <b>Casa Azafran</b>, the prominent new immigrant-welcoming community center on Nolensville Road.<br />
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In today's <i>Tennessean</i>, Joey Garrison <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/article/20140311/NEWS04/303110129">reported on last night's school board meeting</a>, where planning for the pre-K center at Casa Azafran was approved. The idea of <b>Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Jesse Register</b> is to expand the reach of pre-K throughout the entire city, according to the article. Garrison previously reported on the Casa Azafran-Metro Schools partnership in more detail, <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014302230050">here</a>, indicating that this new pre-K would be up and running for <b>60-80 new students in the fall of 2014</b>. Garrison cited Register as saying that improved, early <b>English language learning</b> would be one of the center's primary benefits.<br />
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Casa Azafran's December 2012 opening was covered by the <i>Nashville Scene</i> <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/at-casa-azafrandaacutens-grand-opening-the-culturally-interlaced-nashville-of-the-future-arrives-early/Content?oid=3099988">in this article</a> by Jim Ridley, and the center features prominently in <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/renata-soto-the-driving-force-behind-casa-azafrn-helps-nashvilles-diverse-communities-converge/Content?oid=3977384">the paper's story naming Renata Soto as Nashvillian of the Year</a> in 2013.<br />
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<b>Conexion Americas</b>, the non-profit which anchors Casa Azafran, also announced the news of the school board decision <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConexionAmericas/photos/a.339162422769226.89491.163863510299119/753444951340969/">on Facebook</a>.<br />
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Congratulations to Alfonso Cuarón who made history this week as the first Latino to win the Oscar for Best Director. And congratulations to <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.examiner.com/article/nashville-film-fest-about-choice-and-voice" href="https://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org">Nashville Film Festival</a> next month, April 17 – 26, 2014, for a record-breaking number of entries—3,133 films from 125 countries—and other Fest Firsts. International submissions grew to 1,404 compared with U.S. films at 1,729.<br />
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In addition to the <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org" href="http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/">Nashville Film Festival</a> named as an Academy Award Qualifying Festival for short narratives, short documentaries that win at NaFF will now be given Oscar consideration as well.<br />
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“In five years we’ve doubled the call,” said Brian Owens, artistic director. “We can attribute it to NaFF’s reputation among filmmakers as one of the best festivals to get into in the world, and Nashville’s reputation as one of the world’s best cities to visit.”<br />
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Other firsts in 2014, NaFF’s 45th Anniversary year, include NaFF’s inaugural Screenwriting Competition, drawing 1,523 entries in feature, short and teleplay divisions. Also, the festival will expand to 10 days and will take place in two locations.<br />
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The downtown location, is named the Nissan Multicultural Festival Village, at <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.visitmusiccity.com/walkoffame/" href="http://www.visitmusiccity.com/walkoffame/">Walk of Fame Park</a>, will offer free films for the public nightly in NaFF’s outdoor theater. It will also feature live music events, a cash bar, and, on weekends, activities for families. For three days, April 18, 19, and 20, <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.examiner.com/article/nashville-2012-opens-film-fest-with-diversity" href="http://www.examiner.com/article/nashville-2012-opens-film-fest-with-diversity">NaFF</a> will screen free films at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. <br />
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Regal Cinemas Green Hills will be the site of more than 200 film events in six theaters, the VIP tent for filmmakers, celebrities and members, and the NaFF Red Carpet.<br />
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“2014 promises to be a ground-breaking year for the Nashville Film Festival,” states NaFF Executive Director Ted Crockett. “From expanding our dates to presenting events in multiple venues throughout Music City, these changes will lift NaFF into the top tier of 1,500 U.S. film festivals with programs and attendance rivaling Sundance, Toronto, and Seattle Film Festivals.”<br />
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Tickets go on sale Monday, April 7th at 10 AM for the Nashville Film Festival here: <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/buy-tickets/" href="http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/buy-tickets/">https://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/buy-tickets/</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa7Svyw3qYoI2BjlBrGFHTyTMM7rOPC1iVivoFaBgY5HdUqUqapLYaOeuxCSxQ0Iow390FmpxR__qbvgIUTtu-W2_qhxzhfmTzqBN-V99lVd2OcqK3lJV2lt3LsW9k2iDQwqtHAKqTHpl/s1600/lucasavilaprimero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa7Svyw3qYoI2BjlBrGFHTyTMM7rOPC1iVivoFaBgY5HdUqUqapLYaOeuxCSxQ0Iow390FmpxR__qbvgIUTtu-W2_qhxzhfmTzqBN-V99lVd2OcqK3lJV2lt3LsW9k2iDQwqtHAKqTHpl/s1600/lucasavilaprimero.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucas Avila Primero</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lucas was from the city of Cubulco, Baja Verapaz, in Guatemala. He had two brothers and two sisters. He worked with his hands, in construction, on the Vanderbilt University campus. His visitation was at Ellis Funeral Home on Nolensville Road. He died December 7, 2013, crossing West End Avenue, close to where he worked.<br />
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</b> <b>Lucas Avila Primero</b> was 25; may he rest in peace.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OU_PT_XvSJHyrrqXehuoBfVshCg_TzHqJX_WcgIuPJUEnk5PWtN5DsoPqiKWo3WUD9FqkXUcETMIZ83DB_hc4_I6A_ecw2J7Ef9reit8wrVAOvdwNG5BkNlPFspn1S-DRsCcX7vHtukB/s1600/elenazamora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OU_PT_XvSJHyrrqXehuoBfVshCg_TzHqJX_WcgIuPJUEnk5PWtN5DsoPqiKWo3WUD9FqkXUcETMIZ83DB_hc4_I6A_ecw2J7Ef9reit8wrVAOvdwNG5BkNlPFspn1S-DRsCcX7vHtukB/s1600/elenazamora.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elena Zamora</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Elena listed Lebanon, Pennsylvania as her hometown. She spent time in Villarrubia De Los Ojos, Castilla-La Mancha, in Spain, where she had family, and she was fluent in Spanish and English. She had two brothers and three sisters. She was a junior at Hume-Fogg, where she ran track and field. Her visitation was at St. Henry Catholic Church on Harding Road. She died December 19, 2013, crossing the intersection of Rosa Parks Blvd. and Church Street, close to her school.<br />
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</b> <b>Elena Zamora</b> was 19; may she rest in peace.<br />
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<a href="http://www.tennessean.com/article/20131031/NEWS01/310310065/Smyrna-mom-4-fought-deportation-won-" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0b3MszVg5S3Sir9-KTK-BZ-9w0-UxB_Too7btpYb_Yah_WKKZymigEa7v675JcqgbFh3mAzsRU70qtc5wt77OKLHHgKeZ3NIGXRBnlOkMiDi9Hqtmddmyv3-kjLEaXHk-j16OHGZ4klPU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-09+at+11.00.jpg" /></a></div>
Beyond the subject matter itself, what impressed me most about <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/article/20131031/NEWS01/310310065/Smyrna-mom-4-fought-deportation-won-">Heidi Hall's recent story</a> in the <i>Tennessean</i> about the immigration struggle of <b>Fani Gonzalez</b> was how Hall wrote it.<br />
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Specifically, Hall used a full complement of the English language.<br />
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<b>Hall, General Assignment Reporter/Editor at the <i>Tennessean</i></b>, did not fall into the <i>in vogue</i> trap of the immigration beat of U.S. journalism, which would be to <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/09/frequency.html">disproportionally and monotonously</a> use a two-word legal label* to describe Gonzalez throughout the story.<br />
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Hall's story avoids that misstep**, and her lede exemplifies this better route:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Three times, Fani Gonzalez packed a suitcase, clutched her daughters in a tearful goodbye and begged the Virgin of Guadalupe for a miracle — anything, just anything, that could keep her from being deported back to her violent home city in Mexico.</span></blockquote>
From these 41 introductory words, the reader learns Gonzalez's name and some hints of her family, religion, immigration status, and nationality. It's information and color, not monotony.<br />
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Writing like this needs to return to the immigration beat. Kudos to Hall.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*<i>either "undocumented immigrant" or "illegal immigrant"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">**<i>The words "undocumented immigrant" show up 5 times in Hall's 1461-word piece and describe Gonzalez's family only once.</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREuik57JYtvA7rN8el92GzZXn0t1XXcvOVuRmdjlJDGgayXQgHzcDuC-6z4NAYNCgtce3_YNW91uy9W07Wku3k3kG7khXoFBEVCKS7HM7J9rqx1hlFtTGNhngCNvvkI-l0an9pfJHZL2E/s1600/HNN+logo+10-500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREuik57JYtvA7rN8el92GzZXn0t1XXcvOVuRmdjlJDGgayXQgHzcDuC-6z4NAYNCgtce3_YNW91uy9W07Wku3k3kG7khXoFBEVCKS7HM7J9rqx1hlFtTGNhngCNvvkI-l0an9pfJHZL2E/s1600/HNN+logo+10-500.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Ten years ago today, the first stories appeared on HispanicNashville.com. A decade already - wow.<br />
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Some of the stories from the first few days are still reverberating today. One was, "<b>Conexion Americas</b> wins <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2003/10/conexion-americas-wins-best-new.html">Best New Entrepreneurial Venture</a> in Nashville Scene's Best of Nashville 2003 Awards." The next day: "Attorney <b>Ana Escobar</b> <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2003/10/attorney-ana-escobar-ranks-second-in.html">ranks second</a> in Nashville Bar Association rating of candidates for Davidson County General Sessions Judge." There was even a story about possible <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2003/10/metros-downtown-sounds-stadium-proposal.html">minority contracting</a> opportunities in conjunction with <b>the Nashville Sounds' latest downtown stadium proposal</b>.<br />
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Today, a decade later, Conexion Americas' commercial kitchen <b>Mesa Komal</b> is winning its own <a href="http://kitchen.conexionamericas.org/bestof2013/">entrepreneurial honors</a> in the 2013 edition of <i>Best of Nashville</i>; Ana Escobar, now Metro Clerk, is about to join the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts as its <a href="http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2013/ana-escobar-resigning-as-metro-clerk-to-take-no-2-job-with-state-courts-system/">deputy director</a>; and the Sounds are still planning a new stadium <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2013/08/22/dean-administration-planning-80m-sounds-stadium-at-sulphur-dell">downtown</a>.<br />
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Also over the last ten years, the state has gone from letting all Tennessee immigrants buy car insurance, to restricting access based on immigration status, to issuing a certificate that made it broadly possible again to buy insurance, to eliminating the certificate, and then allowing insurance again - but only for young people with work permits. Ah, politics.<br />
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Speaking of which, the <b>Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition</b> also celebrates its 10th anniversary this year - this Saturday, in fact. Details <a href="http://www.tnimmigrant.org/">here</a>. (TIRRC's founding led to the first grassroots, statewide voice on the drivers license issue.)<br />
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HispanicNashville.com looks forward to telling more of Nashville's stories in the decade to come. There are new interviews in the pipeline, contributing authors joining the fun (anyone can apply), and a Music City still writing its Latin "record."<br />
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Hispanic and Latina victims and survivors of domestic violence in Williamson County can turn to <b>Bridges Domestic Violence Center</b>, which serves approximately <b>five Spanish-speaking clients and their children</b> each month.<br />
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Tennessee ranks <b>sixth in the nation for the rate of women murdered by men</b>, according to <a href="http://www.vpc.org/press/1309wmmw.htm">one study</a>. Intimate partner violence impacts <b>one in four women</b> in the U.S.<br />
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<b>October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month</b>, Verizon Wireless recently sent HispanicNashville.com information about its HopeLine campaign to get cell phones to abuse victims and funds to shelters and similar organizations (more on that below). Verizon was also nice enough to connect HispanicNashville.com to Bridges' bilingual outreach worker <b>Erica Roe-Fehrman</b>, who tells her story and the story of Bridges and its clients below:<br />
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<a href="http://bridgesdvc.org/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi533mSEBsjhSN4o0X_QfHwRb0zzjfcdKbFXE5oMq78ThjOjM3O5_KTAVWZdR3bshixD1g8H3bb30U6aAA3_XFrdzX0g0O1abk_KxKyK3SJQ49eR2T4tWqPlpvPpOWudLOC1PuHz8TnAPND/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-10-12+at+2.37.30+PM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Bridges has provided <b>Spanish bilingual services since September 2007</b> that include answering crisis calls, safety planning and information on the dynamics of domestic violence, working with local law enforcement in crisis intervention, emergency shelter, residential case management, resumes and job search assistance for those in shelter, as well as case management for those transitioning into independent living from our shelter. We also provide assistance with <b>Orders of Protection</b> in Williamson County, resourcing and referrals for community agency assistance, ESL classes, counseling/therapy, Legal Aid, and referrals for immigration assistance with the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. </blockquote>
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In the past year, we have served clients who originated from about <b>8 different countries</b>. Many of these clients are from Spanish-speaking countries. Our role is to provide trauma-informed services and a safe place for clients to make complex decisions and regain control of their life. For Spanish-speaking clients, their barriers to a life free of violence can include a range of issues. Some issues they specifically face can include things like being highly educated with <b>degrees from universities in other countries that are not recognized by many employers</b>, an extremely isolated life from an abusive partner who allows no access to English classes, their immigration status being threatened or used against them by an abusive partner, not knowing how to access community resources or not having a support system of family for assistance. </blockquote>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkyyRbNrswPGIW1VE-fqrGenUUevnKEmURwsiEeVpqHZny5mPs2AtwAuvVti5XUa146yR1mezVO1usZBGvhymIZzwgoSAJ11lTY1rjwuheURK1bR9Ztm0RAO6sdSFKhqXaQjoP0hgRiEd/s1600/Erica+Roe-Fehrman+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkyyRbNrswPGIW1VE-fqrGenUUevnKEmURwsiEeVpqHZny5mPs2AtwAuvVti5XUa146yR1mezVO1usZBGvhymIZzwgoSAJ11lTY1rjwuheURK1bR9Ztm0RAO6sdSFKhqXaQjoP0hgRiEd/s1600/Erica+Roe-Fehrman+Photo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erica Roe-Fehrman<br />
Bilingual Outreach Advocate<br />
Bridges Domestic Violence Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have worked at Bridges for close to four years and for the past two years have served as the Outreach Advocate and Spanish-speaking Advocate. My educational background is a BS in Cultural Anthropology with an emphasis on Cultural Geography and Latin American Studies. My focus included issues in race, class, gender, socioeconomic barriers and forms of everyday violence. I also studied four years of Spanish and conducted field research on <b>barriers faced by Spanish-speaking migrant farm workers in Appalachia</b>. I am not a certified translator/interpreter or a native speaker but continually strive to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate program services to our clients who speak Spanish. <b>Working in advocacy and empowerment is something I dreamed of</b> while earning an education. To be able to do this on a daily basis in my community is an incredible experience and I feel that I learn much more from the courageous clients I work with than they learn from me.</blockquote>
<b>Verizon Wireless</b>, which has <b>grant-funded</b> program services at Bridges and provided its shelter clients with HOPE phones and calling cards for victims and survivors, <b>is encouraging the community to donate no-longer-used wireless devices</b>, with the proceeds going to support for victims of domestic abuse. The program has collected over 10 million phones since its inception in 2001, creating $18.1 million in cash grants for domestic violence agencies.<br />
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HopeLine currently supports <b>several domestic violence agencies in Tennessee</b> with free phones and wireless service for use by their clients. In addition to Bridges, HopeLine also supports Genesis House, Inc., Knoxville Family Justice Center and Legal Aid of East Tennessee. <br />
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“The statistics are consistently staggering: <b>One in four women, one in seven men and more than 3 million children</b> are affected by domestic violence each year,” said Jerry Fountain, president for Verizon Wireless in the Carolinas and Tennessee. “<b>Seemingly small efforts—like donating an old phone—can make a difference</b> in supporting families affected by domestic violence.”<br />
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HopeLine collection boxes are located at <b>every Verizon Wireless store</b>, and phones can be also be donated by mail using a pre-paid postage label. For more information, visit <a href="http://verizonwireless.com/hopeline">verizonwireless.com/hopeline</a><br />
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Bridges Domestic Violence Center is the <b>only domestic violence program in Williamson County</b> and primarily serves victims and survivors living in Williamson County. Shelter services are also provided to victims fleeing violence from other counties and states when space is available.<br />
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Bridges' Spanish-language flyer is <a href="http://bridgesdvc.org/getdoc/0a5db727-b1d3-4c03-921c-488e9c63a78c/Bridges_Spanish_Information">here</a>, and Verizon's Spanish-language flyer for HopeLine is <a href="http://aboutus.verizonwireless.com/communityservice/HopeLine%20Spanish%20General%20Poster.pdf">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhqhyAdCtL54p1CHrtuHr8T8cdD6tobkpy1qmhyrqraS9KmYrTNCfyLqBZkhRqJkFS_7AUVnQx9wrOBGmL1ZCOBbk3DOMpc4nGcJKW_q4lWyb8CR4_6F6IGIyqND_4MQqyielx7jK37zl/s1600/FUTURO_Fall2012032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhqhyAdCtL54p1CHrtuHr8T8cdD6tobkpy1qmhyrqraS9KmYrTNCfyLqBZkhRqJkFS_7AUVnQx9wrOBGmL1ZCOBbk3DOMpc4nGcJKW_q4lWyb8CR4_6F6IGIyqND_4MQqyielx7jK37zl/s400/FUTURO_Fall2012032.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo, fall 2012 FUTURO conference</td></tr>
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<i>By Rebecca Zanolini, Ed.S.</i><br />
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With Latinos increasingly represented on Tennessee’s college campuses as first-time freshmen and first-generation college students, campus organization <b>FUTURO</b> begins the 2013-2014 academic year on seven Tennessee campuses: MTSU, TSU, Lipscomb, Trevecca, Tennessee Tech, Nashville State, Austin Peay, and Volunteer State.<br />
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<i>Read below about opportunities to get involved in FUTURO, including two later this month.</i><br />
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Founded in 2011 by Ann Gillespie, CEO of Prolingua Inc., Jessie Garcia Knowles, Caroline Bizot, and State Farm, and inspired by Latino Achievers, a program of the YMCA run by Carol Seals and Kathleen Fuchs, FUTURO is a program of the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce, with a mission "<b>to be intentional with the development of young Latino leaders</b> as they chart their course from college to career.”<br />
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The idea is to prepare students for the professional workplace and beyond, with an emphasis on academic success, community service, professional skills development, networking, and mentorship.<br />
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As the faculty advisor for FUTURO at Nashville State Community College, I can speak personally about the positive impact our chapter has had on our campus. Starting in the fall 2012, I worked with Admissions Recruiter Chelsee Gray to establish the campus chapter, and the students quickly took to leadership roles and organized several campus and community events. We hold weekly meetings for one hour, and one of our projects is to partner with the career center on campus to do a variety of things like take "strengths" test to see what career might be a good fit, do mock interviews, receive resume writing assistance, and overall career suggestions.<br />
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As volunteers, last December we held a holiday/Christmas party for the special needs students at Glencliff High School. GHS is a feeder school to NSCC and has a large Latino student population, and many of our members are GHS graduates. We also volunteered with the Metro Nashville Police Department to help out at the spring community soccer fair and the summer community baby shower. There, we did everything from interpreting (most of my student members are bilingual) to handing out products and tickets, to anything else asked of us. <b>We will be volunteering again on September 21</b> with the MNPD for the large community Hispanic Heritage Festival in Nashville.<br />
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Our work was so appreciated on campus that our chapter won the Student Life, “<b>Organization of the Year</b>” Award for the 2012-2013 academic year. Many of our members kept in touch over the summer planning events and opportunities for the upcoming semesters.<br />
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This year - our chapter's second year in existence - we plan on working on mentoring and networking. Students have had the opportunity to meet professionals who support our program, but we want to take it one step further this year by forging intentional mentoring relationships with community professionals and FUTURO members. Furthermore, many of the members have expressed interest in becoming mentors themselves either with YLA or other area Latino high school students.<br />
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Beyond the NSCC chapter, FUTURO gathers all chapters together twice a year for a professional workshop conference. <b>Our fall conference is coming up on September 28</b>. Influential professionals with a Latino interest come and speak to the students and help us during our break out sessions. For example, Metro Councilman Fabian Bedne spoke at our inaugural conference.<br />
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Students interested in joining a FUTURO group, establishing a chapter on your campus, or interested in serving as a mentor may e-mail Araceli Vazquez at futuro.tlacc@gmail.com.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtngbqjsFZOXpbur0sUeArkWZzlVpz1qG1mjU7n7Vgtwq0fYbLp2j0NpkhKCVeTlXT-ihe8-SbR5wrWaFGFBg26_q4LjSe4buh1GKJ4Dpp2YdQLU-nWDQ8gzDOmfE-8PyRsqsjrgi0m2y/s1600/zanolini-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtngbqjsFZOXpbur0sUeArkWZzlVpz1qG1mjU7n7Vgtwq0fYbLp2j0NpkhKCVeTlXT-ihe8-SbR5wrWaFGFBg26_q4LjSe4buh1GKJ4Dpp2YdQLU-nWDQ8gzDOmfE-8PyRsqsjrgi0m2y/s200/zanolini-500.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<i>Contributor Rebecca Zanolini, Ed.S. is an </i><i>Instructor of Spanish and Faculty Advisor to FUTURO of Nashville State Community College. She has written for HispanicNashville.com about such diverse subjects as <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2011/11/mariposas.html">violence against women</a>, Conexion Americas' new home <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/04/casa-azafran.html">Casa Azafran</a>, <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/04/everyday-ruptures.html">children in migration</a>, the <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/02/american-football.html">Super Bowl</a>, <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/07/taxes.html">paying taxes regardless of immigration status</a>, <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/05/yla.html">YMCA Latino Achievers,</a> the <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/10/minority-caucus.html">Metro Council Minority Caucus' Hispanic Heritage Month celebration</a>, Williamson County Librarian <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/11/lupe-veloz.html">Lupe Veloz</a>, and her own "<a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2012/03/rebecca-zanolini.html">Costa Rican rebirth</a>." </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEcwcIJkztxSoowZDfWOlJi2r9Y8Df0CpLW2I_ZIzWEhkTKOhO6bU8UrpP6WhMQcc-kvpfc1ix7gwpeKv227mSlmTOjA1d8YmhrveFmI2pkZrJZDSn5_wrHzWpP7h3mF81oh3ubdYxjAL/s1600/969491_139205662936126_987870633_n.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEcwcIJkztxSoowZDfWOlJi2r9Y8Df0CpLW2I_ZIzWEhkTKOhO6bU8UrpP6WhMQcc-kvpfc1ix7gwpeKv227mSlmTOjA1d8YmhrveFmI2pkZrJZDSn5_wrHzWpP7h3mF81oh3ubdYxjAL/s320/969491_139205662936126_987870633_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Tennessee Latina 2013<br />
Leyanet Gonzalez<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo used with permission.</span></td></tr>
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<b>Miss Tennessee Latina 2013 Leyanet Gonzalez</b> is competing this week for the Miss Latina US title in Riviera Maya, with the finals to be held this Saturday, August 24, at the Palenque Theatre Barceló Maya Beach Resort. The national titleholder advances to the Miss Latin America pageant. The 2013 national pageant can be followed on the pageant site <a href="http://www.missuslatina.com/MainEvent-Miss.html">here</a> and on the pageant's Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MissLatinaUS">here</a>.<br />
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Gonzalez was crowned in May at the state pageant in Clarksville.<br />
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Gonzalez, 20 years old, was born in Cuba, grew up in Dalton, Georgia, and is a student at <a href="http://www.southcollegetn.edu/">South College</a> in Knoxville, where she is studying radiography with a concentration in nuclear medicine. "Miss" category runners-up included <b>Yesenia Quinos </b>of Chattanooga, <b>Ana Maria Castaneda</b> of Nashville, and <b>Stephanie Amezcua</b> of Clarksville. The category age bracket is from 19 to 27.<br />
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<b>Daniela Martinez</b> of Franklin was crowned <b>Miss Teen Tennessee Latina 2013</b> at the state pageant in May, as well. Martinez is a senior at Franklin High School (Class of 2014), is a member of the National Honors Society and the French and English Honors Society, and is a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. "Miss Teen" runners-up included <b>Kaila Saira Jones </b>of Clarksville, <b>Valeria Garcia </b>of Antioch, <b>Angela Perez </b>of Nashville, and <b>Bryanna Canales</b> of Clarksville. The teen category is for 13- to 18-year-olds.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Teen Tennessee Latina 2013<br />
Daniela Martinez<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photos used with permission.</span></td></tr>
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In the 2012 election edition of her high school's student newspaper, Martinez wrote a guest column, "<a href="http://www.wcs.edu/fhs/rebelreview/Election2012.pdf">Waiting in Line for the American Dream</a>."<br />
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Hats off to State Directors <b>Mildred Veron</b> & <b>Vicky Shuler</b>, who took over the pageant in 2011. From the pageants' Facebook presence, it appears that the title holders have been spreading the word. Veron tells HispanicNashville.com that the state pageants in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama teamed up to promote their titleholders as the "Queens of the South." The Georgia coordinators also run the pageants in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Veron and Shuler are looking at organizing Kentucky, as well.<br />
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There are at least two newspaper profiles of Gonzalez worth your time - the first appeared in the <a href="http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x479821232/Dalton-woman-fights-bullying-and-racism-in-Miss-Latina-US-pageant">Dalton Daily Citizen</a> - it's a great story, written by <b>Christopher Smith</b>, and it starts out like this:<br />
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She doesn’t remember it, but Leyanet Gonzalez said she came to Miami from Cuba on a small boat when she was an infant. </blockquote>
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“My mom said it was scary, that there was <b>nothing but flat water</b> for days,” said Gonzalez, now 20, of Dalton. “She said there was no way to know where you were. We had to go towards the Gulf of Mexico then to Miami to avoid the main currents. The Coast Guard expected us to go that way.” </blockquote>
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Now a legal citizen since 2000, Gonzalez says she does her best to make her family, still in Dalton, proud. That means <b>straight A’s</b>, attending South College in Knoxville as a junior, pursuing medical school, and on May 18, winning the Miss Tennessee Latina pageant in Clarksville, Tenn.</blockquote>
The second was published by the <a href="http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jul/02/knoxville-beauty-queen-overcomes-racism-embraces/">Knoxville News-Sentinel</a>, written by <b>Alex Thomason</b>, and here is an excerpt:<br />
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She also draws <b>strength from her brother</b>, who struggled to speak English in school when the family came to the U.S. Today, he is in his third year of pharmacy school at Belmont University. </blockquote>
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Gonzalez said <b>pageants allow her to feel empowered</b> and use that strength for the betterment of young people. She entered her first beauty pageant on a whim at age 20 and was awarded runner-up. The second contest was Miss Tennessee Latina.</blockquote>
You also have to love <a href="http://www.knoxville.com/news/2013/may/21/knoxville-celebrities-leyanet-gonzalez-tenn-latina/">Knoxville.com for its story</a> giving props to the beauty queen's parents <b>Leonel Gonzalez</b> and <b>Julia Pujol</b>.<br />
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The Facebook pages for the two state pageant categories and also the national pageant are here:<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MissTennesseeLatina">https://www.facebook.com/MissTennesseeLatina</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MissTeenTennesseeLatina">https://www.facebook.com/MissTeenTennesseeLatina</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MissLatinaUS">https://www.facebook.com/MissLatinaUS</a></li>
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Previous winners of the state pageant can be found <a href="http://www.missuslatina.com/StatePrel-TN.html">here</a>. The face of the pageant from May 2012 to May 2013 was <b>Miss Teen Latina Tennessee 2012 Karen Renee Valencia</b> of LaVergne. Karen is an honors student at LaVergne High School and a member of the school chapter of Health Occupational Students of America. She plans to attend Vanderbilt University and study medicine, in hopes of becoming an OB/GYN.</div>
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<i>Read more about Miss Tennessee Latina 2013 Leyanet Gonzalez in profiles published by the <a href="http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x479821232/Dalton-woman-fights-bullying-and-racism-in-Miss-Latina-US-pageant">Dalton Daily Citizen</a> and the <a href="http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jul/02/knoxville-beauty-queen-overcomes-racism-embraces/">Knoxville News-Sentinel</a>. </i></div>
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<i>by Ralph Noyes</i><br />
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ESL classes, commonly restricted to church basements, private homes, and other temporary or ill-equipped places, are now being brought to the people who need them.<br />
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The <b>ESL To Go</b> truck, Tennessee’s first mobile ESL classroom, celebrated its unveiling June 22 in Nashville’s East-Centric Pavilion. The four hour event included a plethora of international food, Burmese dancing, live salsa music by Revolfusion, and speeches by Mayor Karl Dean and Gatluak Thach, Executive Director of Nashville International Center for Empowerment.<br />
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The 12-seat, fully equipped, climate-controlled truck sat outside while people walked in and out. Leah Hashinger, Tenneessee Foreign Language Institute Instructor and co-creator of the project, sat inside and discussed how the idea came about. <br />
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“There was a meeting held at the Tennessee Office for Refugees where they discussed the top barriers that refugees had in getting to English classes. <b>Why aren’t they coming? They realized that they couldn’t get there</b>,” she explains. <br />
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The vehicle serves several apartment complexes with refugee resettlement communities in the south Nashville area along Nolensville road, and hopes to expand to Gallatin road by the end of the Summer. Half a dozen TESL Certified teachers work on the truck, giving <b>two-hour lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the Burmese, Iraqi, Somali, Vietnamese, and Congalese refugees</b> in the area. On “Special Interest Fridays”, the truck is reserved for community outreach projects ranging from health screenings to workshops. <br />
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“We want to provide them with the tools for a <b>faster, easier integration</b> into Nashville,” says Janice Rodriguez, TFLI’s Executive Director, “What we did was to create a dialogue with the refugee community about what they needed. That’s what it takes, and this was our answer. It will be a paradigm shift in the way that English classes are delivered.”<br />
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Individuals and community organizations interested in reserving the truck should contact Janice Rodriguez, at janice at tfli.org<br />
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<i>Voice of America also published a profile of the ESL To Go program in Nashville, <a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/mobile-classroom-brings-english-lessons-to-immigrants/1713684.html">here</a>.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Post Tenebras Lux</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><center></center></blockquote>by Cindy McCain<br />
Free books tonight and a party tomorrow are part of the fun at the Nashville Film Festival. Tonight at 9 PM is the Music City feature screening of <i><a href="http://prod1.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=55612~6d3c3eda-4574-4629-94a0-b33aed40439d&epguid=92fdf8e1-2159-4ca8-832f-2d6a27f56ed5&">Viva Cuba Libre: Rap is War!</a> </i>The film is a documentary by Jesse Acevedo on the arrest of the Cruz brothers and the censorship of rap duo, Los Aldeanos. As a volunteer for <a href="http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/">World Book Nigh</a>t, I will be at the screening and give away 20 free copies of Ray Bradbury's classic on censorship, <i>Fahrenheit 451. </i><br />
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Then on Wednesday, April 24th, The Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host a party to celebrate Hispanic films and filmmakers following the 6:30 showing of <i>Post Tenebras Lux</i> at the Regal Green Hills Cinema. Filmmakers, actors, Nashville Film Festival attendees and the public are invited to meet and mingle from 8 PM - 10 PM at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/alegria-mexican-restaurant-and-tequila-bar-nashville">Alegria Mexican Restaurant</a>. Please <a href="mailto:RSVP@nashvillehispanicchamber.com">RSVP@nashvillehispanicchamber.com</a>.<br />
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<i>Post Tenebras Lux</i> won Carlos Reygadas the Best Director award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It is the story of Juan and his urban family trying to live in the Mexican countryside. Can the two worlds coexist or will they eliminate one another?<br />
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One of the nineteen Hispanic-interest films showing at the Nashville Film Festival this year will be awarded Best Hispanic Film of 2013, an award co-sponsored annually by the NAHCC. For a complete list of Hispanic films at NaFF go<a href="http://nahcc.weebly.com/celebrate-hispanic-films-with-us-naff.html"> here</a>. <br />
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</script> <fb:comments href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2013/04/party-and-free-books-at-nashville-film.html" width="500px"></fb:comments> <iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2013/04/party-and-free-books-at-nashville-film.html" style="border: none; height: 80px; width: 500px;"></iframe>cmccainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07996609079761948963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694162100738788680.post-39949654306140301762013-04-19T08:14:00.001-05:002013-05-26T08:21:32.077-05:00Nashville 2012 Tonight at Nashville Film Fest<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><i><b><br />
</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6yA4kSvozpw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><b>Nashville 2012</b></i>, a Tennessee First selection, was a perfect choice for opening night of the<b> <a href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2013/04/nashville-film-festival-april-18-25.html">2013 NashvilleFilm Festival</a></b>. The eight-day event promising “Something for Everyone” provided a forum for this patchwork piece of our city’s communities. When an audience member asked directors/producers Jace Freeman and Sean Clark what they found most surprising when making the film about their city, Freeman quickly reflected and replied, “Its diversity.” <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Threaded by dates, stand-alone, engaging stories from their internet channel, <a href="http://www.docujournal.com/">Nashville Docujournals</a>, were woven together by seamless <i>un</i>performances—people simply and consistently being themselves. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Moving Picture Boys, Freeman and Clark, define <i>docujournals</i> as “stories told in the present tense from the perspective of an individual affected by the headline news of the day.” With this first film, their mission-- “to connect local communities to find common goals and increase our understanding of each other”—is accomplished. But in giving us the faces of those who occupy Nashville, there are face-offs, starting with those for and against the Occupy Nashville movement.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">“You are not good neighbors,” says a resident stonewalled by unmoved builders of 12 South Lofts. Though his battalion of backers lost the battle against the four-story conglomeration of condos, some who fought to make Middle Tennessee home won. Immigrant families celebrated the opening of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. But while Hispanic kids discuss feeling “protected” under the Deferred Action for Deportation for Childhood Arrivals, they are concerned that some of their parents and other relatives are not. One student voices frustration with those who assume immigrants don’t pay taxes. He says most do and receive no benefits other than education, though at the college level, they must pay out-of-state tuition. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">In 2013 Freeman and Clark plan to dig deeper into communities covered in the film. For more on the documentary that will screen again tonight at 9:45 go <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/nashville-2012-opens-film-fest-with-diversity">here</a>. Tickets can be purchased <a href="http://prod1.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=55595~6d3c3eda-4574-4629-94a0-b33aed40439d&epguid=92fdf8e1-2159-4ca8-832f-2d6a27f56ed5&">here</a> or at the lower level of Green Hills Theater. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em;"></div><div id="fb-root"></div><script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1">
</script> <fb:comments href="http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2013/04/nashville-2012-tonight-at-nashville.html" width="500px"></fb:comments> <iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://www.hispanicnashville.com/2013/04/nashville-2012-tonight-at-nashville.html" style="border: none; height: 80px; width: 500px;"></iframe>cmccainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07996609079761948963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694162100738788680.post-42160496000233122472013-04-15T22:09:00.002-05:002013-05-26T08:21:32.079-05:00Nashville Film Festival April 18-25<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Jpx3k5QNYypgLPQw44LtbupxrV9cNTdGE4TWwK-mD_2UHxkPLIg_qDOn9IBURa6tgX243qxhjLDqwOXHzldlZMHzi6zLWdbzDjHTNowysxG5aTY7ohZPk41cLZcvLg8yGn6M-cUO6Lda/s1600/1168005_Viva-Cuba-Libre-Rap-Is-War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Jpx3k5QNYypgLPQw44LtbupxrV9cNTdGE4TWwK-mD_2UHxkPLIg_qDOn9IBURa6tgX243qxhjLDqwOXHzldlZMHzi6zLWdbzDjHTNowysxG5aTY7ohZPk41cLZcvLg8yGn6M-cUO6Lda/s400/1168005_Viva-Cuba-Libre-Rap-Is-War.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viva Cuba Libre: Rap is War! is a documentary on music censorship in Cuba.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">by Cindy McCain</span><br />
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</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This Thursday Nashville will go on an eight-day World Tour of fifty countries via 250 films. </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The 44th Annual <a href="http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/">Nashville Film Festival</a> <a class="inline_link" href="http://www.examiner.com/topic/nashville-film-festival" style="color: #237ad1; font-weight: normal; outline: 0px;">l</a>(NaFF) will run from April 18-25, 2013 at the Green Hills Theater.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br />
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</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Acclaimed World Cinema films presented include</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> <em>Kon-Tiki </em>(Norway) </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">and</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><em> Post Tenebras Lux</em> (Mexico)</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">. </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Kon-Tiki</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> (Directors Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg), </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Film</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">, is the story of legendary explorer Thor Heyerdal's epic 4,300 miles crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947. His mission? To prove it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times. </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Post Tenebras Lux</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> is a Mexican film whose director, Carlos Reygadas, won </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Best Director at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.</strong><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Hispanic narrative shorts include </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Companion</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> and </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Behind the Mirrors</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> (both from Peru) and </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">A World for Raul</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> (Mexico). Hispanic feature films include </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><em>Here Comes the Devil</em></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> (Director Adrian Garcia Bogliano) and </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><em>Viva Cuba Libre: Rap is War!</em></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> (Director Jesse Acevedo) and </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><em>3 </em></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">(Pablo Stoll). </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Here Comes the Devil</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> which swept the Texas fest's horror prizes last fall. It is the story of parents whose children are lost on a family trip near caves in Tijuana. When they reappear without explanation, clearly they are not who they used to be.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><em><b>Viva Cuba Libre: Rap is War!</b> </em>is a Music City feature from the USA and Cuba directed by Jesse Acevedo. In a small town outside of Havana, two kids—the Cruz brothers—are beaten up in their own home by the police for listening to the music of Los Aldeanos. Risking his freedom and his life, documentary filmmaker Jesse Acevedo takes the viewer inside the revolution brewing within Cuba. Using hidden cameras, he exposes a society where people live in fear and where the Cruz brothers were wrongfully taken into custody. The film centers on an emotional interview the brothers’ mother and asks if Los Aldeanos will be the lost voice of a lost generation, or the sound of the future. <em><b>3</b></em> is a comedy from Uruguay about “three people condemned to the same, absurd fate: being a family.”</div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">NaFF, whose presenting sponsor is Nissan North America, is one of only 42 film festivals worldwide whose picks for the Best Short Narrative and Animation competitions automatically qualify recipients for Academy Award. More than $37,000 plus television broadcasting contracts will be awarded to innovative filmmakers, including prizes for Tennessee directors, best film by a black filmmaker, and best Hispanic film. NaFF partners year- round with local cultural and ethnic groups and provides programs for senior citizens, challenged teens and student filmmakers.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“Because of our Academy Award qualifier status, we tend to receive an impressive amount of short film entries each year,” said Artistic Director, Brian Owens. “This year we had more submissions than ever before. The films we selected represent every corner of the world, from the United Kingdom, Israel, and Spain to Slovenia, China, and Iraq. It will be like a mini World Cinema category with ten times as many films!”</span><br />
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</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">For the Festival schedule and ticket purchases go to </span><a href="http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3e72a7; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;" target="_blank">nashvillefilmfestival.org</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Tickets will also be available at the NaFF Box Office in the downstairs lobby of Regal Green Hills Cinema, which opens April 17. Regular ticket price per film $12, college students and senior citizens with ID $8, and member prices from $4 to $7 off each ticket. Tuesday, April 23, NaFF will host a free event: “an epic battle for movie geek supremacy.” At 8:00 PM at the Crow's Nest located at 2221 Bandywood Dr. teams can win 10 film vouchers ($120 value), plus $50 in Crow's Nest gift cards.</span><br />
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For more information including descriptions of eight special feature presentations and a NaFF slideshow, go <a href="http://ww.examiner.com/article/nashville-film-fest-starts-thursday-world-tour">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In 3 an unhappily remarried father tries to get back into the home and lives of his daughter and ex-wife.</td></tr>
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