The 18th Annual International Latino Book Awards which will be held on September 8th at the Dominguez Ballroom of the California State University, Dominguez Hills. There will be a salute to hit play Zoot Suit created by Luis Valdez and will feature presentations and insights on the far reaching impact of Zoot Suit from actors Enrique Castillo, Evelina Fernandez, Ignacio Gomez, Mike Gomez, Dan Guerrero, Bel Hernandez, Sal Lopez, Alma Martinez, Edward James Olmos, Tony Plana, Rose Portillo, Diane Rodriguez, Pepe Serna, and Jerry Velasco. The reception starts at 5 pm and the Awards Ceremony at 6 pm.
The International Latino Book Awards, by far the largest gathering of Latino Award Winning Authors in the history of the USA. Of the over 400 attendees, 160+ will be past or 2016 Int’l Latino Book Award Honorees. Presenters will include award-winning authors and members of the Zoot Suit cast.
(l-r) Lupe Ontiveros, Enrique Castillo, program, the Chucas of Zoot Suit Alma Martinez, Rachel Levario, Yolanda Marquez, Becky Gonzales, Laura Owens, Evelina Fernandez, Susie Inouye, & Dyana Ortelli
Zoot Suit opened in April 1978 at the Music Center in Los Angeles everyone there felt the POWER of this event. The play went on to run for years in Los Angeles, open on Broadway, set many records and ultimately became a movie.
We are all aware of the turmoil the Academy of Motion Pictures is going through to become more diverse. A good sign of the power of Zoot Suit was a few weeks ago when the Academy in adding their new members for 2016 added THREE cast members from Zoot Suit (Enrique Castillo, Sal Lopez, Pepe Serna) and the creator and director, Luis Valdez. Even though Latinos are underrepresented in the Academy, SEVEN Latinos are in who got their career start, or a major career boost, with Zoot Suit, an amazing accomplishment.
The evening will honor the authors and publishers of 257 winning books in English, Spanish, and Portuguese in a wide variety of fields. Past winners have included nearly major Latino author in the USA and Spanish speaking countries (see sample list at the end of this package) as well as many authors who represent the next great wave of authors.
Sponsors for the Awards include Entravision, the Los Angeles Community College District, California State University Dominguez Hills, Scholastic Books, the American Association of Latino Engineers and Scientists, Latino 247 Media Group, El Aviso, LA Plaza de Cultura y Arte, Las Comadres para Las Americas, REFORMA, and the Int’l Society of Latino Authors.
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