 Meet over 25 authors, artists, photographers, musicians, actors, and more. I want to invite you to come to our yearly book festival and meet many authors, artists, photographers, musicians, actors, and artisans from the Rio Grande Valley, New York, California, New Mexico, South Carolina, Mexico, and beyond. This is our 3rd year and we are holding our event at the Speer Memorial Library in Mission, Texas again. We want to thank the library staff and patrons, and in particular, Lulu Garcia, for all of her work and effort in helping us put this event together. The event is on February 16, 2019, from 10 am to 4 pm. Our local Barnes & Noble store representative will be on site selling local books and other items. Authors will also be at their booths selling and autographing their books, artwork, music, and more. And for those not looking to buy books or other products, come out for our open mic segment from 1 pm to 4 pm MCd by yours truly. So don't miss out on this event. There will be books for all ages and literary tastes. From children's books to YA novels, acting manuals, poetry books in English, Spanish, and bilingual, horror books, sci-fi titles, and historical fiction. See you there!  Are you a published author with a book to sell, or an artist, photographer, musician, actor, or artisan who has items to sell? The Raving Press Events is hosting its 3rd annual book festival at the Speer Memorial Library in Mission, Texas on February 16, 2019 from 10 am to 4 pm. We are offering a FREE BOOTH primarily to authors, but also to artists and others. Limited booths available. Last night we had an event at the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library in Edinburg, Texas. (thanks to the staff there) where we had a signup sheet for the free booth at our next event. But since the book presentations were moved to another spot at the library, many people never found us. That is why we are extending this invitation to everyone who came looking for us and anyone else who might be interested in joining us in February. We'll have the lobby area where the vendors will be greeting the crowds, and a conference room with a sound system where authors, musicians and filmmakers will be reading, performing, and or presenting their works. If you are a poet or writer who only wishes to read/ perform, feel free to come and join the open mic presenters.
If you have questions or for more information, contact us at theravingpress@gmail.com. Please share this with fellow authors, artists, vendors, and performers so they can sign up while there are still some booths (only 8 left of 28)! 
Download the Bad Hombres & Nasty Women: Anthology. This is a book of poetry, short stories, photography, and art responding to our current president's most outlandish rhetoric from the start.
For the greatest effect, SHARE THIS LINK with friends and fellow creatives.
Limited time offer ends 11/29/2018.
(The Raving Press, 2016)
Get Lost: Children of the River for FREE for a limited time from November 19, 2018 to November 23, 2018.
Just click the photo above or the link below to download your copy. WE WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK! Please do consider providing even a single-word review or feedback on Amazon. This is not required for you to get the book entirely FREE, but it would help us greatly in alerting others about our publications and our press. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ENJOY! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NOW. 
 Click the picture to read the article about The Raving Press The Raving Press would like to thank Democracy Chronicles for publishing a wonderful article titled: Poets Facing The Wall: New Anthology Of Sonnets Take On Trump’s Wall by Ana Maria Fores Tamayo, one of the contributors to our latest anthology by the same title Poets Facing The Wall (The Raving Press, 2018).
Click the image or CLICK HERE to read the entire article. 
A podcast to remember
Ever wonder what's the story behind The Raving Press?
Listen to the REMEMBER THE SHOW Podcast Below to catch some of the chat I had with Enclave Magazine's Hector Luis Alamo on topics ranging from life in Reynosa, Mexico, the Rio Grande Valley, publishing in Texas, the origins of The Raving Press, and the question of being (identity matters). It was a great time talking to Hector. I hope we can do it again sometime. I promise to work on my time-fillers. :) BTW, if you are thinking of getting our latest anthology, follow this LINK HERE to purchase a copy of Poets Facing The Wall at a 10% discount.  Poets Facing The Wall (The Raving Press, 2018) poetry anthology  Book Description:
"Does the GREAT BORDER WALL looming on the U.S. border with Mexico reinforce the American ideal which says that people are 'endowed by their creator with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...'? Or does THE WALL represent the death of the American experiment? Poets from across America and the world come together in this anthology to address the meaning and the effects of building THE WALL. Perhaps the biggest, most impenetrable wall to be revealed is ultimately not the physical one between USA and Mexico, but the one inside us, preventing us from seeing our immigrant forefathers and mothers in the current immigrants and refugees on the southern border." Get a COPY OF THIS BOOK which will break the walls of division like a wrecking ball. This is the most exciting, powerful, and highly sophisticated publication by our press so far.  It's been a journey from the moment the idea for this anthology was born to its completion. In that span of time, so much has happened to inspire or necessitate the publication of different anthologies addressing such things as family separation, child detention centers, #metoo, and so on. But quality requires time and thoroughness. The good thing is that this upcoming anthology, Poets Facing The Wall, does cover some peripheral territory related to what the wall represents. And, for that reason, you will see poetry that might seem to divert from the central topic. Ultimately, it does not, for it is an anthology for, about, and by the unwanted "other," the disenfranchised voices of America, and the enlightened citizen refusing to allow this to be done in her or his name. We dedicate this publication to them and to posterity. For the American dream cannot and will not die. It will overrun oppressive forces and topple the barriers to freedom. Here the American people make a stand, joined by their fellow citizens of the world in recognition of the universal truth that might does not make right, and human rights and dignity trump political expediency. Poets Facing The Wall will be officially released on November 6, 2018, a.k.a. VOTING DAY! Go fulfill your American duty as a citizen and vote regardless of your political leaning. Then head on to Amazon (linked on the picture below) and get your copy of the anthology as a gift to yourself for being such a great patriot! And now, the official cover reveal... Drum roll, please.  Poets Facing The Wall
(The Raving Press, 2018) Thank you all for liking, sharing and helping us out in every way. We want to see what you think about the cover and the book itself, so please share your comments with us when you have gone through the book. If you are so inclined, feel free to share this email with friends and family, and or, also on social media. Here is the LINK to the Amazon product page.  The idea for the "Poets Facing the Wall" anthology was born right on the U.S. - Mexico border. It has been both the anti-Mexican/immigrant rhetoric and the deafening silence or apathy of most Americans including many living along the border that made the need for such a publication a must. People need to realize what this wall truly represents. At a time when border crossings are down, and many immigrants are actually going back south to their respective homes, why is the wall more needed now than when the influx was higher? Is its true purpose to stop people from coming in? Or could it be that it is meant as a symbol to cast a message broadly and clearly to the world beyond our southern border? "DON'T STEP IN MY YARD. EVEN IF YOU ARE RUNNING FROM DANGER. I DON'T CARE. STAY OUT!" The Statue of Liberty stands on an island turning its eyes toward Europe with a soft demeanor, gently posed holding the torch to light the way for the weary traveler seeking refuge from the darkness of the world they have left behind. The Statue of Liberty's torch is the light that represents the dream of a better future, where the sun shines equally upon all who look to it seeking its warmth. The statue itself is the guardian and guarantor of that promise. According to the National Park Service's website, "The torch is a symbol of enlightenment. The Statue of Liberty's torch lights the way to freedom showing us the path to Liberty. Even the Statue's official name represents her most important symbol 'Liberty Enlightening the World'." By contrast, what does a non-human-like and unnecessary barrier say when its faceless and eyeless semblance stares coldly at our neighbors in Latin America? It speaks of a greater problem than illegal immigration. It speaks of an inability to recognize that without immigration, the U.S. would have been impossible. People in our country like and respect those who "tell it like it is". And in this case, it is a fact that our country was founded by illegal immigrants first, then legal immigration became the preferred institutionalized method of entry. But there are exceptions. Asylum seekers and refugees must be given a chance to be heard and helped. Especially, since data shows that the vast majority of all immigrants actually prop up our economy; they do not drain it. But then the question of race comes into play. And that is the biggest obstacle to our future. Perhaps, more than anything, the wall will represent not the need for security form evildoers, but the failure to defeat false beliefs of racial superiority. This has been the greatest stain in our past. The cement holding the construction of those false beliefs must not be allowed to solidify, for like all walls that have ever been erected to divide it will not succeed. Only bridges and roads can take humanity onward toward the future. Let this anthology assist in taking a step in that direction. Below is the list of accepted works and their authors. (Not in order of appearance in the final publication.) An Inheritance of Fear By Jill Evans As We Forgive Those By Roger Sippl Ave Blanca Seres Jaime Magaña Blue Again By C. R. Resetarits BLUES FOR JOSE ANTONIO ELENA RODRIGUEZ (Traditional 12 Bar Blues Song) by Laurie Jurs Construction of First Border Wall Segment to Begin in a South Texas Wildlife Refuge By Kristin Barendsen THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HELD AND HELD by Catherine Lee My Exit By Richard Nester -The Greatest, Most Beautiful Soliloquy EVER! -Ten Commandments Updated By Rick Blum Guardian of the Mountains By Michael Garrigan -I Am Chicano -You Make the Call By Sammy Ybarra Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness By Miranda Rocha Myopia of belonging By Sunayna Pal Northward Bound By Ana Maria Fores Tamayo -Nuestros niños -Tinta negra By Xanath Carraza Oh, Say Can You See By Wendy Baron On Day 1, We Will Begin Working By Natalie D-Napoleon -Wide Open -The Fool’s Game -Blurred Vision By Teri Garcia-Ruiz -ok | walk on the way -yr assignment spend a day here along By Steven Alvarez -Blood, Sweat and Tears -Conflict -Survival By Vanessa Caraveo Hollywood By Sharon Lundy Musings by Sheena Pillai Singh -Song for America XXIII (the nation’s anthem) -Song for America XXV -Song for America XXVIII (for Marvin Gaye) By Fernando Esteban Flores -De este lado del muro -Rima infantil By Gabriel González Núñez Ten Feet Higher By Richard King Perkins II The Promised Wall By Kimmy Alan -Shelter -This Just In -Wall By Sandra Anfang -Closure -more harm than good By Linda M. Crate -Walls Divide Us -Mr. Trump Tear Down This Wall By John “Jake” Cosmos Aller Walking Around By John M. Bellinger “A, Homeboy” by Johnny Barboza -The Wall -Lament for Emma Lazarus -Ghost Wall By Robbi Nester We are Sisters! By Patty York Raymond -What I Need Now -In Concert By Dorothy Baird -The Travel North -Keep my dream Alive By Jose Rafael Castilleja -GRETEL -WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE -CROSSINGS By Jude Brigley Borradores by Octavio Quintanilla Thanks to all of the poets who submitted their work for evaluation. The accepted submissions are of great significance and literary quality. The poems along with the introduction by Enclave Magazine's founder and editor, Hector Luis Alamo, make this anthology one of the most important and well-crafted we have put together. I am proud to have my name associated with this project. It should become required reading for public schools, colleges, and universities. We are looking to a late October or early November publication. We will announce an official publishing date in less than two weeks.    The submission deadline for the upcoming "Poets Facing the Wall" anthology (The Raving Press, 2018) has come and gone. We have received an abundance of amazing poetry. We were astounded at the level of sophistication of most of the submission material we received. This anthology will be our first to include three different languages, and contributions by writers from as far as New Delhi, India, making this not just an international publication, but a global one. Many of the works you will see in this anthology come from prize-winning authors, as well as from writers relatively new to the publishing process, but who exhibited a lot of heart and passion. And that is why we went to the poets primarily for this project. It is the poets who speak from the heart. It is the poets who are historically willing to risk liberty, life, and limb to stand up for justice, for humanity in an inhumane phase of history, and for beauty in an otherwise savage world. Poetry may not bring riches. Poetry may not win wars. Poetry may not even sway the masses when the track that's been laid before them leads the train down a dark and irreversible path to their own destruction. But poets (as opposed to historians, politicians, media talking heads, and Monday-morning quarterbacks) call the plays as they should be in real time regardless of the fury and fire they may spark in those whose interest is to keep the people blind to the truth. We hope that this project and future ones (here's wishing the First Amendment a very long life still) will inspire and fill with hope everyone who comes across it. That they may sample the brilliance of the minds that contributed the sacred fruit of their ponderings to this publication and feel elevated. That they may repurpose the walls that ignorance and hate erect to divide people and use them as bridges on which all can walk in each other's shoes and see a common humanity. Thank you, poets, friends, authors, editors, reviewers, our introduction writer (soon to be revealed), collaborators, teachers, family, and compatriots. We will be announcing the publishing date in early Fall. Until then, keep writing and reading books. If you are ever in need of reading material please consider getting yourselves a copy of one of our latest titles like "Lost:Children of the River"    The deadline to the "Poets Facing the Wall" poetry anthology is approaching fast! We have received submissions from around the country from writers with an impressive array of past publications. We are also receiving submissions from poets who are relatively new to the publication game. This makes for an interesting time sorting through the submissions, since neither of those two backgrounds is a true determinant of the quality of individuals' works. But the result will be the selection of only the top material for this very important publication.
We want to encourage individuals who are still considering submitting to do so asap. Don't let the deadline pass you by. Once we go past the deadline we will be moving on the selection process "like a bitch" (LOL) to determine the shape of the book and its flow. Get in on this now. The surprising thing about it is that, although it is a publication about a topic affecting primarily people of the borderlands of Mexico/U.S., most of the submissions are from outside of this area. Strange because the border is filled with poetas who have things to say. This is your chance to join a diverse crowd of wordsmiths from around the country. No notices have been sent out to authors who have submitted material. So if you are one of those authors, please know that we won't send out any notices until AFTER the July 1 deadline. Thank you for your patience and for taking part in this project. It's going to be a great book. You will be proud of the final product when it is published. Remember, only 6 days left. Go HERE for submission guidelines!  Partnership: Barnes & Noble, represented by Katrina Flores & The Raving Press, represented by Gabriel H. Sanchez. Saturday, April 14, 2018 was the date of the 2nd Annual Book & Art Festival by The Raving Press Events held at Speer Memorial Library in Mission, Texas. Several important things happened that ensured the success of this great effort in collaboration with the Speer library staff and Barnes & Noble. In this post, we remember the greats...the individuals that showed up and represented.
 It's that time of the year again...The Raving Press Events' Book and Art Festival time, that is! And for those of you who live way too far from the border with Mexico, no worries! You can join our projects by submitting to our upcoming poetry anthology (Fall, 2018).   To build "THE WALL" or not to build "THE WALL," that is the question. Will it curtail the flow of illegal immigration? Or is it merely a symbol of unwelcome to immigrants from south of the U.S. border?
Like Liberty Island features the Statue of Liberty welcoming Europeans with a warm poetic phrase ("Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."), so too does the US/Mexico border deserve poetry to adorn the otherwise featureless, cold, and faceless barrier that like an extended, flat-sided hand will stop THOSE immigrants in their tracks, turning them back to whence they came. Submissions are open from February 28, 2018 to July 1, 2018. Deadline is 11:59 pm July 1st. THIS ONE IS AN ALL-POETRY ANTHOLOGY We accept up to three (3) poems (English, Spanish, or mix/bilingual) of up to two pages in length. No previously published work accepted. Submit your work as a Word document along with a short bio to: theravingpress@gmail.com Incomplete submissions will be rejected. Further guidelines: Please submit works that are compelling, passionate, and well-thought-out. Please do not submit rants, name-calling treatises, or exercises in distaste. Write as if you are talking to a family member whom you don't hate, and whose view of the world is diametrically opposed to yours.  The Raving Press (through one of its promotional arms "The Raving Press Events" partnered with Barnes & Noble among other entities) is proud to announce the very first book fair event of 2018! We want to invite you to another book signing to kick off 2018's very first book fair by The Raving Press Events hosted by Barnes & Noble. The event takes place in McAllen, Texas (see the flier for details). Being that we actually have stuff written about this by our partners at Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande and Barnes & Noble, we'll just shut up and let you read their messages for yourself.  (Make sure to show this on your device or print it out and present it at the register. You can also use the number online when buying at bn.com.)  (Book signing and fair kickoff event on February 23. You can shop in-store or online from February 23 to Febrary 28, 2018 using the book fair voucher ID.) Help us by supporting our efforts in publishing books through various imprints, as well as promoting other local small press publications. You'll also help the Catholic Charities, authors of the Rio Grande Valley, and Barnes & Noble: the last great nation-wide bookstore. This one particular store in McAllen, Texas is supporting local authors and presses in full force. Society simply cannot do without any of these groups.
We hope to see you at our kickoff book signing event on February 23, 2018. |
AuthorGabriel H. Sanchez is an author, poet, actor, editor, and publisher from the Rio Grande Valley. Categories
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