The Raving Press - RGV Cross Sections

The original Raving Press since 1998.

Remember the Greats

4/17/2018

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.

The Raving PRess Events Book Festival & More

4/6/2018

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).

Call for SUbmissions On THE WALL!

2/28/2018

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.

First 2018 EVENT at Barnes & NOble

2/21/2018

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.

Halloween Gifting

10/20/2017

It's somewhat of an odd feeling to write about myself here because most of the time this is a blog about events and other things happening along the RGV and the border in general. But I would be remiss if I let you miss out on a gift I am giving to all the people that follow the work that I do here and on other platforms. On October 31, 2017 I will be making my book "The Martian Ones: Tales of Human Folly" available for FREE for four days. This is a somewhat feminist, somewhat political critique, Latino/HIspanic/Chicano-themed sci-fi/dystopian horror collection of fiction stories.

For more on this please CLICK HERE.

In other, more pertinent to this blog, news: the anthologies "Bad Hombres & Nasty Women" and "Lost: Children of the River" by The Raving Press are now available for just $0.99 cents on Kindle!

However, if you are the type that prefers the paperback you can get a discount by CLICKING HERE.

And, of course, if you are in the Rio Grande Valley, you can always pick up a copy of any of these books at our local Barnes & Noble in McAllen, Texas. For their address and other details, CLICK ON THIS.

Support the arts of the borderlands. Buy a book. It's holiday season. Time to start planning gifts. Give the gift of literature. The world will be a better place because of it. Thank you.

"I hate getting FREE BOOKS!" said absolutely no one ever.

8/18/2017

1)
Straight to business. No mumbo-jumbo. Here is the link to your completely and totally
FREE BOOK.

The book is our anthology about the unaccompanied minors at the U.S. - Mexico border titled "Lost: Children of the River" (The Raving Press, 2016). But you need to click the link asap because the offer ends at midnight tonight.

However, if you are late to this message, as a consolation gesture we will extend another great offer to you. A half price discount on that same book but in the paperback version. For that, you will need to visit our E-Store and use the promo code: D3PPENCT

2)
The second topic is a book launch happening today. The book in question is of my own authorship. Yes, I am also a writer. This book is a collection of fiction about the idea surrounding the proposed establishment of a colony on the planet Mars. The book is titled "The Martian Ones: Tales of Human Folly" by Gabriel Hugo. (That be me).

The event takes place today August 18, 2017, at Barnes & Noble Palms Crossing at 6 p.m.
3300 Expressway 83 # 1100
McAllen, TX 78501
956-686-4231

3)
Why am I plugging my own book here? Because this book along with a whole host of others by different local Rio Grande Valley authors and publishers are all part of our on-going Barnes & Noble Book Fair in support of the great work being accomplished by the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights, a non-profit organization out of Harlingen, Texas.

If you come into this particular Barnes & Noble store (see address above), all you have to do is say "I support the Young Center Book Fair" at the register and the folks there will make sure that a portion of the money from your purchase goes to that organization.

Folks who are not in the area can also help by going to Barnes & Noble .com and using the book fair voucher id: 12204590 at checkout.

The in-store book fair will be running until August 25, 2017. It continues online until August 30, 2017.

Thank you all for your support for The Raving Press, local authors and artists, to me, to our local book stores, and to our local non-profits. Have a great weekend!

This isn't a poetry reading...it's a show.

7/22/2017

I won't lie to you. If you miss this event, you will end up hating yourself. Oh, and also, please come out to this event and help us fill up 174 seats!!!

It's 12:22 am at the moment this letter is being written. It's a last minute push to put the word out about our event at the Weslaco public library theater. There are 13 1/2 hours to go until we get up on that stage. You might wonder what is a newsletter about books and publishing doing talking about a "show"? I'll explain briefly.

I have been around poetry readings and book signings so much that I am more than familiar with the common approach. Usually, it involves people sitting around watching an individual get up to a podium or microphone stand and literally read to the audience. The reader will usually use a book or one of a variety of devices to read from. This approach is good when all you care about is the actual poetry itself more than the person who wrote it. But after many outings to similar events, you start to want something more. That's what happened to me. I wanted to see a show, not just someone reading off a book.

That is how "The Raving Press Events" was born. We organize and coordinate events centered around authors and their books. But we ask them to try to make it a show. This is accomplished in several ways: video presentation, dramatic performances, recitation (that is, reciting your works without reading it off a page or a device), and or, delivering a motivational/inspirational/enlightening speech.

So, if you are still wondering what an event like this would be like, there you have a gist of it. But you know the best way to experience it? By being there in person. Every time we hold one of these events people leave it with smiles on their faces and books in their hands. I think it is because they realize while they are there that they have been part of something different. Something transcendental. That is what we aim for. That is what you will get. And even if you don't buy books or cds, you can't deny that nothing beats going to a show in a great, classic theater, enjoying a FREE show in the cool a/c while all the other poor souls burn in this South Texas heat. And if you are not in the area, you should plan to come down this way sometime. There is magic happening in the borderlands. You need to be a part of it.

Mayor Joe V. Sanchez Public Library (Weslaco public library)
address:
525 S Kansas Ave
Weslaco, TX 78596

There it is. All the reasons to go plus the map to get there. No excuse! See you there. :)

On Bucket Lists

7/2/2017

Me and my crew...of writers and artists. Thanks Lucy Salazar, Seres Magana, and Monica Alvarez

I want to impart something useful. The secret technique to ensure you have an overflow of courage to do what you dream of. Want to know the secret? It's simple...it's being fully present in your every moment alive. Hard to do, but not impossible. If you are putting off an item on your bucket list (something you dream of doing before you die) for later I got news for you, that item is as good as lost. There is no "later" when it comes to dreams. There is only NOW.

I did something different in the last book signing and reading we held this past Thursday, June 29, 2017 at the Public Library in Edinburg, Tx. A sort of motivational speech. I talked about the one thing that I hear everyone say no matter who they are. People from all walks of life, all educational backgrounds, all professions, even house-husbands or wives. What is that? It's "If I tole you the things I've been through, you could write a whole book about it!"

That has made me think lately, why do they say that I could write the book of the story of their lives? Why don't most people say that THEY could write a whole book about their experiences? I think it has to do with one thing primarily: fear. The fear of being ridiculed. The fear of putting down the details of their lives and finding out from a third person's perspective that it really isn't as interesting as they had thought. They are irrational fears but they are very real. For everyone. Even for some of us "established" writers, or people who are known to engage in the act of writing.

In the event I mentioned above I asked everyone (a group of easily 50 people if not more) if anyone thought they did not have a unique, interesting set of stories or anecdotes which they could turn into a book at some point. No one raised their hand. Everyone believed that their life experiences were unique and special. Yet not even 1/8th of the room had ever tried sitting down to write their experiences down for posterity. It is surprising because everyone believed they had a unique story. So I said that I would like to see more and more people take the time to write down their experiences because when we pass away, we take the most important thing about our lives with us, our wisdom. I said, "We don't have time...Time has us."

More times than not we get caught up in the everyday routines of life. Work, school, chores, bills, relationships, Facebook, the list goes on and on. We let ourselves get consumed by distraction. Anything that will quiet the inner voice that screams at us from deep inside begging for us to let it shine. It doesn't shine if we are constantly flooding our mind's eyes and ears with throwaway content. That's what I mean about being fully present. Does that mean you can't take a breath without being completely aware that it is happening? No. But it would be useful if we would set aside time every day to think about our accomplishments, our dreams, and our goals, and just let the inner voice speak. How much creativity could we bring out if we did that at least a couple of times a day, for about 10 minutes each time? Anyone, no matter who they are, could write a whole novel within a year. I'm speaking about writing because that's what this letter is about overall. But this idea applies to anything you want to do.

So the next time you tell someone they could literally write a whole book with all the crazy, cool, or incredible things that have happened in your life, don't just say so. Do it. You write it. Take 10 minutes twice a day. Write down anecdotes, lessons, principles, ideas in general. By the time you know it, you'll have a book in your hands and you will live forever...or maybe just have a very extended life after death as people keep reading your book 'till the end of the world. :)

Coming up July 22, 2017

I hope you can make it out. It will be at the library's "Mayor Eugene A. Braught
Memorial Theater." It is a beautiful theater. We are inviting authors, actors, and other performers. So don't think it will be just another poetry reading. There will be fun for everyone. Maybe even a motivational short speech! But get there on time so you can get a good seat. There are only 174 in the main seating area. It's a theater hall, so it's going to be an amazing afternoon. Don't miss it. And tell others about it. Share the flier. See you there!
G.H.S.

Still Time to Art

6/9/2017

Lluvia Lorelay delivering a brief description of her upcoming book "Hablando con el Espejo" at The Raving Press Event's Book Fair at Barnes & Noble.

If you are in the McAllen area, stop by the Barnes & Noble along Expressway 83 (now Interstate 2) and help our effort to contribute to the arts, business, and nonprofits in the Rio Grande Valley. Buy a book, pay an artist, and feed a hungry child. Win. Win. Win.

There's still time to use our voucher ID# 12156881 at Barnes & Noble on Ware Rd and Esp 83 in McAllen to benefit the Food Bank RGV, local authors, and local business.

I don't know if this sounds a bit too "salesy" or not genuine. It's hard for people to define and clearly communicate the good behind their intentions.

Sometimes we do "good" and it is interpreted as bad. Hence the saying "No good deed will go unpunished." I think I say that in a movie somewhere.

The intent here is to find ways for artists to create and be somewhat compensated for their efforts, because if you are (or know) an artist, then you know the struggle.

Artists and writers are seriously underrated in our society. I don't blame regular folks. Everyone has a struggle to focus on and work on. Writers and artists do, too.

But sometimes it seems that the struggle for them is multiplied by the fact that it takes people extra time and energy to give critical thinking to complex ideas, which is the effects of well-crafted literary pieces or artistic paintings and photography.

Whereas entertainment, like going to the cinema, is easy to consume and highly pleasurable. Even when the movie is lame.

Official logo for "The Raving Press Events"

The point here is that we are trying to open opportunities for artists to participate in a way that could lead to the sale of their art.

In turn, we have luckily found some places that are willing to welcome those efforts and host them, like Barnes & Noble. And what is best is that they also want to help non-profits, as we do.

That is why every time we do a book fair at Barnes & Noble I personally go looking for local charities that serve a particular purpose or serve a great number of people.

Official logo for "Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley"

This time it was the Food Bank of the RGV. Next time, who knows. We would like suggestions for non-profits which we could approach here in the Valley. It costs them nothing and they stand to gain some contribution from our sales at our events.

As for our most recent book fair, there is still time to help out. If you are in the McAllen area stop by the Barnes & Noble on Ware Rd and Exp 83 (Interstate 2) and buy something, anything (but preferably one of our books) and say you want to help the Food Bank RGV book fair. They will take care of the rest at the counter.

If you shop online you can buy one of our recent books like
"Bad Hombres & Nasty Women"
or
"Lost: Children of the River"
and use the same id# 12156881 on www.bn.com at checkout.

I want to thank everybody who attended our events in the past two weekends in support of these efforts.

Great thanks to Barnes & Noble Palms Crossing for their warm reception. Thanks to the people at the Food Bank RGV who are doing so much good helping hungry people in our own communities.

And thank you for taking the time to read and maybe take part in this effort.

Until the next event.

Food Bank RGV Feeds the Masses with One Loaf of Bread

5/23/2017

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be a superhero?

To possess powers so awesome that they defy logic. To be able to take a simple, common, every-day action like walking or running and multiply it by many times its normal range, and therefore achieve a superhuman capacity.

That's how I felt when I was looking into various non-profit organizations in the Rio Grande Valley to invite for our upcoming book fair and came across a Food Bank RGV's web page with the following:

"In some parts of the Rio Grande Valley, 1 in 2 children go to bed hungry.As a whole, nearly 50% of the children in the RGV live under poverty levels, according to the 2010 Census.

Help us feed the minds and bodies of our future.Every $1 Provides 5 Healthy Meals."

I thought, "Hold on a minute. Say what? Just 1 dollar provides 5 meals!? How is that possible?"

I don't know what kind of magic they are employing over there, but doesn't that sound like superhuman powers? They're feeding the many with the efforts of the few. They're quelling hunger mostly with good intentions and feeding the minds of the needy and the hungry with hope, too.

Many questions came to mind when I saw that figure. It seemed incredible. But then I thought that I don't really need to see how the sausage is made, as the saying goes. I'm just happy to know that it is really that easy to make a huge positive impact on another person's life. That right there is worth any effort on our part to pitch in. So I did.

And that is why now we are asking for your help in our next Book Fair at Barnes & Noble in support of the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley.

The fair begins with a book launch event on May 26,2017, from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at

Palms Crossing
Barnes & Noble #2311
3300 W. Expressway 83, Suite 1100
McAllen, Texas 78501
Store: (956) 686-4231 Fax: 956-631-0438
Email: crm2311@bn.com / bn.com / nook.com

Local RGV Poet Seres Magana reciting his poetry from memory at The Raving Press Events' B&N Bookfair December 2016 to benefit Catholic Charities of the RGV.

The fair will last from May 26, 2017, to June 3, 2017. On June 3rd, we will hold another event to close down the fair.

You can purchase our books (or many other items in store) and use the Book Fair Voucher

ID# 12156881

at checkout.

You can also use the Voucher ID when you make purchases at Barnes & Noble Online during that same week.

Help us in this small effort to feed our hungry children, and at the same time, we'll help you get your hands on some great books from local, national, and international authors.

Some Available titles:
Bad Hombres & Nasty Women
Lost: Children of the River
Recuerdo de Dos Almas
Sacred Wounds
Chicano Blood Transfusion
Amate: Salud Integral
The Fluid Chicano

Your participation in any way (buying our books, or sharing this with friends) is much appreciated.

For more on the Food Bank click HERE.

GHS

The Bad Hombres and Nasty Women are coming--build the Wall!

4/26/2017

Art by Dmitry Borshch

Bad Hombres & Nasty Women
(An anthology by The Raving Press)
We're hearing that this newest anthology by The Raving Press is the GREATEST anthology. Simply the best. And the biggest. And everybody knows it.

Click on the photo above if you love the U.S. of A.

5 Results from TRP Book Festival at Speer Memorial Library

3/8/2017

Featured Short Film Hour hostess: Maida Lee Saenz

The Raving Press' Book Festival at Speer Memorial Library held Saturday, February 25, 2017 was a complete and total success!
These are not our words. They are the words of the participating authors, artists, photographers, and event presenters. They are also the words of the library's own staff at all levels. AND they were also the words (or general sentiment) of the public in attendance at that mega festival.

Five (5) results stood out:

1)The local media (such as The Monitor newspaper, KVEO News, Televisa, Telemundo, Univision, KGBT, and In The Blink of an Eye radio show) all came out in support of our efforts. Everyone was surprised with what we were doing because it was completely free to all, and because the nature of the festival was simply unheard of.

2)The Speer Memorial Library staff noted that this event brought in many more people than they had ever had in previous efforts of any kind. ;)

3)Authors and artists who usually struggle to profit from selling their art enjoyed a sales bonanza at no cost for the space and no commission to the organizers nor the host institution. 100% profit to the artists and writers. NOTHING beats that!

4)The public got a full day of events for the entire family to consume at absolutely no cost to them for entry. They met artists and writers of all walks. Got signed books for the whole family. Attended a theater performance by Pedro Garcia, a Short Film hour with Maida Lee Saenz, a Poetry Reading with McAllen Poet Laureate Priscilla Celina Suarez, a Children's Book Reading headed by Christopher Rocha, and two totally FREE publishing seminars by Gabriel H. Sanchez (that's me!).

5)This event alone brought out some great talent that our community did not know of. The outcome of the entire effort and the response by the public convinced us that this must only mean that the demand for something like this to continue is huge. Therefore, we fully intend on holding more similar events throughout the year...on a rotating basis. That is, this was the first stop of The Raving Press' Book Carnival (or Traveling Book Fair, the title is still tentative).

If you would like to see this mega festival in your city, contact your library, city hall, school, or college and have them contact us to make arrangements for us to visit your area and bring the fun to you and your own home-grown artists and authors.

Email: theravingpress@gmail.com
Website: www.theravingpress.com

Thanks!

Gabriel H. Sanchez

Book Festival at Speer Memorial Library

1/31/2017

The Raving Press Events presents a FREE Publishing Seminar, performances by artists and actors, and short movie screenings. Open to the public!

Welcome to the new year 2017! The most anticipated, highly orchastrated, and biggest event of the season is here!

It is the Speer Memorial Library Book Festival hosted by The Raving Press!We have invited authors from all backgrounds from children's book writers to poets. English and Spanish books will be available for signing by the authors.

There will be a children's book reading hour, a short film hour, a poetry reading and open mic hour, and TWO completely FREE publishing seminars offered to the public in both English and Spanish by none other than yours truly.

We welcome everyone to attend this event in Mission, Texas on February 25, 2017 from 10 am to 4:30 pm. It will be an event like none other. Bring friends and family. Writers, published authors, unpublished dreamers, everyone is welcome to join the publishing seminar. If you are interested in finding out your publishing options at a local and global level, if you are looking for examples of how an unpublished "nobody" can become an established author, or if you simply want to be surrounded by other go-getters to catch a little motivation, then this free seminar is for YOU!

"The publishing world is a fast-changing landscape. No longer are the common folks like you and me left hopeless on the sidelines looking in at the big players having all the fun. Now all you need is imagination, skill, and self-reliance...and a whole lot of time, but anyone can be a published author."

All we ask our participating authors, event presenters, and attendees is to please help us get the word out by sharing the flier that you see here. We will be sharing other fliers featuring each individual author and presenter as the days go by.

Thank you all for your continued support and I hope to see you at this mega-event!

All we ask our participating authors, event presenters, and attendees is to please help us get the word out by sharing the flier that you see here. We will be sharing other fliers featuring each individual author and presenter as the days go by.

Thank you all for your continued support and I hope to see you at this mega-event!

You'll Want to Join our Newsletter... Believe Me

12/20/2016

Click this image to Join the Newsletter and get a HUGE Discount!

I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse...you can't question, you won't believe, and you will not be able to resist. Its just for members. A thank you for your support and friendship.

We are offering a couple of discounts on the two versions of our book. On the one hand, we have our Kindle version at an unbelievable discount of 95%.

That's right. For the next four days only, you will be able to purchase the Kindle version of the Lost: Children of the River anthology for
only .99 cents!

That's just part one of the special deal for all our readers and the general public.

But for a limited time only, we will give a discount to any existing and or new members of our exclusive "Raving Newsletter" of up to 63% on our paperback version of the Lost: Children of the River anthology.

Let me write that down again one more time.

YOU will get the exclusive, time-sensitive access to buy the Lost anthology for only $7.40

I know. WHOA!

Just go to
https://www.createspace.com/6052340
Use this code to get the huge discount: MNSX2UT6

This is as a gesture of thanks for your following and supporting our events. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

If you already have the book, buy it as a gift for someone. And please, please, pretty please go on Amazon and leave us a review. It would help us greatly.

Happy Holidays from your friends at The Raving Press.

Night of Theater at Sacred Heart Church Respite Center

12/15/2016

The audience about to watch "La Caja Misteriosa" in the cold drizzle on a December night at Sacred Heart Church.

I went down town to see Mr. Brown. He asked for a nickle to buy a pickle. I said "I ain't got none, but I'll give ya' a free ticket." He said "What's it for?" I said "A play at Sacred Heart Church." He said "Nah, it's cool." Then he asked for a kiss. I said "See ya'!" Then I split.

Tonight is a special kind of night. Dark, cold, and drizzly. Perfect for do-gooders saving the world to host a play outdoors for tens of immigrant families.

My friend Lucy Salazar invited me to this play--that is, a "pastorela" called La Caja Misteriosa by Dante del Castillo, directed by Dr. Edna Ochoa. It was staged at Sacred Heart Church, home of the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley's Humanitarian Respite Center for immigrants.

I had been there before. It is primarily constituted by a building that might have been an event hall at some point. There are also several large tents outside where many families sleep and rest. I thought the play would take place inside the building, but to my surprise, when we got through the gate we were confronted by a multitude of people making way for the actors about to start their performances.

It was a surprise to see so many people there but then I remembered the words of Sister Norma Pimentel that 2016 has been probably as busy if not busier than 2014, the year the story of unaccompanied minors/humanitarian crisis broke. This site alone, according to Sister Pimentel, has serviced more than 60,000 people.

Most times it is hard for many of us to be surrounded by so many strangers and not feel a bit apprehensive. But the feeling at this event, surrounded by all those brown, weary, humble faces was one of such peace and camaraderie that, although I had both my little sons with me, I never felt distrustful or suspicious of anyone passing us by.

It was a pleasantly strange feeling. I think it is the effect of the love and compassion flowing from the staff and volunteers with the Sacred Heart Church and Catholic Charities. I recommend everyone go there at some point. Just go and offer a little of your time to help or contribute some clothes, or toys. Visit those folks and let them show you their humanity. You will be surprised how they so easily stop being "illegal" and become human right in front of your eyes. It is a miracle.

Gabriel

P.s.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Catholic Charities of the RGV Barnes & Noble Book Fair by The Raving Press. Have you done all your Christmas shopping? Go to bn.com and get those last minute (late?) gifts. There is still time to contribute with your buying power using our code at checkout: 12050555 .