De regreso

Lamentablemente, I have been remiss in posting for almost three months now.... but it's time to get back in the swing, since so many things are happening.

In linguistic news, I was dismayed to learn that a school in Westchester County, NY had sent home two different versions of a school notice, one in English and one in Spanish. Unfortunately, the Spanish version contained two sentences not included in the English version: one sentence saying that all bodies and clothing were required to be clean, and another warning about involvement with gangs. Unbelievable.

This is one of the reasons I am working to create culturally authentic Spanish and bilingual videos for kids and teens, highlighting U.S. Latinos. The Hispanic cultures here are so rich and diverse, with so much history and so much life, color, and chispa! Yet these stereotypes still exist. It's time to celebrate and honor the Latino cultures and Spanish language that contribute so much to the sofrito of life in the United States.

On other fronts, in addition to making strides - slowly but surely - on my video project, I also published an interview with Soraya (1994 Latin Grammy winner) in Cuerpo Magazine, as well as a book review. I have a new article on "The Soul of Bilingual Music," featuring Michele Greene, in the July/August issue. You may remember Michele from her Emmy-nominated role as Abby on LA Law, but she is also a bilingual singer/songwriter (her mother is Mexican/Nicaraguan), as well as an author and film producer. Talk about doing it all!

Still collecting essays for the anthology, The Bilingual Soul, about the split personality/dual soul that we feel as we move from one language and culture to another. I know I am a completely different person when I speak Spanish, and I know I'm not the only one! It's so interesting to see what others are writing on this topic. It is so personal and individual, yet so universal at the same time.

I am also working with my wonderfully crazy and creative friends, Nikki and Martha, on two new endeavors, both under our new company, Three Muthas. We got together to do a funny but real documentary about the psychic experiences of suburban moms, and ended up with a hilarious clothing and t-shirt line too.

I guess I'm a little ADD -- it runs in the family -- although I prefer to think of it as multi-faceted! But I'm loving all these activities and working with great people. Thanks to each and every one of them, especially my Chispa Circle!