April 2, 2012 -
PRLog -- APOLOGIA: CUBAN CHILDHOOD IN MY BACKPACK BY AWARD-WINNING WRITER ORLANDO FERRAND SELECTED AS THE BOOK-OF-THE-
SEMESTER AT HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK.
BOOK PRESENTATION AND SIGNING WITH ORLANDO FERRAND AND PANEL DISCUSSION WITH LATINO WRITERS LINDA NIEVES-
POWELL, SOFIA QUINTERO AND CHARLIE VAZQUEZ IN THE SPRING SEMESTER 2012.
Bronx, New York, April 2, 2012: "Apologia:
Cuban Childhood in My Backpack" (PublishAmerica 2011) by award-winning Cuban writer and multidisciplinary artist Orlando Ferrand―resident of New York since 1992―has been selected as the Book-of-the-
Semester at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York. With over 30 years of sustained professional practice in the Arts and Letters, Orlando Ferrand has received numerous scholarships and awards in the U.S. and abroad, including the 2011 Artist Summer Institute by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and Creative Capital's Professional Development Program. He is a member of the National Association of Latino Arts & Culture (NALAC). Orlando Ferrand was mentored by such luminaries as Heiner Müller, Patrice Pavis, Eugenio Barba and Liuba Cid. He's been a Visiting Professor of Dramaturgy at University of La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain, and an Artist-in-Residence at Princeton University, while writing, designing, and directing his opera "Still Life with Daniel, the Lonely Mutant", produced by the New York Theater Workshop in 1996. He is a Gold medal winner in the Poetry/Music category for "Citywalker"
(PublishAmerica, 2010) in the Readers Favorite International Book Review and Award Contest 2011, and the winner of the Linden Lane Poetry Prize 2011 for "The Other Island" ("La otra isla", Spanish Edition, Linden Lane Press 2011). He received the honorary distinction "Member of Honor of the Gran Teatro de La Habana" by legendary Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso in 1991. He has published three books, and has been featured in three anthologies of poetry and essays. His work has been also featured in several literary publications in the U.S. and Europe. Orlando Ferrand studied English, Creative Writing, and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and City College, NY. He is currently working on two books of creative non-fiction, and poetry. He was one of the organizers of the Campaign to End AIDS with Housing Works, and has also worked for several non-for-profit organizations as a translator, interpreter, social worker, marketing and development specialist, and analyst and advocacy coordinator in the areas of Human Rights, Literacy, and AIDS policy. He was granted political asylum in the U.S. in 1992.
The Book-of-the-
Semester Project at Hostos in the spring 2012, dedicated to "Apologia: Cuban Childhood in My Backpack" by Orlando Ferrand, will start on April 5, 2012 with a presentation by the author on "Reconstructing Memory and Deconstructing the Memoir: the Creative Process Unplugged". A reading from his memoir and a book signing will follow. Two panel discussion sessions moderated by Professor Robert F. Cohen, Director and Founder of the Book-of-the-
Semester Project, will take place on April 26, 2012. Students, faculty, staff, and guests will have the opportunity to discuss their reactions to "Apologia: Cuban Childhood in My Backpack" with the author himself.
Latino writers, entrepreneurs, and cultural activists Linda Nieves-Powell, Sofia Quintero and Charlie Vazquez will join Orlando Ferrand and the Book-of-the-
Semester Project on May 1, 2012 for a presentation and panel discussion on their creative work, its impact in their respective communities of interest, and the directions in which their writing is taking them. Linda Nieves-Powell was named "Mas Que Belleza" by People en Español, and selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine. Sofia Quintero, a graduate from Columbia University, does not only write fiction. She also co-founded Chica-Luna productions to identify, develop and support other women of color seeking to make socially conscious entertainment. Charlie Vazquez, a Bronx-bred novelist and poet of Puerto Rican and Cuban descend, has been instrumental in the creation of a "Queer" literary identity in the Latino LGBT community in New York.
Calendar of Events for "Apologia. Cuban Childhood in My Backpack" by Orlando Ferrand
Spring 2012
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College · 500 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York 10451 · Phone (718) 518 - 4444
Thursday, April 5, 2012: Meet the Author!
Orlando Ferrand, the “author of the semester,” will talk about his work and read portions of Apologia to us. A book-signing will follow. Savoy Multipurpose Room
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 26, 2012: A Hostos Panel Discussion with the Author
At these two panel discussions, moderated by Professor Robert F. Cohen, director of the Book-of-the-
Semester Project, students, faculty, and staff will have the opportunity to discuss their reactions to Apologia with the author himself.
C-391
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Savoy Multipurpose Room
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 9, 2012: Latino Authors Speak
At this panel discussion, moderated by Professor Robert F. Cohen, director of the Book-of-the-
Semester Project, Orlando Ferrand and other Latino authors – Charlie Vázquez, Linda Nieves-Powell, and Sofia Quintero– will speak about the directions in which their writing is currently taking them.
C-391
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE BOOK-OF-THE-
SEMESTER PROJECT:
Robert F. Cohen, Ph.D.
Director, Book-of-the-
Semester Project
Chair, Department of Language & Cognition
Hostos Community College
City University of New York 500 Gran Concourse Bronx, New York 10451 Phone (718) 518 - 6602
email: rcohen@hostos.cuny.edu
For the Book-of-the-
Semester Project featuring Apologia: Cuban Childhood in My Backpack by Orlando Ferrand, visit
http://oit.hostos.cuny.edu/bookofthesemester/Download the Student Guide to "Apologia: Cuban Childhood in My Backpack"
Attend the Book Presentation and Signing with the Author
Engage in the Panel Discussion with powerhouses Linda Nieves-Powell, Sofia Quintero, and Charlie Vazquez
Participate in the online discussion forum from anywhere in the world
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THIS MOMENTOUS EVENT!
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I am a poet, playwright, writer and theater director/art director interested in publishing and writing/directing for diverse media. I'm interested in collaborations with interdisciplinary artists, teaching creative writing and theater arts workshops.
