September 26, 2013 Hispanic Heritage Month Events Oct. 10-11

Hispanic culture will be celebrated at two Library of Congress events in October, at a lecture by Rigoberto Gonzalez and at Bilingual Story Time in the Young Readers Center.

Gonzalez, a poet, writer and book critic, will present “Latino Poetry: Pivotal Voices, Era of Transition” at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10 in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

The Young Readers Center will host Bilingual Story Time targeted to infants and toddlers from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, in room 29 on the ground level of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Both events, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, are sponsored by the Library’s Hispanic Division and Poetry and Literature Center, in collaboration with the Consortium of Latin American Studies Program (CLASP) and Letras Latinas, a literary organization affiliated with the Institute of Latino Studies at Notre Dame University.

Gonzalez is an editor and author of non-fiction, poetry and bilingual children’s books. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He is also a contributing editor for Poets and Writers and a founding member of the Advisory Circle of Con Tinta, a collective of Chicano/Latino activist-writers. Gonzalez’s lecture is presented with support from Letras Latinas.

Bilingual Story Time will feature books from the Young Reader’s Center collection that have both English and Spanish versions, along with traditional Spanish nursery rhymes with their English adaptations. Short videos and songs in Spanish also will be featured.

The Hispanic Division, established in 1939, is the Library of Congress’s center for the study of the cultures and societies of the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other areas with significant Spanish or Portuguese influence. For more information about the division’s resources and programs, visit www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/.

The Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress fosters and enhances the public’s appreciation of literature. The center administers the endowed position of Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry and coordinates an annual season of readings, performances, lectures, conferences and symposia. The center also sponsors high-profile prizes and fellowships for literary writers. For more information, visit www.loc.gov/poetry/.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 155 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.