United Latino Authors

As I was standing inside the Pan American Bank getting ready for the Latino Family & Book Festival press release conference. The creator of the festival, Mr. Edward James Olmos and a handful of volunteers were going to speak about the festival. As Mr. Olmos walked in he was shaking hands and taking pictures. I greeted him, introduced myself, and we spoke briefly about the festival. Afterwards I was lucky enough to have posed for pictures with him.

Mr. Olmos grew up a few blocks away from the bank, in fact he recalls walking in front of Pan American Bank on his way to middle school. Mr. Olmos believes that reading is the most important tool for anyone to succeed. He has come back to open the door for the Latino community so they can have access to books about their culture and experience from Latino authors. The festival will feature over 120 Latino authors from 12 different Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Launched in 1997, the Latino Family & Book Festival is about unity in the Latino community. It is about sharing knowledge and giving a child or adult a chance to have books they can relate to. All authors donating their time for a great cause deserve recognition for their work. One author, Reyna Grande, has gone above and beyond to make sure all the authors are kept up to date. Without her time and help this wouldn’t be running as smoothly as it does.

If you’re in or around the Los Angeles area, please come to the Latino Family & Book Festival on October 9^th and 10^th. It is being held at California State University L.A.

A united Latino front is a strong Latino front.

by Rolando Ortiz