Author: Laura Bowen
The Occidental Community Literacy Center hosted children’s author René Colato LaÃnez to speak to several students and children Tuesday, September 25. Director of the Literacy Center Desiree Zamorano explained his presence on campus. “He’s a Southern California author, bilingual and available,” she said.
The Community Literacy Center, located in the basement of Thorne Hall, houses a tutoring program for young children in the area on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Approximately 19 children, 19 Oxy tutors and students who were just interested in hearing the author were present at LaÃnez’s presentation. Lounging in beanbag chairs and at desks, the kids and students attentively watched LaÃnez’s overview of his writing process.
Originally from El Salvador, LaÃnez has written books in both Spanish and English, and the artists featured in the books are of Latin American descent. LaÃnez’s plots focus mainly on issues of the culture clash between Latin America and the United States and the effects it has on children.
LaÃnez often draws from his own childhood experiences-his next book will focus on the difficulties he had growing up with two last names. His motivations are reflected on his information pamphlet: “My goal is to produce good multicultural children’s literature; stories where minority children are portrayed in a positive way, where they can see themselves as heroes, and where they can dream and have hopes for the future.”
LaÃnez described his efforts to get his first book, Waiting for Papa, published. “It’s a long process,” he said. LaÃnez said he went through three years of work and created one hundred or so drafts before the book was published. Even with the amount of work he has to do, LaÃnez had anything but a pessimistic attitude as he described his euphoric disbelief and joy that he had finished his first book. He even mentioned that he had slept with the completed book on the first night that he received it.
With a few minutes to spare, LaÃnez read from his book Playing LoterÃa, a Mexican bingo game with which many of the children present were familiar. LaÃnez ended his presentation complete with props, including LoterÃa cards.
Following the presentation, the overall reaction was anything but negative. “I was delighted by his interaction with the kids,” Zamorano said.
LaÃnez’s multicultural and optimistic work approach left the audience with a look at the writing process of a children’s author.
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