by Bianca L. Granado

A celebration of literature in the borderland region is fast approaching as the Border Book Festival returns with a weekend full of activities, entertainment and of course, books!

“Return: the 14th annual Border Book Festival” will be Friday, April 18 through Sunday, April 20, in Mesilla, and feature artists like Cristina Garcia, author of A Handbook to Luck, Quincy Troupe, poet editor and author of 17 books, and Grammy nominated vocalist, composer and arranger Perla Batalla.

Other highlights include Libros y Más, the festival trade show that will take place on the historic Mesilla Plaza and features local, regional, national and international authors, presses and artists. Three plaza stages include the Main stage, the Children’s Storytelling tent, and the Lucha stage, which highlights Lucha Libre, Mexican wrestling and poetry.

The main stage will feature music on the Plaza with La Familia Vigil, with featured musician Cipriano Vigil, a national treasure who has played at the Smithsonian will offer “Cancion Nuevo,” New Mexican music as well as Radio La Chusma from El Paso, offering the sounds of Afro-Mexican reggae cumbia.

The children’s storytelling tent, the Tent of Wonders, will feature children’s authors and storytellers Amy Costales, author of Abuelita Full of Life, Lupe Vargas and Her Super Best Friend, Adalucía Quan, author of The Song of the Coconut, La Chica de Mendiburo and The Magic of Clay, and Sudeshna Sengupta, painter and festival poster and bookmark artist who will tell stories of India.

The Lucha Stage, a bona fide wrestling ring, will feature Lucha for Literacy, an exhibition of Mexican wrestling by masked wrestlers Magno, Rey Escorpion, Astroman and Peluchín, Jr, followed by a reading by Xavier Garza, author of Lucha Libre, The Man in the Silver Mask, Griselda “La RaNa” Muñoz, recognized slam poet and Osvaldo Ogaz, a Mexican Lucha poet.

“The Border Book Festival, Inc. believes that literature and the arts can bridge the many boundaries—racial, ethnic, generational, cultural, socio-economic and gender biased—that divide our community,” said Denise Chavez, Director of the Cultural Center of Mesilla.

For more information on the festival, a schedule of events or to purchase tickets contact the Border Book Festival at 575-423-3988 or visit their website at www.borderbookfestival.org.

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