MOVIES

The Motorcycle Diaries, based on personal accounts by the main characters, is the story of a journey made in the early 1950s by Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) and Ernesto “Che” Guevara (Gael García Bernal, “Y Tu Mamá También”). The two embark on a motorcycle adventure across Latin America that leads them to the discovery of a continent of hope and humanity, and a desire to change the world. “The Motorcycle Diaries,” in Spanish with English subtitles, premiered on Sept. 23.

BOOKS

Color: Latino Voices in the Pacific Northwest (WSU Press, June 2004) is drawn from author Lorane A. West’s experiences as a medical interpreter and advocate for Spanish-speaking immigrants. She adapts her conversations with people from various Latin American countries into a series of short, first-person accounts of the even more various Latino immigrant experience, giving voice to those who otherwise would not have it.

Esmeralda Santiago, author of “When I Was Puerto Rican” and “Almost a Woman,” recently released the third installment of her memoirs, The Turkish Lover (De Capo Press, August 2004). A story of romance, entrapment and self-liberation, “The Turkish Lover” sees Santiago through a stifling love affair, culminating triumphantly in her graduation from Harvard.

Lolita Hernadez makes her authorial debut with Autopsy of an Engine and Other Stories From the Cadillac Plant (Coffee House Press, Sept. 2004), a collection drawn from Hernandez’s 21 years working at the Cadillac factory in Detroit, Mich. Hernadez lends the lyrical rhythms of her Caribbean heritage to these stories of culture, class and cars, creating a mix of journalism and fiction with a strong personal touch.

Psychotherapist, astrologer and self-help author Mabel Iam follows up the success of “El Amante Perfecto” with El Sueño del Amor (Llewellyn Espanol, July 2004), an examination of sexual pleasure, energy and erotic dreams, and the intersection of our sexual and dream lives. She offers advice for improving readers’ erotic spaces and giving their sex lives a magical quality, providing interpretations for over 400 dreams.

June Carolyn Erlick brings to the page the story of Guatemalan journalist Irma Flaquer in Disappeared: A Journalist Silenced (Seal Press, Nov. 2004). Flaquer was the founder of the first Guatemalan Human Rights Commission and gained notoriety for her weekly, 20-year syndicated column, “Lo Que Otros Callan” (“What Others Don’t Dare Write”). A passionate crusader for truth and human rights, Flaquer was abducted in 1980 and never seen again.

MUSIC

On Sept. 21, Mexican singer-songwriter and guitarist Ely Guerra released her fourth album, “Sweet & Sour, Hot Y Spicy,” a seductive, Spanish-language pop rock blend. The album’s 12 tracks are all written by Guerra, whose voice and guitar melodies are accompanied by her four-musician backup band, Los Elys Guerras. “Sweet & Sour, Hot Y Spicy” is a worthy follow-up to Guerra’s 2002 international success, “Lotofire.”

Eva Ayllón, the celebrated Afro-Peruvian singer, made her northern recording debut with “Eva! Leyenda Peruana,” on Sept. 7. Ayllón’s blend of the sounds and musical traditions of Africa, Spain and indigenous Peru have been entertaining audiences in the Americas for thirty years, but this is the first time she’s released an album in the United States.

MUSEUMS

Casa de los Espíritus: The Paul Sherrill Days of the Dead Collection will be on display through Nov. 27 at the Mexican Museum of San Francisco. The exhibition is taken from the large collection of popular Mexican art of the late San Francisco architect Paul Sherrill and features unique pieces in ceramic, wood, paper and tin.
 

The Yale Peabody Museum will offer two traveling exhibits of Latin American art and culture through Feb. 13, 2005. Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas, will be on display at Chicago's Field Museum, and Aztec Empire, which includes private and public works and archeological finds that have never been seen outside of Mexico, will be on display at the Guggenheim in New York.

KIDS' CORNER

Isabel Allende completes her youth adventure trilogy that began with “La Ciudad de las Bestias” and “El Reino del Dragón de Oro” with El Bosque de los Pigmeos (Rayo, Sept. 2004), which follows Jaguar and Águila on their journey of friendship through a mysterious land full of spirits and adventure. The English translation will be released in May 2005.