2022-2023 Read Across America Calendar

Each month, we feature three books—one each for young, middle grade, and young adult readers—that explore a topic related to diversity and inclusion. Check out the calendar below to see what's in store!

Activate Inner Strengths Characters in these books can show students how to look within, recognize the gifts they have, and appreciate who they are.

Luminarias or Farolitos "NM True & Tour"

NEW MEXICO TRUE
LUMINARIAS WHAT ARE LUMINARIAS? The glowing brown sacks that adorn Albuquerque walkways, churches and homes each holiday season are called luminarias and date back more than 300 years. The New Mexican tradition began when the Spanish villages along the Rio Grande displayed the unique and easy to make Christmas lanterns, called luminarias to welcome the Christ child into the world. A traditional luminaria is a brown paper bag, which has been folded at the top, filled will a couple cups of sand and a votive candle. ALBUQUERQUE'S LUMINARIA TOUR If you visit Albuquerque in December, you'll experience the Old Town Plaza's annual Luminaria Tour where hundreds of people walk into the cool night and wander through the golden glow of more than a thousand twinkling paper lanterns. There is also an annual Luminaria Bus Tour each year on Christmas Eve. To explore other holiday traditions in Albuquerque, visit our Winter Holiday page. Luminarias THE HISTORY OF LUMINARIAS Luminarias have not always been made out of paper bags, the early versions were actually small bonfires of crisscrossed piñon branches which were built in three-foot high squares. When colored paper was brought over from Asia years later, luminarias became what they are today. Instead of making lanterns that would hang in a tree or from a roof, which would become damaged by the wind, small bags were made and placed on the ground, rooftops and along pathways.

Our Lady of Guadalupe by NM Author, Pat Mora

The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe Knopf Books for Young Readers, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher Available as an e-book: For Kindle For Nook Download a hi-res jpeg of the book jacket. Visit the press page for the media, reviewers and bloggers. La hermosa Señora: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Knopf Books for Young Readers/Dragonfly Books Available as an e-book: For Kindle For Nook Download a hi-res jpeg of the book jacket. A basket for Our Lady of Guadalupe seems a wonderful practice. You may prefer another spiritual power to whom you wish to entrust your prayers and hopes. Life is both joyful and hard. It's comforting to entrust our concerns to powers greater than ours.

A Prayer Basket Do you believe in the power of prayer? And do you have trouble at times remembering the people and issues you wish to pray for? I do. Some years back, my dear friend Father Murray Bodo who has given me many good ideas, suggested a prayer practice. In a basket, he puts slips of paper on which he has written the names of those he wants to pray for or for his current intentions. During his daily time for reflection, he can hold the basket rather than focusing on a memory exercise.

Rudolfo Anaya Reading Challenge

SANTA ROSA — The third annual Rudolfo Anaya Reading challenge inspired Santa Rosa students to read over 800 books, with middle and high schoolers creating 70 art projects. Santa Rosa High School students were challenged to read local author Maximiliano G. Tenorio’s “Too Far From Heaven” while middle and elementary students were challenged to read Southwest titles that featured Hispanic/Latino, Native American, cowboy, and other local themes. “It is great when students get excited about reading which can be rare these days,” said Darrel Gomez, Santa Rosa Middle School English Language Arts teacher. “The Rudolfo Anaya Reading Challenge allowed our students to read and learn about Hispanic and Native culture. This project was an effective way to get the students to learn about an author who has ties to the community.” The challenge ran for a month and ended on Oct. 30, on” Rudolfo Anaya I Love To Read Day,” which was passed into law by the state Senate in 2019 as a day dedicated to the celebration of Anaya’s legacy of promoting youth literacy in New Mexico. Over the last three years, students in the Santa Rosa Consolidated School district have read 2,137 books for this challenge.

NMLA and Dia De Los Muertos

Thank you to everyone who painted and received information from RNM at NMLA. Congratulations to Gilda for winning New Mexico autographed books from Rudolfo Anaya, Pat Mora and more, in a Frida handbag!

Hector Galan at National Hispanic Cultural Center

NHCC Signature Event: Hector Galán Director Talk and Screening Hector Galán, the first documentary filmmaker to be inducted into the prestigious Texas Film Hall of Fame, capped off Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at the National Hispanic Cultural Center! Galán will be hosted a director’s talk and screening of his documentary Chicano! History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Margie Huerta, Executive Director shared how NHCC will bring opportunities to film makers in the Spring. Sign up for updates.

Native American Heritage Month Poetry

Rudolfo Anaya: The Magic of Words

Rudolfo Anaya: The Magic Of Words is a 26-minute documentary film on the life and writing of one of the founders of Chicano literature. About the film: The producer/director of Rudolfo Anaya: The Magic Of Words, David Ellis, first met the author almost twenty years ago while making another film on New Mexico – Land of Enchantment, broadcast by The Disney Channel. He interviewed Rudolfo Anaya for that film and found him to be fascinating and eloquent, the perfect subject for a film, himself. Many years later, when Ellis was looking for a subject for another New Mexico project, he approached Anaya who enthusiastically agreed to work with the filmmaker on this documentary. The first scenes filmed were interviews with Anaya in Albuquerque, New Mexico; other interviews followed with literary scholars and the writer’s friends – in Los Angeles, Albuquerque and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Finally, footage was added of New Mexico’s magnificent landscape, historic film from the 1960s and family photos.

Middle school and high school students can learn a great deal from Anaya’s inspiring life. His personal story demonstrates that while our lives can be sometimes unpredictable and unfair, hard work, determination and education can help overcome even the most difficult life experiences. The program features interviews with Anaya and his wife Patricia and friends and colleagues. Other scenes include footage of the endless plains of eastern New Mexico where Anaya grew up; dramatic reenactments from Anaya’s childhood; a visit to an Albuquerque herbal healer, and film of New Mexico’s magnificent landscape. Rudolfo Anaya: The Magic Of Words is a vital reference to the Hispanic culture of New Mexico. While Anaya’s cultural identity is drawn from his experiences growing up in the American Southwest, his stories transcend time and place and are invaluable in understanding the quest of all people for cultural identity, recognition and mutual respect.