Arriba Baseball! Coming May 31st



VAO Publishing is looking at a May 31st publication date for Arriba Baseball!

Here’s the line-up of all-stars:

Foreword by Peter C. Bjarkman
Introduction by Robert P. Moreira
Uncle Rock by Dagoberto Gilb
Los Tecolotes by Norma Elia Cantú
Chasing Chato by Wayne Rapp
Recollections of a High School Benchwarmer by Daniel Romo
Down the Line by Edward Vidaurre
One Inning at a Time Till Nine by René Saldaña, Jr.
Ritualidades by Juan Antonio González
Baseball Over the Moon by Kathryn Lane
Juan Bobo by Nelson Denis
Tomboy Forgiveness by David Rice
So Much for the Cubs by Melissa Hidalgo
The Noble Roman by Pete Cava
The Heat by Thomas de la Cruz
Good Father by Christine Granados
You’ll Hit It Over Anzalduas Bridge by Robert Paul Moreira

Fiction    ,

¡Juventud! Growing up on the Border



¡Juventud! Growing up on the Border is an anthology of Young Adult short stories and poetry written by award-winning authors for Hispanic youth. Edited by René Saldaña, Jr., and Erika Garza-Johnson, the collection is slated for a March 10 release.

Book Description: Borders are magical places, and growing up on a border, crossing and recrossing that space where this becomes that, creates a very special sort of person, one in whom multiple cultures, languages, identities and truths mingle in powerful ways. In these eight stories and sixteen poems, a wide range of authors explore issues that confront young people along the US-Mexico border, helping their unique voices to be heard and never ignored.

¡Juventud! features the work of David Rice, Xavier Garza, Jan Seale, Guadalupe García McCall, Diana Gonzales Bertrand, and many others.

Front Cover
Juventud cover front

Full Cover

Juventud cover 2

Book Details
Paperback: 180 pages
Publisher: VAO Publishing (March 10, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615778259
ISBN-13: 978-0615778259
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces

Availability
Amazon

Young Adult Fiction

Border Noir Full Cover



Except for the rubbish pasted as a place-holder on the back, this is what the full cover of Border Noir will look like:

bn cover unfinished carr

Adult Fiction, News

Border Noir Revived



We are happy to announce that author and editor Brian Carr has signed on to manage the Border Noir anthology. More details forthcoming.

News

Publication of Border Noir cancelled



VAO Publishing is saddened to announce that we have had to cancel publication of Border Noir. It is possible that the project will be revived in the fall, but for the time being, contributors may place their pieces elsewhere.

News

Pushcart Prize Nominations



VAO Publishing is proud to announce our 2012 nominations for the Pushcart Prize:

  • “Combustible Sinners” by Myra Infante
  • “Snow in the Valley” by Alan Oak
  • “Beneath the Encino” by Robert Paul Moreira
  • “Creating a Self-Conscious Literary World in South Texas” by Dr. Rob Johnson
  • “These Hands Which Never Picked Cotton” by Amalia Ortiz
  • “Amerika” by Dr. Christopher Carmona
  • “Summer Song” by Katherine Hoerth
  • “From the Valley” by Juventino Manzano
  • “Lorca in the Barrio” by Edward Vidaurre
  • “Nopales for Breakfast” by José Hernández Díaz
News   

Along the River 2 Awards



The reception forAlong the River 2 went incredibly well. Many contributors read one of their selections, and Pura Belpré-winning author Guadalupe García McCall gave a wonderful closing talk.

Ten awards were presented, the top six of which had a monetary prize attached:

POETRY
First place: Rossy Evelin Lima, for “Las dos lenguas”
Second place: Amalia Ortiz, for “These Hands Which Have Never Picked Cotton”
Third place: Christopher Carmona, for “Amerika”
Fourth place: Katherine Hoerth, for “Summer Song”
Fifth place: Juventino Manzano, for “From the Valley”

PROSE
First place: Robert Paul Moreira, for “Beneath the Encino”
Second place: Alan Oak, for “Snow in Valley”
Third place: Alejandro Cabada Fernández, for “Doña Lipa”
Fourth place: Rob Johnson, for “Creating a Self-Conscious Literary World in South Texas”
Fifth place: Erika Said Izaguirre, for “Esta noche los muertos regresan”

Along the River Anthology Series    , , , , , , , , , , ,

Along the River 3: Call for Submissions



Calling All Writers from South Texas! Get your poems, flash fiction and essays published in the third Along the River anthology.

VAO Publishing is accepting submissions for its upcoming title Along the River 3: Dark Voices from the Río Grande. The anthology will be available in October 2013 in trade paperback and eBook form.

Authors whose work is selected for inclusion will receive a free copy of the paperback. There will additionally be six monetary prizes for the pieces judged by a panel to be the most appealing.

If you are interested in being part of this exciting project, you should your work through our submission form. Submission deadline is May 1, 2013.

Content Guidelines:
The third volume of Along the River focuses on the darker side of life along the river. Send us your spooky stories, your demented poems, your heart-breaking memoirs. As always, we prefer pieces that either take place in this region or deal with issues pertaining to deep south Texas. And, please, try to keep things PG-13. We don’t mind frank language and subject matter, but we need to be accessible to a wide, general audience. Thanks!

Poetry: You may submit up to six poems; we would prefer not to print more than three by any one author. If your poems are in Spanish, please try to craft an accompanying English translation for the appendix. If you can’t, the editor will translate any poem selected for you.

Flash fiction: You may submit up to three pieces of flash fiction (or microfiction). These pieces should contain 2000 words or fewer. For longer fiction, please inquire first by e-mailing the editor.

Essays: You may submit up to two essays of no more than 2500 words.

For further information, drop us an e-mail publishing@valartout.org or comment on this page.

Along the River Anthology Series, News

Full cover for Along the River 2



Here’s the entire cover for the our second anthology:

Along the River Anthology Series

Along the River 2



On November 7, VAO Publishing released Along the River 2: More Voices from the Río Grande. Edited by David Bowles and with a cover designed by painter Noé Vela, Along the River features poetry and prose by a host of local talent.

This volume is the second in a series of annual anthologies that provide a forum for the unique vision of regional writers. Proceeds from its sale will be used by Valley Artistic Outreach to continue providing art camps for children and promoting artistic expression throughout the Valley.

Description: Thirty-nine voices mingle like the currents of the great river, flowing into deep narrative resacas and rushing from lyrical reservoirs. Just as the Río Grande wends its way through basins, bosques, deserts, fields—so these poems, stories and essays explore the variegated quiltwork of border culture, streaming somberly through the darkness and coruscating in the light.

Contributors
Yolanda López
Yaresy Salinas
Vanessa Brown
Valeria Espinoza
Sylvia Pérez
Rossy Lima
Rolando Villafuerte
Robert Paul Moreira
Rob Johnson
Rachel Vela
Nina Medrano
Maria D. Piedra
Minnie Vásquez
Michael Pacheco
Linda Romero
Leopoldo Farías
Kristin Keith
Kathy Trenfield Raines
Katherine Hoerth
Juventino Manzano
Juan González
José Hernández Díaz
Héctor Gómez
G.G. García
Érika Saíd
Erika Garza
Edward Vidaurre
Diana Elizondo
Daniel Tyx
Claudia D. Hernández
Clarrissia Nerio
Christopher Carmona
César de León
Brianda Salinas
Angelo Bowles
Amalia Ortiz
Alejandro Cabada
Alan Oak

Book Details
Paperback: 243 pages
Publishing Date: November 17, 2012
Language: English and Spanish
ISBN-10: 0615723764
ISBN-13: 978-0615723761
Product Dimensions: 5.25 X 8

Book Availability
The anthology will be available through Amazon.com as a trade paperback or an eBook. Additionally, eBook versions will be available through Barnes & Noble and the Apple iBookstore. Along the River 2 will eventually be available for order at most national bookstores. To preview and purchase online, navigate to the book’s Amazon page by clicking here.7

Along the River Anthology Series, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry
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