OLD HOUSE

OLD HOUSE
Originally uploaded by suapr.

Vejigante de Loiza

Vejigante de Loiza
Originally uploaded by paper art.

CEIBA VEJIGANTE

CEIBA VEJIGANTE
Originally uploaded by suapr.

In the Mailbox

OPENING NIGHT!
A One Woman Art Exhibit
By Puerto Rican Lower East Side Artisan:
Isabel Christina Rivera-Almonte

Thursday, October 11, 7-9 p.m.

Isabel C. Rivera-Almonte is an accomplished Puerto Rican Artisan. Her art expresses many aspects of Puerto Rican history and culture. All of her beautiful and important art will be in display.

This will be the first time that Isabel's total works will be on display.

Enjoy wine n cheese soft music , a wonderful crowd of people, artist, poets, musicians, photographers, live radio show.


Boricua College
186 N. 6 Street (Williamsburg area)
Brooklyn, NY, 11211
Tel:1718-782-2200
L Train Bedford Ave Stop
One stop from 14th street @ 1st Avenue

This is a Boricuation.com sponsored event!

--
Jose Medina
Boricuation.com

Tania Ochoteco

Tania Ochoteco
Originally uploaded by prsuncom

Frees Herself with Art, Community and Big Hopes
By Robert Waddell

In 2002, Bronx actress Tania Ochoteco was taking classes at the Raul Julia Training Unit of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre and working with dramatists.
Today, she works for a Bronx politician, but she is not all about politics. She is still an artist at heart who is pursuing her love for acting and writing.
“I have gained more experience and joined a company," she said about her acting. "I’m a member of the Puerto Rican Intercultural Drama Ensemble, the Pride Theatre Company and I’ve had the opportunity to work with Frank Perez, Eugene Rodriguez, Rene Valentin, Lou Torres.”
She studied with the late artist Raul Davila and did a staged reading of Nuyorican poet Pedro Pietri’s play “Come in We’re Closed.”
Serving her community in the Bronx is important to her. She’s currently deputy director for Council Member Annabelle Palma of the Bronx.
“It’s a great j-o-b because it’s in my community, the Bronx," she said. "I’m able to do something in a direct or indirect way that’s helping the community, so I’m happy about that."
She enjoys the flexibility this job gives her as she acts and writes.
“It’s been really good, but the results are only as good as the effort,” she said. “I’m happy with where I am so far, for the experience I’ve gained and for what I have to look forward to.”
Ochoteco considers herself an up and coming artist who is still paying her dues.
“She’s a wonderful actress,” said actor and playwright Eugene Rodriguez. “And as a person in the community, her heart is in the right place. She knows her lines and takes direction well.”
In a performance of Rodriguez’s “San Juan Shakespeare Company,” Ochoteco played Cindy who is a new actress that wants to perform with established actors. Ochoteco said she could relate to this character.
In addition to acting, Ochotecto said she is also learning the art of playwriting. She wants to write about her experiences in a memoir entitled “Memoirs of a Wifey.”
“This project involves a plethora of issues,” she said. “It involves immigration, deportation. It’s a very intimate piece of work. It brings me back to a difficult and interesting time in my early 20s…I’m so excited about it. Just when I think I don’t have any more energy, I start writing, and I’m filled with adrenaline. The next thing you know it’s 3 a.m. and I have to get up at 7 for work. I’ve been tired, but it’s good tired. I’ve been productive.”
The term “wifey” refers to a woman who lives with a man without being legally married. “It’s an urban term for shacking up,” she said. “A lot of people can relate…marriage is slowly diminishing. There's a lot of women who have their partners and their children and that’s what it is.”
She described her six-year experience as life changing.
Out of a love story comes the intimate experience when one is left alone, she said. There are no divorces or alimony.
“There’s redemption in this story,” she said. “There are experiences in life that mark you for a long time.”
Ochoteco said the story is about freeing herself from a difficult situation and gaining redemption.
“In the next five years,” Ochoteco said, “I hope to have a lot more productions under my belt; I hope to be doing film; and I hope to be part of a movement that is putting our efforts to open more spaces for artists to put up their work.”

Robert Waddell is a Bronx-based freelance writer who contributes his writings to Puerto Rico Sun.

la coca

la coca
Originally uploaded by anaivette64.

UnBuenCamino

UnBuenCamino
Originally uploaded by TatoBrujo.

Casa de las banderas

Casa de las banderas
Originally uploaded by Jorge Rodriguez.

Guayama, Puerto Rico

Hostos - Viejo San Juan

Hostos - Viejo San Juan
Originally uploaded by paper art.

Rincón, Puerto Rico

Rincón, Puerto Rico
Originally uploaded by Oquendo.

In the Mailbox

News from the Artists Foundation
_______________________________________________
FROM www.freepress.net

Dear Media Reformer,

If you're getting this e-mail, you already know that universal, affordable high-speed Internet access is critical to our future.

Unfortunately, most of us have been left out of the debate over the future of the Internet that is happening right now in Washington. High-priced lobbyists have no trouble bending the ears of lawmakers in Washington. But you and I rarely get the
chance to be heard.

That's about to change. On Wednesday, Senator Kerry is holding a hearing on improving Internet access for all Americans. He has pledged to listen to your ideas and respond via the SavetheInternet.com blog. It is crucial that you add your voice to this debate.

Join Senator Kerry in a Conversation about the Future of the Internet: www.savetheinternet.com/blog

"It's almost hard to wrap your head around the fact that seven years into this century, more Americans than not have either no Internet access at all or are still stuck on dial-up," Senator Kerry writes. "It seems like so long ago that the buzzword was the 'information super-highway,' but much of America is still
bouncing down a country lane. That is just unacceptable."

America continues to fall further behind the rest of the world when it comes to fast, affordable Internet access. That's because we don't have a national broadband policy dedicated to bringing the benefits of the Internet to everyone.

Share Your Ideas About How to Connect America: www.savetheinternet.com/blog

"Previous generations put a toaster in every home and a car in every driveway as signs of economic progress," Senator Kerry explains. "To stay competitive, we should strive to do the same with nationwide broadband. Our economy, our businesses and our
families are counting on us to deliver."

This could be the start of a truly public conversation of what the future of the Internet should look like. Please join us and share your comments and ideas.

Onward,

Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
Free Press
www.freepress.net
www.savetheinternet.com

P.S. Please help spread the word about this important
initiative. Tell your friends today:
www.freepress.net/content/taf_fpan

El mega aguacate

El mega aguacate
Originally uploaded by yasmapaz.

El Morro's Defense

El Morro's Defense
Originally uploaded by donnacorless.

El Morro's Defense. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Digital watercolor artwork by Donna Corless.