#NuevasPaginasconLupita is a space that is both an archive and resource aimed to "spotlight" Hispanic/Latinx/e authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to new and/or old favorite Hispanic/Latinx/e authors and their books! So give this & every post a share to help us reach more readers!
How does it work?!
Here’s the deal, I came up with a set of casual/random/funny questions to ask each Hispanic/Latinx/e author, I interview. For now, the questions will all be the same but maybe in the future I’ll launch this into more specific questions to the author or maybe I’ll turn this series into a mini-podcast, or maybe……well, you get it! The possibilities are endless.
If you are new here don’t forget to check out all the other amazing interviews! We also have a great line-up of guest authors coming up so make sure you don’t miss an issue by subscribing now!
A friendly reminder that I am an affiliate with Bookshop.org and I may earn a commission if you click through any book links and make a purchase.
Hey Heyyy Book Franz!
Happy Nuevas Páginas Day <3 and Happy May. Before we get into our author interview for today, I wanted to take a moment and share some exciting book events I get to moderate/host this month. I am listing them below along with all the links of where you can register to attend.
Outside of getting to meet & chat with phenomenal authors, my favorite part of moderating/hosting book events is getting to meet new bookish people- so I really hope you’ll consider joining any of these conversations because I’d love to meet you in person or virtually! If you have any questions feel free to comment below or reply to this email <3
TONIGHT, Tuesday, May 3rd at 7 PM at the Apollo Conservatory (a few doors down from Solid State Books)- @litonhst Book Club with @solidstatedc presents an IN-PERSON author event with Silvia Vasquez-Lovado, author of In The Shadow of The Mountain: A memoir of courage- a book I loved & reviewed here! Free to attend & open to all Register to attend here.
Saturday, May 7th starting at 8 PM ET - BIG GAY FUNDRAISER & virtual reading hosted by @loyaltybooks with a huge & stellar lineup of amazing authors. All the funds donated as a ticket, as well as 10% of profits from book sales of titles linked to the event, will go to Zebra Coalition, Equality Texas, and Lambda Legal. Register to attend here.
Monday, May 16th At 6 PM ET - Virtual book conversation and celebration with Natalia Sylvester author of Breathe And Count Back From Ten Hosted by @duendedistrict & @wordisdiversity Register to attend here.
Monday, May 23rd at the Hyattsville Branch Library at 6:30 PM ET - In-person author event & book signing with Reyna Grande author of A Ballad of Love and Glory hosted by @pgcmls! The title and author might sound familiar to you because she was previously featured here in Nuevas Paginas. Register to attend here.
I really would love to see you at any or all of these events and for you to help me support these amazing authors, books, and causes. Wishing you a happy (as could be given the current state of the world) week and I won’t keep you any longer from today’s interview which features such an incredibly unique book!
Without further ado, our special guest author today is….Laura Catena, co-author of Malbec Mon Amour!
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book.
I have always been captivated by correspondence, love letters, letters between friends, the letters that my father used to send to me (I have kept every single one). The letters between my co-author Alejandro Vigil and I recreate the correspondence we might have had throughout the history of Malbec going back to the Roman Empire. Also, most people find wine books dense and boring. We wanted to write a new kind of book, that would make reading about wine as fun as drinking wine. That is the role of the illustrations, to make the book fun to read while still remaining informative.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
Malbec is a grape that has existed for over 2,000 years and has nearly gone extinct several times. It is a story of survival, a beautiful and courageous story. And today, the Malbec wine variety is responsible for my country, Argentina’s, wine renaissance. Malbec is our hero grape.
Malbec tastes differently depending on which soil or altitude it is grown at. It has thousands of different flavors. No human can ever know or taste all the faces of Malbec. That makes Malbec all the more exciting as a grape variety.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
In a remote high altitude vineyard in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, in Mendoza, Argentina.
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
Amy Winehouse, she lived in a hybrid world between the present and the past, and after her death she still does. Yet she never conformed; she was always her own true self. That is our Argentine Malbec, Malbec mon amour, Malbec my love.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
rib-eye steak and chimichurri fries
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
I have many favorites in Hispanic literature, from Borges (Argentine) who obsessed me when I was a child, to Unamuno, Cortazar, and Isabel Allende.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
On Instagram @lauracatenamd (I am a medical doctor and vintner) and on Twitter @lauracatena.
A huge thank you to Laura Catena for taking the time to chat with me about her book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) of their book #SupportLatinxLit!
Author Bio:
Dr. Laura Catena is a fourth-generation Argentine vintner, physician and author. Catena was born in Mendoza and spent her childhood with her grandfather Domingo at the family's winery in the small village of La Libertad. Laura graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1988 and has a Medical Doctor degree from Stanford University. In 1995 Laura joined her father Nicolás Catena Zapata at the family winery and founded the Catena Institute of Wine with the vision of making Argentine wines that could stand with the best of the world.
She is currently managing director of Bodega Catena Zapata and works closely with Alejandro Vigil and Luis Reginato to make the vineyard selections and blends for the family's wines. Laura is also founder of her own Luca Winery in Mendoza, Argentina, as well as a practicing part-time physician of Emergency Medicine in San Francisco. Laura splits her time between Mendoza, Argentina and San Francisco, California.
Synopsis for Malbec Mon Amour from Amazon website:
Laura Catena and the oenologist Alejandro Vigil, two leading figures in the world of wine, present Malbec mon amour.
This book, which combines detailed expert information with beautiful drawings and images and fun anecdotes and facts, takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the history and development of Malbec as well as the different terroirs of Mendoza where the grape has thrived so well. In Malbec mon amour they tell us how and why Malbec became Argentina’s iconic grape variety, establishing itself as the quintessential Argentine variety in elite wine circles.
Learn all you need to know about Malbec, from its development since Roman times, and its spread from the reign of Eleanor of Aquitaine right up to the phylloxera plague. See how the wine grape changed with Nicola Catena’s arrival in South America and the diligent work of the first immigrants establishing vines in the country. Take a road trip with Laura and Alejandro through the famous Uco Valley, featuring the history of high-altitude Malbec, its geology and the scientific research of the Catena Institute.
The best way you can support Latinx/e authors and Latinx/e literature is by doing the following:
REQUEST that your local library carry a copy
PURCHASE a copy of a friend, family member, or your nemesis (hey! I’m sure they read too).
SHOUT about the book on any social media platform or to your friends and family!
SHARE this interview widely! Word of mouth does wonders for connecting readers to books.
REVIEW their books on any website that sells books!
The other day one of my cousins asked in our family group chat….” Hey! What kind of music does Lupita listen to?” and without even missing a beat my brother replied “AUDIOBOOKS”!
The moment audiobooks stepped into my life, they became my music. I listen to them on walks, while doing laundry and chores — basically any moment I have to myself. So if that is you too (or if you simply want to fit in more reading during your daily life) check out Libro.FM! If you use the code LupitaReads you’ll receive two audiobook credits for 14.99 USD with your first month of membership. These credits can be used on your choice of more than 250,00 audiobooks on Libro. FM.
And if you need some audiobook recommendations - I made a list just for you!