On Friday evening, I'm delivering a statement on the passing of Oscar Hijuelos by Jose Negroni

Dear Friends:

I just wanted to let you know that we have an upcoming event that’s getting all the attention it can handle in the NYC literary world at large.  But in the medium term, I’d love for you to attend this program, which consists of the New York component of the Festival de la Palabra coming up on Friday, October 18^th at that Americas Society.  It gets underway at 7:30.

And in case you haven’t heard the news, Oscar Hijuelos passed away: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/books/oscar-hijuelos-cuban-american-writer-who-won-pulitzer-dies-at-62.html?ref=obituaries.  It is with tremendous sadness that I share this news with you.  He was a dear friend of the department’s, his wonderful wife, Lori, used to run our magazine and they even met for the first time at the Americas Society.  If you’re not familiar with his work, he is best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love".  The book was also made into the 1992 film, "The Mambo Kings," starring Antonio Banderas.

And by the way, the director of this department, Daniel Shapiro, will be presenting his poetry collection, Child with a Swan's Wings (Díaz Grey Editores), on Saturday, October 19, at 7:00 p.m., at McNally Jackson bookstore in Manhattan (52 Prince Street; see link below). If you happen to be available that evening and don’t already have plans...  This event is free and open to the publichttp://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/child-swans-wings-daniel-shapiro-conversation-claudio-iv%C3%A1n-remeseira.

Many thanks.

Best,

José Négroni

Americas Society
680 Park Avenue at 68th St.
New York, NY 10065
Direct: (212) 277-8353
jnegroni@as-coa.org

Literature at Americas Society Americas Society ¦ 680 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065 ¦ www.as-coa.org Festival de la Palabra "Puerto Rico: una literatura en diálogo con el mundo" October 18, 2013 7:30 p.m. Americas Society 680 Park Avenue New York, NYView map In the concluding event of this year's Festival de la Palabra en Nueva York, five writers from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela—Frank Báez, Janette Becerra, Eduardo Lalo (recipient of the 2013 Rómulo Gallegos Prize), Juan Carlos Méndez Guédez, Wilda Rodríguez (moderator), and Mayra Santos-Febres—will participate in a discussion on the state of literature in the region. Read more. Learn more about Review, or subscribe. Reservations required. Americas Society Members: FREE. Click here to register online using your personal login.  Non-Members: $10. Purchase tickets online.