February 2017 - Las Comadres Newsletter



Hola, Comadres.  Happy February. The month of love, Valentine’s Day and Women’s Health. Hence, our call to wear red. Wear it proudly and often.

We want to thank Comadre Raesha Cartagena and the Hispanic Federation for hosting us this month and again in March.

Last month, we introduced two new Comadres Facilitators – Gladys Ayala-Borjas and Miriam Molina. They join Raesha Cartagena and Maria Ferrer as Facilitators. The new Fearless Four have many plans for themes and activities for the coming year so stay tune.

                                                             Raesha, Maria, Julia, Gladys, Miriam



Let’s meet the NYC Comadres Facilitators:

Gladys Ayala-Borjas is Puerto Rican born in El Barrio NYC. Married. Favorite outings are salsa dancing to live music at events in NYC, and exploring new things and old sites in the city. Gladys is passionate about community health. She works at Guildnet - a medicare-medicaid insurance for people with homecare, and is a Volunteer with American Diabetes Association in their Latino Initiatives committee. Gladys has been of Las Comadres since 2010 and happy to be a facilitator this year.

Raesha Cartagena is a writer, producer, community activist, and fundraiser who is passionate about addressing vital issues that face our Latino communities.   As a native New Yorker from East Harlem and a resident of the Bronx, Raesha is proud to serve in her community and continues to be a social agent of change. She is a Comadre and proud single parent of a lively 12-year old.

Maria Ferrer has been a Comadre for over 10 years. She joined for the book club, but stayed for the friendships. She is proud to be a Facilitator and the Media Relations Coordinator for the Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Book Club and a Discussion Leader for the local Comadres book club. She is a member of the Latinx in Publishing, who are working to get more Latinos into Publishing.

Miriam Molina has been a Comadre for over 6 years, and is of Puerto Rican decent.  She has worked for WebMD as a Program Manager for over 10 years, married to husband Eli and has 3 grown children, and lives in NJ.  She enjoys dancing, writing, reading and travel.

Welcome, Ladies, and Thank You.

Las Comadres Facilitators                                             
Maria, Raesha, Gladys & Miriam           

Las Comadres Book Club Discussion Leaders 
Maria, Dora Maria, Nicole & Tess




MARK YOUR CALENDAR! 

February 21, Tuesday, Comadres Book Club at 6:30pm at the Citicorp Building, Atrium Lobby. Look for the Comadres Table. Join us even if you don’t finish the book.
---Our February book of the month is LOVE FIELD by Virginia Alanis (Floricanto Press). It’s her debut novel set in Dallas, mid-1980s, where Laura Cano, a Mexican-American teenager finds herself torn between the old world of her parents and the new world around her.
---We also add a “Conversations With Book” and for this month it’s 12 RANDOM WORDS by Fabiana Elisa Martinez (Talk Active LLC). It’s a bilingual collection of vignettes told in both English and Spanish.  Please support a Latino Author by buying their book. J

February 27, Monday, Comadres Book Club Teleconference. Sign up today to listen in on interviews with authors Virginia Alanis and Fabiana Elisa Martinez. Register early –at www.latinolit.com -- and you may win a FREE BOOK. And do join in on the Twitter Chat while the teleconference is going on. Our Twitter address is @ReadLatinoLit; our hashtag #ReadLatinoLit.

March 7, Tuesday, Comadrazo Meeting at 6:30pm here again at the Hispanic Federation, 55 Exchange Place,
5th floor. Bring your ID. Bring a Friend or two. Bring food or drink to share.
  
JOIN THE COMADRES LIST SERV!  If you are new to Las Comadres or if you are not receiving your event emails, please register to join group at:  http://lascomadres.com/lco/join-las-comadres/

JOB POSTINGS/ NEWS/ ETC. LET US KNOW! If you have job postings, volunteer opportunities or news that you want to share with your Comadres, email us at lascomadresNY@gmail.com.

BUY LAS COMADRES MERCHANDISE AT DISCOUNT!  We still have the limited edition scarves. They measure 12 x 54 and are available in silk (now $40) and polyester (no $15).  Email us at lascomadresNY@gmail.com if interested.

FREE BOOK!  Sofia Lachapelle has written a bilingual book, which talks about aspects of Autism.  Both of her sons are autistic and she found difficulty in finding resources available in Spanish. It's a nicely illustrated 24 page book that you can download for free.  Please share.   SOY UN SÚPER HÉROE ESPECIAL. http://www.1pasoalavez.com/

GET YOUR COPY OF COUNT ON ME: TALES OF SISTERHOODS AND FIERCE FRIENDSHIPS. A wonderful collection of stories by 12 prominent Latino authors who reveal how friendships have helped them to overcome difficult moments in their lives. Authors include Reyna Grande, Esmeralda Santiago, Daisy Martínez, Sofia Quintero, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, and Michelle Herrera Mulligan.  

FLY AMERICAN AIRLINES AND BENEFIT LAS COMADRES! American Airlines is now the official airline for Las Comadres. You can help Las Comadres grow every time you fly American Airlines.  Here's how:  Las Comadres has a Business ExtrAA® Account  Number 790376.  When you book your reservations on American Airlines®, American Eagle® or AmericanConnection® whether it's via their website or through your preferred travel agent, in addition to earning AAdvantage miles for your travel, you can also help expand 
Las Comadres!♥ 


QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

If You Want To
SOAR
In Life,
You Must First Learn to
F.L.Y.

(First Love Yourself)




HAPPY HOLIDAYS !

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