Celebrating Día in Vallejo
Saturday, April 24th, we drove up to Vallejo. I didn’t know it was so very water-y around there. I’ve only lived here for 16 years and driven over the Carquinas bridge countless times! I now understand that the San Pablo Bay is enormous and stunning on a sunny day. Water, water everywhere!
When we arrived, we walked into the full swing of Día events at JFK Library. The big room was packed with families watching the tail end of a puppet show. Then we watched as the rows of chairs were strategically moved about to include tables and a great feast began. After we were all full of tamales and salsa (they even had a salsa that had a bit of a bite to it!) I asked the children to join me on the floor. I had decided Continue reading »
Tales from “Our Community, Ourselves” Diversity Conference
Spring is here and we’ve been all over the place. I’m one of those terribly homey people. I LOVE home. But I also LOVE to travel. India, Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, New York, Philadelphia, South Carolina, Vallejo, Alameda County… The world fascinates me with its beauty and variation, from the far away and vastly different to the close to home and still different! In San Francisco, we live in what I jokingly refer to as an “adjacent reality,” similar to the rest of the country, but noticeably unique. Ahhh, San Francisco, she’s an island unto herself in some ways. So even when we only travel a county or two away, I feel like we’re on an adventure…away from our familiar little village of the Castro and Mission Districts, away from the public trains and rolling fog, our local markets and favorite strolls.
This last Friday, April 23rd, we were up before the sun and off to the Newark Hilton for the Diversity Conference sponsored by Child, Family and Community Services, Inc. of Alameda County. I love doing these things with Matthew. He drives and I navigate. Usually I’ve been alone, so I drive and I have no idea who’s navigating. We got there nice and early and set up our table. It was the first public event for Claiming Face, the Educator’s Guide, and Continue reading »
Let the Festivities Begin – Celebrating Día in West Sacramento
We headed to Sacramento for a gorgeous drive from San Francisco last Saturday, April 17, to our first Día de los Niños event this year at the Arthur F. Turner Community Library. I’m always happy to go to Sacramento. It reminds me of being a kid and going to see the State Capitol. My father would stop at each and every Historical Landmark and noteworthy piece of local information on the way there. I love the shape of the town, the streets and parks. Matthew and I have had cause to go there a lot in the last couple of years and it feels familiar in parts. Sacramento has that Continue reading »
El Día de los Niños Coloring Page
To celebrate all the Día events we will be attending this year, we’ve created a coloring page to download. View and download it from our main site.
Can you find all the things that start with the letter “B”?
Hope to see you at some of the events this month! For a listing of the events Maya will be presenting at, visit our Día blog post.
Filed under Events, General | Tags: celebration, children, el dia de los libros, el dia de los niños, fun | Comment (0)CLAIMING FACE in Life – The Making of the Book, Part 1
We have the very first book in hand now. As I hold it I can feel the heft of its 236 pages. The cover is slick and vibrant. It looks and feels like “fresh book.” But it also feels like it has existed forever. I have done a lot of books in my time, but nothing like this. This book is my life. I can sense how it has grown in me ever since I was a child. It feels like me. As personal as it is, it could not have been created this way without partnering with Matthew for it. I think it’s an honest estimation to say that we are each wildly creative in separate, but fabulously complimentary ways. One of Matthew’s many strengths is his attention to great detail and clarity. He has architecture in his blood. I love structure, but often find that dismantling is more my focus. I need a lot of freedom.
Coupled with our individual style we both also engage with creativity differently. I see it as a powerful force I was born with that serves as my teacher. I also see that Continue reading »
Filed under CLAIMING FACE, The Creative Process | Tags: book process, CLAIMING FACE, creative process, creativity, series | Comment (0)
