Latinx Activist Group #DignidadLiteraria to Hold Town Hall on the American Dirt Controversy This Weekend

In the wake of the controversy surrounding Oprah's questionable book club pick American Dirt, Latinx literary activists #DignidadLiteraria have spearheaded a national call to action in the publishing industry.

Now, they're bringing the discussion to San Antonio with a town hall featuring both major figures in the national conversation surrounding Latinx in publishing as well as notable Alamo City creators and scholars. 

On Saturday, #DignidadLiteraria will hold a panel discussion featuring author and American Dirt's canary in the coal mine Myriam Gurba, author and former Texas Poet Laureate Carmen Tafolla, award-winning illustrator and Mexicanx Initiative founder John Picacio, Aztlan Libre Press co-founder Juan Tejeda and The Lamp of San Antonio's executive editor Denise McVea, moderated by author Bárbara Renaud González. The conversation will center on how the U.S. publishing industry has shut out Latinx and other marginalized voices and the grassroots push to hold publishing giants like Oprah Winfrey and Flatiron Books accountable for "the dismal state of the industry’s commitment Latinos in the United States."

Free, 7-10 p.m. Saturday, February 22, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, 922 San Pedro St., (210) 228-0201, esperanzacenter.org.

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