Alison Trujillo

La Petenera

Last year I heard “La Petenera” for the first time. La Petenera is a song with its origins in Spain; it is sung in the flamenco style. There are actually many Peteneras, and they make up a specific category of flamenco song with a “palo” of a strong twelve-beat meter. The ever-popular “Sevillanas” are inContinue reading “La Petenera”

Cool Salsa for a Hot Summer

I like the title of this post because in addition to literally being about salsa it gives a nod to the book “Cool Salsa,” which I recommend to young readers wanting to dive into bilingual reading. On to my main topic, though – yummy salsa! Here in Northern California, some of our hottest summer daysContinue reading “Cool Salsa for a Hot Summer”

A Newsy Post

Here we are with summer well underway! I’ve been enjoying slower days, longer evenings with the sun still out, and a recent full moon accompanied by Mars. Since starting my Spanish to English translation business, I’ve been pretty good about establishing a daily routine when working from home. However, I’m finding it much more challenging toContinue reading “A Newsy Post”

The Good Life

Last week I listened to the newest episode from one of my favorite podcasts, Las Raras Podcast. This one is all about Francisco Vio Giacaman. As a young man he traveled to Chilean Patagonia and vowed to return. Now, years later, he brings his passion for sustainable agriculture to the community of Puerto Guadal andContinue reading “The Good Life”

Reading: Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto

Last week I began a new novel: Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto (Shoot Me, I’m Already Dead) by Spanish author and journalist Julia Navarro. This is an ambitious novel that follows the story of two families – the Zuckers and the Ziads – whose lives become intertwined when Samuel Zucker, fleeing the persecution of JewsContinue reading “Reading: Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto”

Ferdinand

A confession: For years when I taught Spanish I would read El cuento de Ferdinando aloud to my students. For some reason I always thought the original was written by a Spanish author and only recently discovered that Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson are not the translators but the original American authors of this famous children’s book.Continue reading “Ferdinand”