Hispanic Heritage Month 2023

September 15 is the anniversary of independence for several Latin American countries, and also marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, the Caribbean, and Central and South America (National Hispanic Heritage Month). The library is excited to celebrate and explore the history, culture, and contributions of the Latino community, and we hope you’ll join us for a month full of music, art, games, film, book discussions, displays, and more. Read on for details about participating in this month’s festivities!

PROGRAMS

• Familia Fiesta: Kadencia
  • Saturday, September 23, 11-11:45AM, Libbie Mill Library
  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the music of Kadencia. This local ensemble will perform bomba and plena in traditional percussive form, utilizing long-rooted storytelling traditions to vividly convey the Puerto Rican experience. Sponsored by the Friends of Henrico County Public Library.

• Familia Fiesta: Crafts
  • Saturday, September 23, 12-1:30PM, Libbie Mill Library
  • Drop in and try crafts inspired by Central and South American folk arts. All instruction and materials will be provided.

• Familia Fiesta: Traditional Music with Kadencia
  • Saturday, September 23, 2-3PM, Libbie Mill Library
  • Join musicians from local music ensemble Kadencia for a lecture and musical demonstration based upon the Puerto Rican musical forms of bomba and plena, including music history, instrumentation, and rhythms. Sponsored by the Friends of Henrico County Public Library.

• Teen Art Studio: Latinx Art
  • Tuesday, September 26, 6-8PM, Varina Area Library
  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with some fun, hands-on cultural activities! We’ll discuss different styles of art from Latin cultures and do a variety of art projects. All artistic skill levels are welcome! 

• Lotería
  • Tuesday, September 26, 6:30-7:30PM, Glen Allen Library
  • Lotería is a Mexican game similar to Bingo that is fun, fast, and easy to play. Bring the whole family to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and practice your Spanish skills to win prizes!

• Underground Railroad to Mexico
  • Saturday, October 14, 2-3PM, Twin Hickory Library
  • You might be surprised to know that the Underground Railroad ran not only to the north, but south to Mexico as well. After slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829, thousands of enslaved people escaped there from Texas, Alabama, and other nearby southern states. Please join us for a discussion of this little-known history with Anita Nadal, assistant professor of Spanish at the VCU School of World Studies.

FILMS

• Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival
  • Twin Hickory Library
    • Wednesday, September 20, 6:30PM: Frida (2002, R, 118 min.)
    • Wednesday, September 27, 5PM, Like Water for Chocolate (1992, R, 114 min.)
    • Friday, September 29, 11:30AM, Coco (2017, PG, 109 min.)
    • Wednesday, October 4, 6:30PM, Bless Me, Ultima (2013, PG-13, 102 min.)
    • Wednesday, October 11, 6:30PM, Motorcycle Diaries (2004, R, 127 min.)
    • Thursday, October 12, 6:30PM, Spare Parts (2015, PG-13, 88 min.)

BOOK DISCUSSIONS

• North Park Evening Book Discussions
  • Monday, September 18, 7-8PM, North Park Library
  • My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

• • Monday, October 16, 7-8PM, North Park Library
  • The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

• Gayton Afternoon & Evening Book Discussions
  • Monday, October 9: 1-2PM and 7-8PM, Gayton Library
  • Dominicana by Angie Cruz

• Tuckahoe Afternoon & Evening Book Discussion
  • Thursday, October 12: 1-2PM and 7-8PM, Tuckahoe Library
  • Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

COLLECTION

EASY (Picture Books)

• Across the Bay by Carlos Aponte
• Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
• Areli is a Dreamer by Areli Morales
• Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle
• Islandborn by Junot Díaz
• Julián at the Wedding by Jessica Love
• Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina
• My Dog Just Speaks Spanish by Andrea Cáceres
• Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
• The Piñata That Farm Maiden Hung by Samantha R. Vamos
• ¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market by Raúl the Third

KIDS

• Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera
• Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
• The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía by Alexandra Alessandri
• Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros
• Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth by Duncan Tonatiuh
• Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
• Iveliz Explains it All by Andrea Beatriz Arango
• Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers by Juliet Menéndez
• A Dash of Trouble (Love Sugar Magic series) by Anna Meriano
• Sal and Gabbi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

TEENS

• ¡Ay, Mija! My Bilingual Summer in Mexico by Christine Suggs
• Ballad and Dagger by Daniel Jose Older
• Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina
• The Closest I’ve Come by Fred Aceves
• The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes
• Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo
• The Turning Point by Vanessa Torres
• Under This Forgetful Sky by Lauren Yero
• Us, In Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos by Lulu Delacre
• We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
• We Don’t Swim Here by Vincent Tirado
• The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Novoa
• You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie

ADULTS

• After Hours on Milagro Street by Angelina Lopez
• The Curanderx Toolkit: Reclaiming Ancestral Latinx Plant Medicine and Rituals for Healing by Atava Garcia Swiecicki 
• High-Risk Homosexual: A Memoir by Edgar Gomez
• Las Biuty Queens by Iván Monalisa Ojeda
• Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino” by Héctor Tobar
• Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabel Quintero
• The Self-Made Widow by Fabian Nicieza
• The Shamshine Blind: A Novel by Paz Pardo
• This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
• Vanishing Maps by Cristina García
• Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
• Woman Without Shame: Poems by Sandra Cisneros