Luis J. Rodriguez, Poet & Journalist Visits Watsonville

“On the Same Page” invites the Country’s Leading Chicano Writer,

The 9th annual “On the Same Page” community reads event for 2014 is spearheaded by the district’s Extended Learning Program Family Literacy Project. Together with its community sponsor, George Ow Jr., Luis J. Rodriguez, the leading Chicano writer in our country with fifteen published books in memoir, fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature, and poetry will be featured. This year we join The Peace & Unity Coalition’s efforts to bring a message of hope and inspiration to the community of Watsonville.

Luis is best known for the 1993 memoir of gang life, “Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A., our featured book for this year’s event. Now having sold more than 400,000 copies, this book garnered a Carl Sandburg Literary Award, a Chicago Sun-Times Book Award, and was designated a New York Times Notable Book.

Written as a cautionary tale for Luis’s then 15-year-old son Ramiro—who had joined a Chicago gang—the memoir is popular among youth and teachers. One Los Angeles Public Library official said “Always Running” is the most checked out book in their vast library system—and also the most “stolen.”

The “On the Same Page” main event features Author Luis J. Rodriguez Community Presentation and Book-Signing November 20, at 6:00 P. M. at the Henry J. Mello for the Performing Arts 250 East Beach Street, Watsonville. FREE tickets ($25.00 value) are available at the Watsonville and Freedom Branch Libraries, and Crossroads Books in Watsonville.

This Event is Free and Open To The Public

“On The Same Page” was founded under the leadership of George Ow Jr. who, together with a group of leaders in business, education, and the community, were committed to bringing inspiring authors to the Pájaro Valley. The mission was to support educators and to empower our youth and their families by maximizing educational experiences to achieve success in the new global economy.

When the community group dissolved, the Pájaro Valley Unified School District, under the leadership of the Extended Learning Department, together with Migrant Education and George Ow Jr., made a commitment to continue this program into the future. The main goal is to promote literacy and provide an opportunity to read an inspiring story that will move us toward positive action as individuals and as a community.