Hispanic Heritage Month Events In Full Swing At New Rochelle Library

NEW ROCHELLE, NY —Hispanic Heritage Month gives us all a chance to explore new cultural offerings and celebrate the ways that culture has moved a city.

The New Rochelle Public Library announced a lineup of events scheduled during October for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, featuring music and literary programs for both children and adults.

On Tuesday, October 3, at 6:30 p.m., the library will be kicking off its new NRPL Author Series. The community is invited to an evening of literary exploration with Ernesto Mestre-Reed, author of Sacrificio, in conversation with Elizabeth Joseph, Assistant Director of the New Rochelle Public Library.

Sacrificio, set in Cuba in 1998, is described as "a triumphant and mesmeric work of violence, loss, and identity that explores what happens when people's rights are taken away through its riveting portrayal of queerness and revolution."

The work has been recognized as a Best Book of 2022 at Oprah Daily, the Brooklyn Public Library, and Kirkus Reviews; an Editors’ Pick in BOMB Magazine, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews; and a Most Anticipated Book in several print and digital media, including New York Magazine, Vulture, and Buzzfeed.

Mestre-Reed was born in Guantánamo, Cuba, in 1964. His family emigrated to Madrid, Spain in 1972 and later that year, to Miami, Florida. He is the author of the novels, The Lazarus Rumba and The Second Death of Única Aveyano. His fiction has been described as "mesmerizing" by The New York Times and "poetic and daring" by Francisco Goldman.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for book sales and a meet and greet with the author. The program will begin at 7 p.m. Registration is requested and can be done here.

On Saturday, October 14, at 2 p.m., Cuba Bella, Alexander McCabe’s Spanish language music group will perform. Drawing from many different cultures, from Cuban mambos and boleros, traditional Mexican music, Pan-African percussion and NYC jazz, Cuba Bella creates "a captivating fusion of Cuban and Mexican sounds with contemporary jazz overtones." Registration is requested and can be done here.

On Tuesday, October 17, the NRPL Brown Bag Book Club will discuss "A Long Petal of the Sea," by famed Chilean author Isabel Allende. The novel, "set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War and the struggle for freedom in Chile, offers a thought-provoking exploration of history and human resilience."

All programs are free and will take place at the New Rochelle Public Library, located at 1 Library Plaza.

Find out more about the New Rochelle Public Library (NRPL) on their website.