Café Santa Ana, the restaurant/coffee shop at La Biblioteca, has been reinvented with vibrant new dishes created by a duo of young cooks, Ana Laura Mendoza and Omar Rivera, both gastronomy students at the UTSMA. Aside from the established menu with favorite classics such as the tortilla soup and the sandwiches, now the café features a daily special.

These specials comprise six different menus of three courses. Each one will be offered for one week and they will be rotated.

These menus are specially designed to be both healthy and delicious, focusing on balanced dishes for people with hypertension or diabetes: low in fat, sodium and potassium. They offer tasty and light food for summertime, such as “spring chicken” or lemon sorbet paired with a chocolate-covered strawberry. Does it sound inviting?

Give it a try the next time you come to check out books or shop at the Bodega de Sorpresas. The cool stone walls and shade from the big jacaranda tree offer a great refuge from May’s heat.

The daily special includes soup or salad, a main course, dessert and a beverage (lemonade, orangeade or coffee) and costs100 pesos.

Kent Evans will read from his new novel, A Crash Course on the Anatomy of Robots, at the Biblioteca on May 23. His protagonist, Damien Woods, has had a path to adulthood marked with effortless success — creative, financial, sexual — coupled with an inability to be touched by the people around him. But that is about to change….

Book presentation
A Crash Course on the Anatomy of Robots
By Kent Evans
Thu, May 23, 6pm
Sala Quetzal
La Biblioteca
Reloj 50A
Free entry

He is the author of Malas Ondas: Lime, Sand Sex and Salsa in the Land of Conquistadors, a semi-autobiographical novel about self-destruction throughout Latin America and finding that corniest of motivators – love. He was a fixture on the spoken word and experimental art scene throughout the ‘90s, and the internationally acclaimed artist has performed at such venues as the Madison Square Garden Theater, Acadamie Beaux Arts in Paris and Nuyorican Poets Café in Greenwich Village.  Kent has appeared on NPR for shows including Nuestra Palabra, the Front Row and Living Arts showcase. His creative non-fiction and opinion pieces have appeared in numerous national pop-culture and literary zines and publications.

Having also done technical and academic writing for various Fortune 500 companies, Kent is currently pursuing his artistic craft through music and fiction. His performance of choice involves gathering non-traditional musicians – DJs, classical players, Latin funk bands – and performing poetry in a live Jazz/Trip-Hop format.  A Crash Course on the Anatomy of Robot, was released on September 17, 2012, from Pangea Books, followed by a US tour for both the book and its accompanying original soundtrack. It has so far been a finalist and shortlisted for the Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Award (Chapter: On Top of the Giant), the New England Book Festival, and Beverly Hills Book Awards.  Half Cantonese and half British, Kent was born in New York City in 1975 and grew up between New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. He graduated in psychology and dramatic literature from New York University, and began traveling extensively throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. He fully expects to answer that “but where are you really from” question the rest of his life.

Hartford Books Examiner: “…unlike anything you’re likely to have read. Kent Evans’ talents as a poet and musician lend themselves to a narrative that is both lyrical and immediate; further, he possesses a rare voice: one that is wholly original – and that will speak to, and perhaps for, his generation.”

By James Lasher

I had the opportunity to enjoy Sergio Basurto’s concert at the Sala Quetzal on April 25. The room was as beautiful and intricate as the music. Each of the four walls in the room was covered with a giant mural of bright hues.

Sergio Basurto
Harp and guitar concert
Mondays & Thursdays, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
La Biblioteca
Reloj 50A
Donation 150 pesos

After an afternoon of rain showers in San Miguel a sense of freshness filled the performance area. I met people sitting next to me from the same town I went to college. We were all ready for a wonderful show!

Basurto began the concert with his guitar. He explained in detail the title of each song and where in the world it was from. One song on the harp dated back over 150 years. My favorite song on the harp was entitled “Waterfall.” I believe my attention was captivated by the song because of the recent change in the weather and the image of flowing water the music induced in me.

After the performance I felt like I had traveled from Paraguay to Cuba and then back to Mexico. I was able to ask him a few questions before I departed. One of the many purposes of his music is to inspire and create a sense of joy in others. He started playing his first instrument when he was 18. Then he picked up the harp at age 42. When asked why, he said, “It came naturally.” Basurto is a natural when it comes to strumming the guitar and plucking the harp. Enjoy the beautiful setting of the mural and take in the many other delightful images drawn from his diverse sound of music.

By Martin Abacuc

In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow — she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader. Ariza is persistent, writing her constantly, serenading, speaking poetically of love. Her father tries to keep them apart, and then, one day, she sees this love as an illusion. She’s soon married to Urbino, a cultured physician, and for years, Ariza carries a torch, finding solace in the arms of women, loving none. After Urbino’s fall, are Ariza’s hopes delusional?

Film
Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)
Sat, May 18, 4pm
Teatro Santa Ana
La Biblioteca
Reloj 50A
English
Donations: 60

*** This Film is not valid for the use of the cinemateca cards or any of the passes given on the Biblioteca’s membership cards.

The experience of attending Sergio Basurto’s concerts that are held at the Sala Quetzal at La Biblioteca is wonderful. Sergio Basurto takes us on a marvelous journey through a variety of music and gives us a unique experience. Basurto is a talented musician who plays the harp and guitar.

Concert
An amazing journey through music
w/Sergio Basurto
Mon & Thu, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
La Biblioteca
Reloj 50A
150 pesos

Reiki is a system of self-healing and healing for others that arose through the spiritual experiences of Mikao Usui in the 19th century. The fundamental principle is that of the connection to vital universal energy so as to facilitate an authentic physical, spiritual as well as mental and emotional transformation.

Lecture
Training in Christic Reiki
w/certified facilitator of Pneuma system and therapist and reiki master
Wed, May 15, 5pm
Sala Quetzal
La Biblioteca
Free
Victoria Negrete victoria@inkarri.us 120-0649 & Alicia Mayo 152-0376

Rei means sacred, spirit and soul. It is the divine intelligence that dwells within each and every one of us.

Ki means energy. It is the vital universal energy that surrounds all that exists in this universe. This energy is known by different names, the Chinese for example call it Chi and in India it is known as Prana.

At this time and through the inspiration of the lineage of the Golden Eagle, this system has been imbued with new strength and purpose redefining the concepts and essential practices regarding (among others):

•The subtle internal constitution of the human being.

•Healing: the path of return to the sacred.

•The process of spiritual progression.

•The causes of illness.

•The personal inner work of the therapist.

Through participating in the Christic Reiki course you will:

•Reinforce your connection to the christic energy.

•Accelerate your process of spiritual progression.

•Learn to work with the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and akasha) of the physical body.

•Offer sessions of Reiki healing.

When can Christic Reiki be used?

When you need a simple and powerful tool to:

•Support your process of healing and that of others at a deep level.

•Diminish the secondary effects of medical treatment/operations etc.

•To eliminate physical, energetic, emotional and mental blockages that negatively impact our health and personal development.

The lecture will start with a discussion of the definition of Attention Deficit Disease/ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder from the DSM-IV-R (depression) and other definitions of the condition and the “ADD” society in America.

ADD/ADHD
Fri, May 17, 3-5pm
Sala Quetzal
La Biblioteca
Reloj 50A

Current best practices in treating the condition will be discussed, covering medications, behavioral approaches and self-acceptance.
After a short break there will be time for questions and group discussions.

By Antonio Cabrero Mendoza

Maestro Antonio Cabrero is known internationally, and recently in San Miguel, as a pianist-composer and conductor. He regularly conducts his own orchestra, Sinfonietta Potosina, at the Pro Música seasons at the Teatro Angela Peralta.

Concert
Symphony at the Piano
Fri, May 3, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
La Biblioteca
Reloj 50-A
150 pesos

His “Symphony at the Piano” series at the Sala Quetzal consists of his own transcriptions of orchestral music, most of which are the result of his study of scores he has conducted or is about to, therefore presenting a unique insightful opportunity on the complexities of being a pianist and conductor at the same time, and his uncanny ability to make the piano sound like an orchestra, a must for symphony lovers and for piano lovers too.

Midaq Alley (Spanish: El callejón de los milagros, also released as The Alley of Miracles) is a 1994 Mexican film adapted from the novel by Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz, written by Vicente Leñero and directed by Jorge Fons. The film deals with complex issues such as gay and lesbian related topics, the lower-middle class of Mexico City, and the lives of many people.

Film
Midaq Alley (El callejón de los milagros)
Sat, Apr 27, 4pm
Teatro Santa Ana
La Biblioteca
Reloj 50A
60 pesos

The story is told from three perspectives: Don Ru (Ernesto Gómez Cruz), the owner of a cantina where most of the men in the story gather to drink and play dominoes, Alma (Salma Hayek), the beautiful girl of the neighborhood who dreams of passion, and Susanita (Margarita Sanz who won an Ariel Award for this role), the owner of the apartment complex where Alma and many of the other characters live.

The film was critically acclaimed by international critics. It earned 11 Ariel Awards, including Best Picture and more than 49 international awards and nominations. Pan’s Labyrinth and El Callejón de los Milagros were named as the best Mexican films by imdb.com and Entertainment Weekly.

The experience of attending Sergio Basurto’s concerts which are held at the Sala Quetzal at La Biblioteca is wonderful. Sergio Basurto takes us on a marvelous journey through a variety of music and gives us a unique experience. Basurto is a talented musician who plays the harp and guitar.

Concert
An amazing journey through music
w/Sergio Basurto
Mon, Apr 22 & Thu, Apr 25, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
La Biblioteca
Reloj 50A
150 pesos