Teaching and learning at the Wisconsin Book Festival

Two back-to-back workshops I co-hosted at the Wisconsin Book Festival on Saturday, October 22 were opportunities for me to share the knowledge I gathered while researching my novels -- and to learn from those attending the sessions and sharing the podium with me.

My co-host Mario Garcia-Sierra (last row, right) brought a group of Latino teens for a spirited session that covered history, current events and their personal dreams for the future.

The first workshop, Voices of Immigration, was co-hosted by community activist Mario Garcia-Sierra. The session encouraged Latino teens in the Madison area to nurture their dreams while coping with the challenges they will encounter in a society that often marginalizes them.

During the second workshop, I shared the podium with Professor Ruben Medina from the University of Wisconsin. 

The second workshop, Voices from the Border, gave a primarily mainstream audience two diverse perspective of the Latino experience. Professor Ruben Medina, chair of the Spanish and Portuguese department at the University of Wisconsin, read from his evocative and often sardonic poems. In contrast was the social commentary presented by my novels set in the thriller genre.

The Wisconsin Book Festival took place at numerous venues for over 200 authors in Madison.  

I want to thank the Wisconsin Book Festival for inviting me -- and the opportunity to teach and learn. The Festival team has done a marvelous job with the project, now in its tenth year. The carefully orchestrated event reflected the many, many hours spent in organizing dozens of venues for over 200 authors. I hope the Festival planners are proud of their work. I am certainly proud to be have taken part.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez