Thanks to Adriana Devers, this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration on Long Island is going to be one for the books.
Devers, a writer and the founder of Cuentos de Triadas Inc., a group dedicated to promoting literacy in the Hispanic community, is the driving force behind the inaugural LatinX Arts Festival and Book Fair which will take place Oct. 10-12 at two locations — the Westbury Memorial Public Library and Nassau Community College in Garden City. The event is a collaboration among several organizations aimed at supporting Hispanic heritage including the library and Cuentos de Triadas as well as LA CASA at Nassau Community, Nassau County Office of Hispanic Affairs, Mujeres que Se Atreven and the Long Island Latino Teachers Association.
Although there are several local events happening for Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 15, Devers said there is always room for more. “I saw that there was a need for more spaces for people like me to share their art and uplift their communities. This is a place where all are welcome,” Dever said.
To that end, the festival will feature several Hispanic writers including children’s book authors Paul Rodriguez and Luz Maria Mack; Nassau County Poet Laureate Paul Curci; and journalists Angie Hernandez, Eliecer Marte and Deyanira Martinez. A host of books will also be available for browsing and buying.
But this free event isn’t just about the printed word. A pop-up art exhibit featuring the works of Latin artists will be on display; Levittown-based Salsa Sensation Dance Academy and Colombian musicians Tambacum will perform; and there will be a screening of the documentary “AfroLatinos: An Untaught Story.”
The opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 10 in Westbury is planned as a cultural showcase of literature, visual arts, music and folklore of Latin America and the Caribbean. Oct. 11 at Nassau College is being billed as Scholar Day, in which more than 200 local students will get to learn about Hispanic culture in a daylong slate of activities. “It’s a very rich program,” Dever said.
Saturday (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) at the college’s CCB Building is family day, Dever said, and will feature readings for children, panels for adults and teenagers, more musical performances and other offerings which will be on a digital program that guests can view on their phones.
“Our Hispanic community is so diverse and we need to showcase that community,” she said. “We need to foster the love of literature and bring up children who are pro-education and bilingual and feel productive.”
