Contact: Diane Leatherman, 240-777-0020;
Betty Valdés, 240-777-0017
For Immediate Release: August 29, 2001

First Annual Los Nuestros Series Premiers at County Libraries

A variety of international artists – from dancers and singers to authors – will be featured in a new free cultural arts series presented by the Friends of the Library of Montgomery County.

The first annual Los Nuestros Series is designed to attract persons from the local population who are new to the county or who might be unfamiliar with services provided by the libraries.

“Montgomery County is home to an increasingly diverse population,” said Friends Executive Director Diane Leatherman, “and relocating can be difficult for those who come from other lands. We hope this series will help those who have lost their native geography to discover themselves in their new community and will help them find something of their own culture here in our libraries.

“That’s why we chose the name ‘Los Nuestros’ which translates to ‘our own,’” Leatherman noted.

The Saturday series is presented by the Friends, with assistance from the “Live! @ Your Library” program, an initiative of the American Library Association. Other major supporters are the National Endowment for the Arts, Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Individual performances/presentations will be held according to the following schedule (no reservations required):

September 22, 11 a.m. – Folklorico Group of Panama -- Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Ave.;

October 13, 2 p.m. – Marie Arana, Washington Post Book editor and author of “American Chica,” a memoir of growing up in the U.S. and Peru, with a focus on how cultures define, limit and enrich individuals -- Gaithersburg Library, 18330 Montgomery Village Ave.;

November 3, 2 p.m. – Cantare: A Musical Journey to Latin America, an interactive performance by Coral Cantigas, Cecilia Esquivel and Patricia Vergara featuring the musical heritage of the Caribbean, and Central and South America, performed in Spanish and Portuguese – Twinbrook Library, 202 Meadow Hall Dr., Rockville;

March 30, 2002, 2 p.m. – La Familia, presented by Dr. Guillermo Olivos, a Life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association who emigrated to the U.S. from his native Peru after graduating from medical school. He has worked with multicultural populations for the past 20 years and is author of “Apuntes y Reflexiones” and “La Familia del Aprendiz” – Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Ave.; and

May 4, 2002, 2 p.m. – Author Dr. Barbara Mujica, discusses her book, “Frida", based on the life of artist Frida Kahlo that discusses various themes – sibling rivalry, marital fidelity and the role of the arts in social activism – Long Branch Library, 8800 Garland Ave., Silver Spring.