Zócalo Public Square

what is zócalo public square? well, «zócalo» is a spanish word that translates to «public square» so technically, this organization is called public square public square!
but quirky name aside, zócalo is an ideas exchange that blends live events and journalism, connecting people to ideas and each other. they host lectures in los angeles, and occasionally around the country, that pull together compelling thinkers and doers from a wide range of fields– politics, health, technology, culture, education, science, and beyond.
all of the discussions are free and open to the public and they take place in a variety of venues around town: the music center, the goethe institute, the central library, and a handful of museums (getty, hammer, moca, skirball), just to name a few.
i’ve been to several zócalo events over the years and they never fail to provide an evening of stimulating thought and dialogue. i love the format of these public square meetings, which start with a moderated panel discussion, are followed by a question and answer session, and wrap up with a reception (replete with free wine!) where the speakers and attendees are encouraged to continue the conversation.
the last two lectures i went to were fantastic and centered around some questions that are of much interest to me:
–how can los angeles’ art museums thrive? the panel for this event consisted of the directors of three of los angeles’ top art institutions: timothy potts of the getty, michael govan of the los angeles county museum of art, and ann philbin of the hammer.
–can popular music still change culture? i went to this event to see jason bentley speak and it did not disappoint.
los angeles is lucky to be home to zócalo public square and i look forward to making it out to more of their events in the future.

Zocalo has become one of the treasures of Los Angeles in the relatively few years it has been operating.
FREE.
One can argue about a particular event. You can’t always hit a home run, particularly when having a panel, and not knowing how the chemistry will work. 50 events a year is a heck of a lot, and I’m amazed at the consistent quality. However, I’d say the speaker average is about a 4.7 out of 5.
Invariably, the speakers educate on something you didn’t know about, or give a perspective that surprises. I can’t think of a talk that I’d wished I’d not gone to.
I attend many talks in many venues, in my occupation as a professor. Zocalo is my clear favorite. Their tradition of an after-​talk reception (with free drinks!), with the speakers in attendance for further discussion is unique, and greatly appreciated.
«Connecting people to ideas and to each other» says it perfectly.
I’ve attended talks on topics I’d not have thought particularly interesting, and found myself fascinated. I’ve also gone to venues I’d never seen, some I’ve never heard of. A bit of a cultural and architectual tour of LA.
Did I say that it was FREE???
Folks, it doesn’t get much better than this, and if it does, I haven’t found it.
Oh, and no one here has even addressed their website, with original writing or poetry posted daily. Also invariably interesting and high quality.

It’s about time that I give an updated review of my favorite speakeasy in Los Angeles… Zocalo Public Square. They really out do themselves to bring free public lectures on just about any mind stimulating topic. I particularly like the free lectures on politics, art, and those that are Foodie related.
I attended their lecture called Picturing Food. Evan Kleiman from KCRW moderated the panel as they looked at and discussed food photography through the years. The lecture was fantastic.
I look forward to more mind stimulating topics from Zocalo and more lectures that pertain to food, wine, and dining.

Now that I’ve had a few days to think about it and can write something more coherent (and longer).
I still say five stars, because the organization itself did an excellent job.
However, the particular event — the «Food and Authenticity» panel at the Skirball Center — had some issues.
Jonathan Gold is a pretentious twit. There, I said it.
Admittedly, this review comes from someone who is also a pretentious twit. I’m a Ph.D. student, and food and authenticity play a large part in what I study. Of course, you can interpret that two ways. You can decide it means I know what I’m talking about, or it means that I’m pretentious and you should stop reading now. Either one’s cool by me.
Despite that, I wasn’t expecting an academic panel. You know, I went intending to lay aside my feelings about «authenticity» and technical ways of talking about all this Stuff, and enjoy the panel as someone who likes to eat. I kept jotting down notes because I was interested in the way Gold used certain words and … yes, I’m a nerd. But anyway, I didn’t show up with academic expectations or anything; I decided in advance I wouldn’t get pedantic.
So anyway, this is what I want to tell Jonathan Gold:
Seriously, dude. You’re the moderator. That means you’re supposed to ask the questions, and then you’re supposed to shut the fuck up so the panelists can answer them and talk to each other. We don’t care about the painful diarrhea you got from eating food that was too spicy for you. We don’t care about your friend Carl who has no nerve endings anywhere in his digestive system. And we certainly don’t care about you hating on Choi, whose food is just as authentic as anyone else’s — authentically Los Angeles. Because, you know, authenticity is all about context and doesn’t have any meaning until you look at the processes by wh…
…oh, am I lecturing again? My bad.

Admittedly, this review may not be entirely fair to the Zocalo organization since the issues with this evening were mostly due to execution problems not related to Zocalo itself. I’m more frustrated with the last lecture I saw.
Last night was my first experience with Zocalo. My good friend Ericka L. alerted me weeks ago about the «Can Food Really be Authentic?» lecture moderated by the (now) infamous Jonathon Gold and featuring Nancy Silverston (Mozza), Roy Choi (Kogi), Jimmy Shaw (Loteria), and Sarintip «Jazz» Singsanong of Jitlada. Let me start off by saying, Jonathon Gold completely failed as a moderator. It has always been my understanding, that the purpose of a moderator is facilitate conversation and focus on the topic at hand. Instead Mr. Gold chose to use the forum as a way to hang out with his friends Nancy Silverton and some guy named Carl (in the audience). Not only it take Mr. Gold 15 minutes of rambling pontificating to truly get the conversation (followed by another 15 minutes conversing how great Italy is with Ms. Silverton), but at various times throughout the evening, Mr. Gold chose to hijack the conversation and ramble on about his thoughts and musing (often off-​topic) for 5 minutes at a time. The lecture was only scheduled for 90 minutes. After all of Mr. Gold’s shenanigans very little time was spent coversing with Chefs Shaw, Choi, or «Jazz». Even more egregious, when it finally came down to audience questions, which I felt could be the most interesting part evening, only about 10 minutes were left in the evening. This again hijacked by Mr. Gold and with friend Carl. In fact Jonthon gold felt it necessary answer questions directed at other members of the panel.
Again, this is reading more like a reviw of JF as a moderator than a review of Zocalo. Zocalo itself is the reason that this is a 3-​star review and not a 1-​star review. The organization of this event was spot on. The registration line moved quickly and without a hitch. People were not kept waiting, in order to sit down in the lecture hall, and it started on time. The Skirball center was a perfect. comfortable, and elegant setting, free parking doesn’t hurt either. The event also ended on time, which is to be commended as things like this can be allowed to drag on, in other hands. They did do a little «pass the hat» near the end, which did have a funny vibe to me, but Zocalo is non-​proft, and it seems a great thing for the LA Area. My advice for Zocalo is try and find more experienced moderators for lectures like these. I’m not saying he should be banned from these lectures, I’m sure he has interesting insight — just keep him away from moderator’s chair (and the twinkies, damn that guy is big).
We ran into fellow Unilocalers, Ed C. and Veronica R. while there, and all seemed to agree that this lecture was very disappointing.

Do you know how hard it is to be first on Unilocal?I thought for sure an organization like this I’d win, but man was I off. Oh well, still think the series is great. Honestly, I have no idea what the Unilocaler below can complain about — when they provide an open and honest forum for FREE in venues that would normally charge you just to enter, then give you FREE food, who cares if they are a few minutes late, which they often are. I’ve been to two of these already and both times found them to be interesting and the interviewers/​ees and panels highly accessible. Its not everyday, after all, that you get to see the latest «Gang Czar» castigated by the member of the community to his face. Ah, that was fun…

I attended the timely LGBT San Francisco v LA debate at the ArcLight on June 18. The debate was really interesting, they panelists that they invited all had really unique backgrounds and intriguing things to say. My one disappointment was that they cut the panel off just as it was getting good and cut to questions.. .I guess I actually wanted it to be longer.
The open bar and free appetizers afterward were (of course) what pushed this event over into the 5 star realm. It was great, thanks Zocalo!

No no no. It’s not what you think. It’s not a frozen yogurt place. Yeah I thought that too at first. It’s actually an organization that is all about bringing culture and diversity and voice to our community.
I remember Valentina D. getting an ROTD a while back for Zocalo. I always wondered if they would let a meathead like me in. And they did! The topic for this event was powerful. You had a Pulitzer Prize winner, authors, PhD, talking about LA taco trucks.
I always felt you know someone is an intellectual if they can speak about common things in an intellectual manner. I mean I can go on and on about the perfect push up. But I won’t!
This event though was right up Unilocal’s alley. We love tacos and trucks that serve them. But we had a Unilocal turnout of 3. Chowhound? Who knows how many but they were in force.
I’m glad Dave A put this event up, otherwise I would have never known about things like this. I love Unilocalers for putting up some of the coolest, intellectual, and community programs that I would have otherwise not heard about. Turn out would be low, but it makes a difference to one individual. Me.
My favorite part of the forum, was when the moderator said he realized one day while eating a fish taco at a taco truck, it was better than any 50 dollar meal he had in Santa Monica. There was a feeling that, some people feel a chic celebrity restaurant that is stationary is gospel. Somehow that is real food. That makes you somehow more cultured.
I disagree. I feel that’s a kind of classicism. The whole ordinance about the taco trucks is about class. I always grew up poor. Our family hardly ate out, eating was always at home. Mom’s cooking. If we did eat out, it was at someone’s restaurant that we knew. I guess when I got older and could afford better food, I consciously said no. What is wrong with the mom and pop, dive, kitchen food. Why does mom and pops have to die and give way to megashops/​restaurants/​corporations. Why am I any less cultured if I would rather eat my food at a restaurant where the owner knows my name, than drive far away, valet park, and have my food change 20 hands before it gets to me. The best pizza place, the Pulitzer Prize winner said, should be the closest and the fastest. I agree. The neighborhood spot where they know your name.
Places like a taco truck, goes from a grill to your hand, just like your mom’s kitchen. It has soul. There is a community there. I have always been more interested in that, than the actual food itself. The love in the food (not the love about the food) and the people around you. A food loses its soul when it goes from the chef, to sous chef, to the counter, to a server, to another server, to you. Once that hot food hits air, it’s dying.
Zocalo seems to give voice to those things we normally would take for granted. They do much loftier high brow things as well. But get to the heart and soul of the city too.
I see less and less dive and mom and pops being reviewed on Unilocal and more hype for a celebrity chefs big restaurant. That sort of makes me sad because small business I feel, that’s the real identity of the city. I may have risen against poverty and can eat at fancier places. Some couldn’t wait for their chance to do that. But I’d rather not. I remember growing up, hearing, «ohhhh you’ve never eaten here? This place is soooo good. The chef is so famous.» My mom used to tell me, just eat it. It’s food. I think we should all remember, it’s just food. Luckily my mom was a fantastic cook.
I think passively the civil rights activist I used to dream about becoming when I was younger, is still somewhere inside fighting. I guess that’s why I dislike «foodie» culture and becoming one. I never heard someone truly still poor call themselves a foodie and you would never hear that from a certain people (maybe thats why Unilocal is more Whites and Asians and less Blacks and Latinos?). I guess I feel it’s another form of elitism, classicism, to make another group feel less endowed with luxuries of another. Imagine calling yourself a foodie in front of a homeless man? Or while your volunteering in the inner city?
They had free tacos and burritos at the end of the panel discussion. Usually they have wine and appetizers. Tacos are even better! I was able to share mine with a homeless man. L’aura didn’t want her burrito at all, so I ended up walking 2 blocks just to find another homeless man to give it to. Wow I actually had to look for a homeless person in Downtown LA??? But that was cool. I got something for free, and so did someone else. He was telling me how he used to work as an extra for the TV show SWAT. I started humming the theme song to him. We had a little laugh. As much as I love having a deep conversation with new Unilocalers, that kind of random conversation, you can’t come up with that stuff.
As you can see Zocalo really made me think. I hope it has the same affect on you.
Time to sign that petition.

it needs a kick in the ass.
It’s just aways late. Whatever topic or situation it’s late.

Last night, I attended one of Zocolo’s events at the Central Library. I thought it was pretty neat that it was cool and the Zocolo representative didn’t push too hard for public donations. Even though they had a screen full of corporate sponsors, she explained to keep their non-​profit status, they had to have public support as well.
We were worried the event would be a madhouse for check-​in but it was fairly easy and painless. The event started about 10 minutes late but that was all right as they were still settling in some people.
It was a round table moderated by Jonathan Gold and various chefs from Mexican restaurants in L.A.
For the most part, he did keep it going, asking everyone what inspired them, if they kept authentic menus (such as the Chichen Itza menu), etc. Then came the questions from the audience which I don’t think they make good use of. Some people asked silly questions like, «hey, can you tell me what was in that salad dressing at a Mexican restaurant I ate at 20 years ago?» Sigh.
There was one lady who proclaimed a great chef was in TJ and people should go down there to sample his salsas. One of the chefs from the restaurant in Bell has gone there and I saw the Two Hot Tamales taking notes.
It was crazy afterwards so I didn’t wait in line for the tamales, chips and other goodies. I did snag some wine and a Mexican sweet bun. I overheard a group of people talking trash about online groups such as Unilocal.I almost smacked them!
I’ll definitely hit up some of their other events.

200 !!
Where, oh where for intellectually stimulating? Zocalo, you won’t be disappointed. Free admission, rsvp at their website or phone number. Their public square lecture series included the Director of the Hammer Museum, Mayor Villaraigosa, a Bush speech writer, an LA Times crime writer, a political novelist, and LA crime writer James Ellroy. Set in great locations like the the Los Angeles Public Library, or the Disney Concert Hall, these are excellent events. The hostesses that introduce the speakers and audience questions are enthusiastic and articulate. You can mingle with the featured speaker at the after-​event with free quesadillas, smoked salmon, wine, champagne, etc.
LA has improved greatly over the last several years, thanks to events like this. They record and rebroadcast the discussions on radio and tv. The new LA, finally it’s here. Thanks to Erica Sparkles L for this great find. From their website:
«Zocalo presents a vibrant series of programs that feature thinkers and doers speaking on some of the most pressing topics of the day. Bringing together an extraordinarily diverse group of Angelenos, Zocalo – „Public Square“ in Spanish – seeks to create a non partisan and multi-​ethnic forum where participants can enjoy a rare opportunity for intellectual fellowship.»

This is the COOLEST thing goin gin LA… and people… it’s FREE!
Last night Valentina D. and I drove our booties downtown to the Walt Disney Center to see Mayor Villaraigosa speak with Mr. Newton from the La Times. Very interesting… they covered topics from his infidelity (which is moot and irrelevant to his Mayor-​ship in my opinion) to the traffic, the school system, the environment and the current fire situation engulfing Southern Cal. After the 45 minute discussion, the forum was opened up Town Hall-​style to a Q & A. Quite a few people stood up from a Mayor of another city, to someone representing the MTA to a 3^rd year Med student at UCLA who was concerned about the state of our health care system.
After the discussion, everyone was invited up to the terrace to partake in FREE wine, champagne, cheeses, fruit, bread and crackers… there was even coffee and tea! And per Valentina… apparently they have the BEST Hot Cocoa ever at most of their events (unfortunately, not at this one). It was fantastic to munch and drink and talk with various people about the state of Los Angeles while overlooking the breath-​taking views of Downtown set against the backdrop of the silver Disney Center.
I highly suggest checking out their website for upcoming seminars… very intriguing stuff. Get out there and get some culture in your lives!

I’ve been rolling to Zocalo from the start back in my first stint in LA, and now that I’m back, I’m back at it again. While I love that it is usually in the downtown library, which is my favorite building in all of downtown, I dig that they go to other venues even more, like when they went out to the harbor community when doing a discussion on the harbor. Truly attempting to revive the concept of the commons again.

Zocalo is really a great thing for LA. Who’d thunk it? An event for smart people in a dumb town. It is possible and no wonder it’s usually packed. I’ve been to four Zocalo events. Everything from the future of the LA Times to Adam Corolla. Yes, Adam Corolla. They do get a huge potpourri of celeb speakers out here. I did attend the Jonathon Gold event (I was the one who asked the New Orleans food questions) and what’s cool is they have a mixer afterwards with free food and drink. The one at Central Library is usually catered by a Mexican establishment with tamales and lots of good South of the Border brews not named Corona. So you can socialize afterwards. My advice? Steer clear of the main speaker. He or she is usually hounded by enough star struck folks and talk to the people who are with him or her. They’re usually more interesting than the guest speaker!

There two reasons to give Zocalo five stars: one the events rock, two hot women like Julie G, Sparkles or V luv it, luv it, luv it.
So let’s recap: hot smart women who r passionate about LA in a great old LA downtown gem. Is it me, or if you just add a little liquor, some swimsuits, jumping in the fountain, and KABOOM, a poor boy’s fantasy… Oopps, back to reality.
The only downside: the whole downtown gentrification thing. I went to this awesome talk, «Can the LAX Be Saved» over the summer. Everyone was whining over the commodification, the Times’ blind embrace of celebrity (like the public doesn’t create the demand first), whine, whine. LA Mag. critic was good; how Times has potential & need to embrace public commons.
Then I walk out and real, public space by the back stairs near Patina-​esq rest. is blocked off and the punks tried to stop me from taking a photo from a literal public square. Their stupid-​ass, roped-​off, so-«Hollywood”-that-no-one-questions-this-b.s.-laddie-da, private, «list-approved”-not-so-public-space.
But some people are saying enough: like the folks at Farmlab, BarCamp, and god bless em, Zocolo. A city where ideas/​public space r free; not space for Hollywood-​like, lame party event enclosures.
Looks like it’s time to hit a massage…

Five stars for the Zocalo event, the kind of smart soirée that makes me wanna holler: «THIS is what I’m talking about, East Coast friends and you smirky San Franciscans with your urine-​drenched overpriced city! We’ve got it all… the vegetation, the crazy-​smart people, the weather, the mountains, the ocean, the food, the architecture… so kiss my ass!!! I’m here and I’m staying!»
But of course I’m too ladylike and polite to actually
a) holler
b) say the word «ass»
c) say anything bad about San Francisco, which is So Superior to Any Other City
So I’m kind of a lover of words and of people who use them well. To that end, I love F. Scott Fitzgerald (so much better than Big Fullofhimself Ernest), Dante Alighieri (crazy anger turned into sublime verse), William Blake (what can I say, he’s divine), W.B. Yeats, Dorothy Parker, blabadablahbadablah showing off the English Lit Degree jabber jabber. Here’s what I don’t love so much: self-​conscious craziness heroin-​chic writing. As in smug posturing windbags like Jim Carroll, Karen Finley, Vincent Gallo, and their shock-​me-​by-​showing-​your-​figurative-​dicks writers of the 80s and 90s school. I’m also not so crazy about the noir boys (although I LOVE film noir). You know, the no-​nonsense, men-​o-​few-​words, creepy-​ass (oops! I said ass!) misfits who got turned down by lots of women and take it out on them by pretending they’ve had intense and fruitful sex lives, ya know, leaving behind hot smoking regretful-​yet-​satisfied babes as they fling the condom into the bushes. Yah, righty-​oh.
We ladies see through that, boys, by the way.
BUT. So Ellroy’s really someone I shouldn’t like. His style has that rat-​a-​tat «her breasts, two B-​52 missiles of golden splendor» poopiness sometimes, and of course reveling in the stinkiest, trashiest, least savory aspects of life in L.A. gets so friggin’ tedious after a while. BUT!
BUT!
I don’t dislkie him (and I’m so sure he’s heaving a big sigh of relief here. Valentina likes me! Ring all the bells and fire off the torpedos! I’ve made it, folks!!). But here’s why:
He’s got a disarming sincerity, and disarming sincerity trumps facile posturing for me every single time.
His talk at the wonderful Zocalo series (mad, mad compliments to all the Zocalo gals, if I had extra money I’d be giving it to you for this fabulous series) was pure performance. The fantastically concise and witty Julie G. mentions the wide-​legged stance (normally, a bit of a turnoff) but even that didn’t bother me. I saw it as a way of propping up his tremulous, underfed frame, as a way to transmit some of that electric energy from his bald, pink, over-​hyperdrivien head to the parquet floor of the Geffen Room stage.
And then, at the end, he was so pleased to be able to recite a rather moving and girly snippet of a Dylan Thomas poem, and I loved him for that. So go ahead Mr. Macho Posturing Ellroy, ’cause I’m seeing the sweet and gooey interior, and I’m liking it.
Go to the Zocalo events, my sweet lil’ peeps. There’s free food, free booze, and you’ll spend time at the gorgeous downtown library. And maybe, if you’re Super-​Duper lucky, you’ll meet some of us Unilocalers (’cause we travel in packs) and we’ll invite you to dinner with us.
But be prepared to discuss:
everything you see
everything you eat
everything you hear
or we’ll cut you.
We’ll cut you bad.

What’s not to like about Zocalo? They provide free lectures with extremely interesting speakers (James Ellroy, Jonathan Gold) complete with receptions with free booze and food and the opportunity to talk to said speakers during the reception. That right there makes me say the three dreaded words, «I love LA.» (Most of the time. It also took me one hour and forty five blood boiling minutes to get Downtown from West LA. Grrrrr.)
Last night, thanks to the lovely Ericka Sparkles, I went to my first UYE to meet the crew and hear James Ellroy spout off about the City of Angels. His theme and mantra? Come on vacation, go home on probation.
James Ellroy was spanked when he entered this world, and even though he was but a babe, I think he liked it. Superheroes are born usually of some seminal tragedy that transforms them forever. Like them, I think the tragedy of his early life was enough to trigger the obsession of his scribe superpower, and so he writes of the city that damaged him and gave him life. I can see how Los Angeles would be his muse. She is a wide, sweeping, lonely city, full of dirty corners and fleeting beauty. So many dreams are crushed here. It is tortured soul mecca.
From the moment Ellroy straddled the podium in his white pants, pink shirt, light blue tie, blazer, and glasses, I was amused by and scared of him. It was his fearlessness that did it. He speaks his dirty mind. Be offended if you must, but don’t trouble him with your feelings, he couldn’t care less. (George claimed that he was straddling out of necessity, since his junk needed to breathe and readjust, and one doesn’t usually do that manually in front of an audience. Although if all the world’s a stage, boys, let this be your warning: we see you. But I digress.)
So this fearless writer/​performer bellowed his words at us. For a man with such a checkered past, he uses it to his advantage. I don’t feel sorry for him. I can’t. He does it all on purpose – the drugs, the women, the abuse, the self-​loathing. It’s all a means to an end. He says he doesn’t do research, but I think that’s only true in the traditional sense. In order to write about the lives he imagines, it seems that he must get a taste of them first. Although I don’t know which actually comes first, the life or the writing. I think it was the life. I don’t think he knew he could write for a very long time.
The most inspiring thing he said, for me, was in response to the question about how he started writing. He said he had a story to tell and telling that story was more important than anything else in his life. I understand that feeling well. Because in order to stop all of the other distractions in your life that will suck you away from writing, you must have a singular goal and it must be all-​consuming. Thank you for that, James Ellroy. You speak the truth and it was nice to hear it said out loud.
After the event and reception, we trundled through the streets of Downtown to dine at Pete’s. I was surprised at how instantly comfortable I was with the folks who up until then I only knew through reviews and compliments. But it goes to show you, even in simply writing about the odd town in which you live, you reveal a lot about yourself. And it can even make you some new friends. Thanks everyone for a fabulous literary introduction to you all! I look forward to seeing you at the next event.

I’ll admit the tiniest bit of bias in favor of Zocalo because up until this past Friday, one of my best friends, Teresa L., was on staff.
However, that said, there’s no denying that Zocalo is one of the best things to happen to Los Angeles in a long time. For the past four years, it has brought intelligent conversation, current events, and influential people to the public with wit and style without ever being condescending; it invites participants to listen and learn, as well as be a part of the conversations taking place.
From the website: «Zocalo presents a vibrant series of programs that feature thinkers and doers speaking on some of the most pressing topics of the day. Bringing together an extraordinarily diverse group of Angelenos, Zocalo –„Public Square“ in Spanish – seeks to create a non partisan and multiethnic forum where participants can enjoy a rare opportunity for intellectual fellowship.»
It is an amazing lecture series, featuring notable opinion makers, entertainers, authors, politicos, and writers. The events are held on weekday evenings in venues as varied as Barnsdall Art Park, Central Library, the Skirball Cultural Center, CalTech, and Walt Disney Hall. Not only are these incredible programs completely FREE, but after each event, you have a chance to mingle with the featured guests at a catered reception with great food and (of special note for Unilocalers) an open bar.
I attended Zocalo on Friday evening with the lovely Jenn L. It was hosted at the Mark Taper Auditorium in the Central Library and the speaker was Larry Wilmore, also known as the Senior Black Correspondent for the Daily Show. He was interviewed by Oscar Garza, editor-​in-​chief of Tu Ciudad, and talked about his career, how he ended up performing again after many years as a successful television writer and producer, and made the audience roar with laughter.
Upcoming events will feature Jonathan Gold (I think this one may be fully booked) and a conversation with Alma Guillermoprieto on «How to be Mexican: A Musical Instructional Manual.» Check out the website to reserve seats, as well as for links to audio from past programs. If you join the email list, you won’t get any spam, but you will be first to know about future events.