In our latest installment of Step Off! Radio, we had the chance to interview Beatrice Zamora, author of a brand new children’s book The Spirit of Chicano Park / El espiritu del Parque Chicano, a new bilingual, children’s picture book written by Zamora and illustrated by artist Maira Meza that depicts the creation of the iconic landmark located in the neighborhood of Barrio Logan in San Diego, California. Originally born in Barrio Logan, Zamora was raised in the city of La Puenta in the eastern region of L.A. county. She eventually returned to San Diego in 1979 to complete her Master’s program at San Diego State University and donned a variety of hats in the community of Barrio Logan and beyond ever since.
In our discussion, we had the opportunity to talk with Beatrice about her early life growing up in Los Angeles, and her journey that ultimately brought her back to Barrio Logan. Likewise, we also discuss her tenure as an instructor teaching La Danza Mexi’cayotl, traditional Azteca-Chichimeca Dance, and how her career in academia and involvement community organizing would ultimately play into here affinity for writing and inspire to her write a book dedicated to the history of Chicano Park. In addition, we also discuss the importance of representation in children’s literature and the significance that the legacy of Chicano Park still maintains fifty years after its founding. With that said, we hope that you all enjoy our discussion with Beatrice Zamora on Step Off! Radio.
The Spirit of Chicano Park is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and directly through Tolteca Press.
Featured below is our full interview with Beatrice Zamora available through our official SoundCloud page. Apple and Spotify users can listen and subscribe to our Step Off! Radio podcast through the official Apple podcast and Spotify apps.
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