​ Brooklyn & Boyle , nearing its fourth year of publication, is extremely pleased and proud to bring back a tradition we began in 2009, our annual Ruben Salazar memorial tribute issue. It is a tradition born in the marriage between creative cultural expression and the legacy of journalism bequeathed to us by an outspoken leader who, sadly, we lost during the upheavals of the Chicano Moratorium season, a season of hope and struggle that lasted, say some, from 1969 - 1971. For us, freedom of expression, the right to a free and independent press and the proud spotlight we focus monthly on the artistic accomplishments in our community have all gone hand-in-hand. We are proud of our recent July issue and have received numerous compliments, both on the caliber and quality of the writing as well as on the presentation and design. We could never even dream of looking so good if it weren't for the many brilliant visual artists whose work as graced our front page over the few y...

Playwright Patricia Zamorano, author of Locked Up . By Abel Salas As a playwright, Patricia Zamorano doesn’t come with college credentials or the stuffy attitude that many in the realm of theatre assume in order to feel that their jobs as waiters and bartenders are just way stations on their journey to fame and glory as “artistes.” Patricia Zamorano was raised in the projects and spent her early adolescence in and out of LA’s infamous juvenile detention centers. She did not go to art school. Nor was she trained in the Stanislavsky Method or in a Playwrighting  101 undergraduate course. She is a heavy machinery operator. She drives fork lifts and tractors and bulldozers as a regular part of her day job. “Growing up, I ended up in juvenile hall many times, always vowing to never get locked up again. But every time I did go back, I was like a sheep with a set routine, day in and day out.  There were no resources or public discussions on how to prevent from becoming inca...

Indie Pop band Kotol á n will host a record release party to launch their first boutique 45, a special limited edition vinyl record, with a performance on Saturday, July 26th at the unique Arts District Flea Market, 453 Colyton St. Los Angeles, CA 90013 in the heart of the LA’s Downtown Arts District, The record launch—an all ages, free event—will run from 8pm-11pm. S pecialty mixology cocktails will be provided by Tito’s Vodka and Agetha Tequila. A Pop Up fine art station will feature collectible works from Modern Multiples, the legendary Los Angeles fine art print studio. The Modern Multiples Pop Up will be highlighted by pieces from artist Richard Duardo, the Andy Warhol of the West Coast, as well as images from and Royal Photography’s Michael Hope. A live performance by Kotol á n begins at 9:30pm. A live performance by Kotol á n begins at 9:30pm. Kotol á n, an LA fusion ensemble with roots on the East Side and the Far East continues to deliver an eclectic sound rooted in ...

Review by Abel Salas Give It To Me Ana Castillo Feminist Press, 2014 Paperback, 256 pp. Palma Piedra, the stormy, conflicted, promiscuous heroine of Ana Castillo’s newest novel, is the kind of character you don’t want to admit you’ve fallen in love with. Give It to Me, the infinitely loaded title of the book is perhaps an over-simplication, because Palma is not simply oversexed. She merely enjoys being physical with others, and her appetites are expressed incessantly as a need for love and comfort for the most part but also as the very real ramifications of both an emotional and a physical hunger, a raw lust that can only be satiated with passion and lovemaking. The latter two are acted upon amply and in every manner of possible configurations, where traditional categories and orientations and preferences are gleefully thrown out the window. Bluntly, Give It to Me , is a guilty pleasure, easily a one-sitting read because Castillo’s language, her dialogue, her caustic, always sub...