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TUE, JAN 10, 7 pm
ZÓCALO
Greg Critser
“Generation Rx”
L.A.-based writer Greg Critser discusses his new book, “Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs Are Altering American Lives, Minds, and Bodies,” which explores the overmedication of Americans—from children on ADD medication to senior citizens ingesting larger and occasionally fatal drug cocktails.
THU, JAN 12, 7 pm
Richard Schickel
and Leo Braudy
“Elia Kazan:
A Conversation”
In conversation with
Steven J. Ross,
professor and chair,
USC History Department
The actions, work, and words of this towering figure in American cinema are put into context by authors of two new books on Kazan: Schickel—TIME Magazine film critic—and Braudy—USC professor and film scholar.

Tue, Jan 17, 7 PM
Richard Reeves
President Reagan:
The Triumph
of Imagination
In conversation with
Gregory Rodriguez,
L.A. Times Op-Ed columnist
The veteran journalist who wrote books on Kennedy, Nixon, and Ford discusses his surprising and revealing portrait of the only American president whose name became a political creed: “Reaganism.”
Presented by The Council of the Library Foundation and sponsored by City National Bank and KPMG LLP.
THU, JAN 19, 7 pm
Temple Grandin
Animals in Translation:
Using the Mysteries
of Autism to Decode
Animal Behavior
Grandin draws upon a long, distinguished career as an animal scientist and her own experiences with autism to deliver an extraordinary message about how animals act, think, and feel.
TUE, JAN 24, 7 pm
The WIRED Speakers Series
and ALOUD present
Craig Newmark
Customer Service Rep & Founder, craigslist.org
In conversation with Thomas Goetz, Articles Editor, WIRED Magazine
People use craigslist.org to find a house, a date, a job, a wheelbarrow, or a French teacher. The founder of craigslist.org discusses the implications and future of this community-run website that “restores the human voice to the Internet.”
Co-sponsored by WIRED magazine and Senseo®
TUE, JAN 31, 7 pm
Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez and Frances Dixon
“The Return of the Maya: EL RETORNO DE LOS MAYAS”
Guatemala’s first contemporary Mayan (Q’anjobal) novelist discusses the post-civil war future of his people with the director of a humanitarian organization aiding returned war refugees in rebuilding their lives in northwestern Guatemala.
In English & Spanish, with translation.
Tue, Jan 31, 7 PM
Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez
and Frances Dixon
Top: Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez
Bottom: Frances Dixon
Photo © Louise Steinman
Gaspar Pedro González was, for many years, an official in the Ministry of Culture of Guatemala. His novel, A Mayan Life, originally published in Spanish, then released in English and Q'anjobal, is the first novel by a native Maya author. His second novel, The Return of the Maya, has been released in Spanish and English. Mr. Gonzalez has also published several books of poetry, including Palabras Mayas, which is a bilingual collection in Q'anjob'al and Spanish.

Gaspar Pedro González grew up in San Pedro Soloma, a Q'anjob'al Maya community in the department of Huehuetenango in northwestern Guatemala. He was awarded scholarships that allowed him to pursue studies in the departmental capital, then in Quetzaltenango, and later on, in the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. This unique background permitted González to become truly bicultural and equally fluent in both Q'anjob'al and Spanish.

For further biographical information on Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez, download:
First Mayan.DOC

Frances Dixon is the founder and director of ADOPT-A-VILLAGE IN GUATEMALA, INC, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to making resources and training in self-help programs accessible to the Maya in northwest Guatemala.

Frances Dixon was born in British Columbia, Canada. At age 18, she
followed her childhood dream, and began traveling the world.  She has
visited some 40 countries, and worked in England, Ghana, and New
Zealand.  In the '80's, her lifelong wanderlust centered on Guatemala, during the time of that country's civil war.  She witnessed the profound suffering of the Mayan Indian people and their desperate attempts to survive in the midst of 36 years of genocidal war.
 
As a result of her experiences, Dixon founded Adopt-a-Village in
Guatemala in 1991, an international non-profit organization dedicated
to bring humanitarian help and self-sufficiency to the Mayan people. 
Since then, she has served as a full time volunteer and has been
responsible for initiating and managing over 60 major health and
education projects in northwest Guaemala, many of which directly
support the peace process of post-war Guatemala.

www.adoptavillage.com