Author Paz Ellis takes readers on a cross-cultural and trans-generational journey through her childhood in New Jersey to adulthood with Plantains and the Seven Plagues, A Memoir: Half-Dominican, Half-Cuban, and Full Life.Paz insightfully describes the complexities and contradictions of growing up in the United States to a Dominican mother and a Cuban father. From her mother’s obsessive cleaning rituals to her father’s remarkable knack for invention, this book beautifully explains what living a hyphenated-life means for so many Hispanics. She writes about what it means to be American, and Cuban, and Dominican, and having to be all of those things and only one of them… all at the same time.Following the passing of her mother, the author finds herself on a search for meaning through not only her past but also her mother’s. This book is about life, loss, memory, culture, and family, the glue that determines who your family actually is- love. Written with a healthy dose of wit and an abundance of sincerity, Plantains and the Seven Plagues is honest, painfully relatable, and deeply heartfelt.

Lucas Sanchez
TIMPANIST - PERCUSSIONIST - EDUCATOR
https://www.palmbeachsymphony.org/

Our guest
Vanessa Hornedo
the founder of
https://www.myhandsinspire.org/

https://www.fliff.com/
Since 1986, the Broward County Film Society has shared the beauty of independent cinema with South Florida through the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. More than 30 years later, The Film Society has leveraged the success of FLIFF to establish itself as one of five Major Cultural Institutions of Broward County. Read more about the history of FLIFF below.

Mr. Guillama is a nationally recognized expert in healthcare management and operations.
He is a prolific inventor with dozens of patents issued and pending from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Mr. Guillama is the beneficiary of numerous awards of distinction, some of which are from the Lion's Club, Leukemia Society of America, Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, and American Diabetes Association. Mr. Guillama is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Birthing of Giants Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (1997 - 1999).

Mr. Guillama was born in Havana, Cuba and has been a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida for over forty years.

Enrique Chia is a Cuban-American pianist and prolific recording artist whose unique and organic playing style is rooted in the grand pre-revolutionary musical traditions of Cuba, and additionally in the Great American Songbook and sophisticated pop of his adopted homeland.
Enrique Chía – Una Tarde Para Recordar
October 13 @ 3:00 pm EDT
Telephone Number(s):(305) 547-5414 - General
https://www.miamidadecountyauditorium.org/event/enrique-chia-una-tarde-para-recordar/

Omilani Alarcón is a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. She is a visual and performing artist, poet, scholar and Founder of the Latinegras brand. She has eleven scholarly publications, seven musical CDs, and was in the top 7 GRAMMY Showcase Finalists. She is fluent in four languages other than English and has traveled and studied business, languages, and performing arts in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas. Her current project is the award nominated documentary, "LATINEGRAS: Love the Skin You're In" which chronicles the lives of AfroLatina women and their journeys towards self-definition.

Jose is an immigrant that was born in El Salvador and grew up in East L.A. He attributes much of his success to his hard working mother who sacrificed everything to give him and his siblings a better life. He graduated from John Glenn H.S. in L.A. with a full ride scholarship to wrestle at Brigham Young University where he obtained 3 degrees: BA in Secondary Education Spanish, Masters in Education, and a PhD in Education. His previous positions include; Director of Title III and Special Programs at the Utah State Office of Education, Director of Diversity for Alpine School District, served 11 years in both Alpine and Provo school districts as an Assistant Principal, and taught Spanish for 3 years prior to that. He was appointed as a commissioner on volunteerism by Lieutenant Governor Bell’s Utah Commission on Volunteers in 2010, and as a commissioner to the office Multicultural Affairs by Governor Herbert, 2012. Currently, Jose is living his dream as the full time Executive Director of Latinos in Action (LIA), a non-profit he built from the ground up since 2001, and which officially became a non-profit organization in 2010. LIA is currently implemented in 110 schools across Utah, Idaho, Washington, Texas, and Florida. LIA’s mission is to empower Latino youth to be college and career ready through culture, service, leadership, and excellence in education. Most recently, LIA was honored as a Bright Spot by the White House Center for Excellence in Hispanic Education. Jose is married to Jaymilyn Bonnett Enriquez and is the father of 5 children; 4 girls and one boy.

Famor Botero is a Colombian filmmaker and graduate of Full Sail University. Since graduating in 2011, Botero has produced, directed and written various films, garnering the attention of Hollywood personalities such as Robin Cowie and Gerald Di Pego, who would later collaborate with him. Botero has also received several important recognitions for his work.

In 2014, Yahoo introduced Botero as “an influential upcoming Latino filmmaker," CNN stated that "Famor's work was remarkable and inspirational,” and Orlando’s Mayor Buddy Dyer officially recognized Botero for his work as a filmmaker and congratulated him on his devotion to the community and his philanthropic work. Currently, Botero has joined the Original Productions team at Olympusat in his role of director and producer.