Respected writer Sam Quinones will discuss his latest book Antonio’s Gun and Delfinos Dream (2007) and his reporting for the Los Angeles Times on the U.S.-Mexico border at a book signing taking place Thursday, Nov. 15, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Cal Poly Pomona Downtown Center.
Quinones also authored True Tales from another Mexico in 2001.
The book signing is part of the Pomona Big Read, taking place from Oct. 13 through Dec. 1 and featuring the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded Cal Poly Pomona $15,000 to carry-out Big Read events over six weeks to encourage literary reading in the city of Pomona, one of 117 communities across the nation taking part in the program.
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What a long, dusty, fruity, steely trip it’s been, this empire-building business.
From early settlers’ efforts to make oranges a cash crop, through Henry Kaiser’s mammoth metal contribution to the war effort, and all the way up to its transformation into a service and distribution hub for Southern California, the shape of the Inland Empire has been forged by those with initiative, inspiration and ingenuity.
People like George and William Chaffey, who in the late 19th century thought it right to dedicate a portion of their land holdings to an education facility. That school – Chaffey College – educates thousands of people to this day, and is continually growing and innovating.
People like Fred Perris, a surveyor who helped design the early street layout of San Bernardino and who was the driving force in bringing the California Southern railway station to San Bernardino.
And – perhaps less famous, but no less important – people like you.
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Michael Reibel, a geography professor at Cal Poly Pomona, wants to build a portal.Not the kind that brings you to the future or one that takes you into John Malkovich’s mind, but a Web portal, equipped with all kinds of Inland Empire information.
Just what kind of information?
“It could be the physical environment, the ecosystem, the social environment, housing you name it. All information to the region,” Reibel explained. “Information stored in a digital map, tables, numbers reports literally, everything.”
Everything is a lot of information for an area that stretches from San Dimas to Yucaipa but nobody said Reibel’s vision is fleeting.
The Regional Research Portal, now awaiting grant funding, will one day aid Inland Empire researchers such as urban demographers like Reibel. It will also be a space to find studies such as ones conducted by Cal Poly professors for Empire – a joint project with the Daily Bulletin and The Sun.
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