The 2020 Felipe de Ortego y Gasca Lecture is scheduled for Tuesday October 20, 6-7 p.m. The subject is “Writing as Resistance: The Role of the Writer in Turbulent Times.” This year’s lecture will be a panel involving Dr.s Jack Crocker, Gilda Baeza Ortego, Alexandra Neves and Magdaleno Manzanárez, moderated by JJ Amaworo Wilson. It will take place online via Zoom and is free and open to all, no registration required: https://wnmu.zoom.us/j/93148572570.      

The lecture series is named in honor of WNMU’s former scholar-in-residence. Dr. Felipe de Ortego y Gasca was a legendary figure in Chicano/a studies and the pioneer of the Chicano Renaissance in literature. Besides being a prolific writer, Ortego was an actor, musician, activist, university professor, and a U.S. Marine who saw action in three conflicts and served in the U.S. government. The son of migrant farmworkers, Ortego went on to earn a Ph.D in English and published work in numerous genres, including journalism, fiction, theater, essays and academic papers. He died in December 2018. 

The lecture takes place annually and is administered by the committee of Southwest Word Fiesta (formerly the Southwest Festival of the Written Word) and sponsored by WNMU, LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) and the Western Institute for Lifelong Learning (WILL).