Lys Pérez and José Alejandro Hernández in Let it Go, Esa by Mónica Pérez. Photo: Lorena Ortega. By Abel M. Salas Now in its eighth consecutive year and armed with an all-new slate of original, one-act stage works written, produced and directed exclusively by women, Chicanas, Cholas, y Chisme —the riotous homegrown theatrical hit—returns to Boyle Heights in its funniest, edgiest and most moving configuration yet. Opening this weekend at Casa 0101 Theater, the now annual ensemble production was conceived originally by playwright and community cultural arts advocate Josefina López, the prolific writer who founded Casa and serves as its artistic director. Developed under her guidance and introduced with a modest production during 2012 in a converted row-style storefront location one block west of the current Casa 0101 address where López’ unique vision for a Boyle Heights theater and arts district was initially incubated and nurtured,  Chicanas, Cholas, y Chisme was, she s

Gurba as Cantinflas from Painting Their Portraits in Winter . Photo courtesy the artist. Interview with Myriam Gurba by El Art Pocho Ed. Note: The following exchange between Myriam Gurba and resident alchemist, seer, arts writer and keen cultural observer @pancho_lipschitz AKA Harry Liflan, was originally published in our Nov./Dec. 2016 (Vol. 7; No. 8) print edition. We proudly offer a reprisal of a conversation that, strangely enough, foreshadows Gurba ’s searing critique gone viral of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, the floodgates of justifiable indignation from the Latinx literary community it opened, the dismissive excoriation by publishing industry elites determined to paint her as the leader of a dangerous, book-burning lynch mob, and the tangible threats of violence she has been subjected to for simply having had the audacity to offer her honest--and brilliantly elucidated--opinion about a literary work she was asked to review. We now all know that her opinion was