by Alicia Vargas This fall, Casa 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights was transformed into Teatro Moz —an evening of live music and theater celebrating “Mozlandia.” Now, Mozlandia is not a word this reviewer made up or pulled out of the air—to make it clear for any forthcoming, well-intentioned reviewers. The term was actually coined by Dr. Melissa Hidalgo, the Chicana Ph.D. and expert consultant for Teatro Moz. “Mozlandia” refers to the unique Chicano/a Moz fan-base Morrissey has amassed in his musical career throughout the Los Angeles area and beyond. In fact, Dr. Hidalgo’s forthcoming book Mozlandia: Morrissey Fans in the Borderlands , devotes an entire chapter to the birth and development of Teatro Moz in particular. The opening act at this year's staging of the East Side staple is a cheerful musical biography tracing history leading up to the birth and rise to fame of Steven Patrick Morrissey, presented as a dual timeline alongside what was happening in Mexican American E...

From Staff Reports MAS ACA , the self-published, hard-cover edition of photographs by East LA-raised and Boyle Heights-based Rafael Cárdenas, will be released with an official book-signing and exhibition on July 8, 2016 at Espacio 1839, a long-standing gallery, bookstore and artisan boutique located at 1839 E. First St. The powerful and highly anticipated collection, made possible in large part through crowd-funding support, is the artist’s first-ever foray into the realm of high-gloss, coffee table quality publication and represents a survey of his photographic work from 2010 to 2015. The book release and accompanying exhibition of photographs will be preceded by an informal plática from 5p.m. to 7p.m. at Primera Taza, the eclectic, home-grown Boyle Heights café located across the street from Espacio 1839 and now co-owned by Chuy Tovar and Angel Orozco.  During the coffee house discussion, Cárdenas will share the story of how the book came together and describe his non-trad...