Pico Union book club dedicated to Latina mothers

Global Arts, a non-profit organization offering free after-school music classes to students in Los Angeles’ Pico Union neighborhood, is now also offering poetry classes and a book club for mothers in the community.

Viviana Guerra, parent coordinator at Global Arts, works directly with all the families of the children who attend their music program and creates resources for them, such as the Mothers of Global Arts Book Club, which has been around for almost three years.

Guerra stated that the concept of establishing a mothers' book club originated from the intention to support the families who accompany their children to music classes by offering them a dedicated space to cultivate and express their own talents.

“One of the ideas I had was to start a reading club and then accompany it with a writing club and we almost always read books that have meaning and a focus on mothers and women to give them that voice,” she said.

She also explained that it was important for her to start this club because oftentimes many mothers lose themselves in that role of motherhood. “We forget that we are talented women with dreams and that can go hand in hand, not just with our role as mothers, but also with who we are, each and every one of us,” Guerra said.

Mothers of Global Arts Book Club meets every two weeks via Zoom and once a month at With Love Market and Cafe, along with the creative writing club that  launched this January. “We started the creative writing club with poetry because they go hand in hand with what we read,” Guerra said.

The book club also hosts meet and greets with the author of the book they are reading in order to have a group discussion. Guerra told CALÓ News that she carefully selects books authored by women who are also available to visit the book club and engage with the mothers by sharing their experiences and signing copies of their books—an aspect the participants greatly appreciate.

Just last Friday, the book club had a special guest, Virginia Bulacio, who is a mother to a four-year-old and author of “Luna Inmigrante,” a bilingual poetry collection book that celebrates authentic immigrant stories.

“My heartfelt thanks to the moms and organizers for sharing this sacred space with me. At a time when this political climate is trying to separate families, don't feel alone. Today, there are many of us lunas inmigrantes, and where there is love, there is no room for fear. I am so proud and grateful to you, moms, readers and writers,” Bulacio said.

The book club also took part in the Los Angeles Times Book Festival, where they displayed their poems in a dedicated cubicle within the library. “It was really beautiful, because many moms couldn’t even believe it. Well, neither did I, because it all happened so fast,” Guerra said. “Seeing the moms with those expressions reminds us that we are priceless.”

All 19 of the participants in the reading club are Latina mothers who are stay-at-home moms or working moms but are always focused on their families. Not only is the club giving them an opportunity to expand their knowledge and interests, but also space to practice Spanish and English with bilingual books. “Our organization is giving the community, our moms, and their families space so that not only their children can develop, but also they can develop hand in hand with their children,” Guerra said. 

The next creative writing session will start in September with Bulacio guiding the mothers involved in the club. Guerra said that one of their goals is to publish a book with all the poems and stories of the moms in the community. “We're working hard on that, and we hope to see that happen,” she said.

To learn more about the programs offered at Globart Arts, click here.