RESTON, VA — Reston Community Center (RCC) is pleased to announce an upcoming appearance by leading Chicano author Luis J. Rodriguez, who will speak at the CenterStage and also share his perspective with students at Langston Hughes Middle School. Rodriguez will speak at the CenterStage at Reston Community Center at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18, and will appear at Langston Hughes earlier that day at 10:30 a.m. 

Rodriguez’s Langston Hughes Middle School appearance kicks off RCC’s Artist Residency program for this school year. Each year, RCC brings professional artists to Reston schools as part of the artist residency program to give students the opportunity to concentrate on a particular theme or area of work and as a result, develop a more in-depth, meaningful experience with the artists.

Luis J. Rodriguez has emerged as one of the leading Chicano writers with fifteen published books in memoir, fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature and poetry. Luis’ poetry has won a Poetry Center Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award, and a Patterson Poetry Book Prize, among others. His children’s books – “America is Her Name” and “It Doesn’t Have to be This Way: A Barrio Story” – have won a Patterson Young Adult Book Award, two Skipping Stones Honor Awards, and a Parent’s Choice Book Award. A short story collection, “The Republic of East L.A.,” and a novel, “Music of the Mill,” came out in 2001 and 2005, both from Rayo Books/Harper Collins.

Rodriguez will speak at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18 at the Center Stage at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods, located at 2310 Colts Neck Road in Reston. Tickets are available at the Reston Community Center Box Office (also at this address), online at www.restoncommunitycenter.com, and via telephone at 703-476-4500. He will speak to students and teachers at Langston Hughes Middle School at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 18. This event is not open to the public.

Rodriguez’s appearance is part of RCC’s Professional Touring Artists Series, which also includes performances by musicians, singers, songwriters, actors, dancers and other performing artists between September 2012 and May 2013. Additional information about this and other performances is available here.