Discover bilingual artists from both sides of the border at the second annual Frontera Festival, hosted by the literary journal Southwest Review.
鈥淭he frontier here is not just the border between countries but between art forms and genres and ways of thinking about literature and ways of thinking about the world,鈥� said Sylvia Georgina Estrada, associate editor of the Southwest Review.
Over the course of two days at multiple places in the Bishop Arts District, there will be events featuring both Spanish and English literature, music, comics and film.
鈥淲e work with a lot of writers across America and the whole editorial staff is spread across the region, and we rarely get the chance to all get together and hang out,鈥� said Greg Brownderville, editor of the Southwest Review. 鈥淎nd we thought: Why not just make it a festival and bring the magazine to life here in Dallas? So people can come together and enjoy these writers, artists, and musicians in person.鈥�
Estrada said that last year was a good first experience, and lots of people from both cultures attended.
鈥淥ne part that is vital to the spirit of both Southwest Review and Frontera is that it's an experience of sharing with others and sharing the desire to get to know each other,鈥� Estrada said. 鈥淲e exchange emotions, art and language.鈥�
The event that will kick off the festival is a conversation between American cartoonist Lynda Barry and fiction writer Mary Miller on Friday at The Wild Detectives bookstore at 5:30 p.m.
Later Friday at the Kessler Theater at 8:30 p.m., there will be musical performances by alternative/indie band The Paranoid Style, Karly Hartzman of the Wednesday band, and Spanish rock band 脡l Mat贸 a un Polic铆a Motorizado.
A screening of the 1984 dark comedy film Blood Simple will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Texas Theatre. After the movie, there will be a conversation between award-winning author Megan Abbott and crime novelist William Boyle.
Then on Saturday at 6 p.m. at The Wild Detectives, there will be readings by writers of contemporary literature. The festival will end with a celebratory DJ set.
鈥淲e feel privileged to be here in the Southwest at the crossroads of these two literary cultures, and I think it鈥檚 one of the most exciting places in the world to be,鈥� Brownderville said.
: April 11 and 12 in Oak Cliff鈥檚 Bishop Arts District at The Wild Detectives, Kessler Theater and Texas Theatre. All of the events are free but attendees are encouraged to .
The calendar is a partnership between 四虎影院 and The Dallas Morning News.
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and 四虎影院.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, The University of Texas at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and 四虎影院 retain full editorial control of Arts Access鈥� journalism.
