Thursday, April 25, 2024

Miami Beach author shares life story

Posted by Elena del Valle on January 30, 2020

Ordinary Girls

Ordinary Girls

Photos: Maria Esquinca

In Ordinary Girls A Memoir (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $26.95), Jaquira Diaz describes the struggles she suffered growing up in a mixed race family first in Puerto Rico and then Florida. The 321-page hardcover non fiction book was published in 2019. Before finding success as a writer the neglected daughter of a drug addicted schizophrenic mother and absent father was a self described juvenile delinquent who was repeatedly arrested, and a drug abusing high school dropout.

Her fluid writing and storytelling belie dark gritty memories of maternal child abuse, deep sibling rivalry with her older brother, rape (references to violence remain off screen), suicidal tendencies and rage. Spanish words are peppered liberally as she paints a vivid image of her life and her childhood friends.

The book is divided into four main sections: Made Patria, Monstruo, Familia and Regresando. It includes bits about the history of the island and the failed efforts of some Puerto Ricans for independence from the United States.

Jaquira Diaz, author, Ordinary Girls

Jaquira Diaz, author, Ordinary Girls

Questions submitted twice by email to her publishing company, by email and via Twitter to the author received no reply by the publication date for this article. Diaz received two Pushcart Prizes, an Elizabeth George Foundation grant, and fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Kenyon Review and the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing.


Ordinary Girls

Click to buy Ordinary Girls


Multiple academics share marketing insights

Posted by Elena del Valle on January 22, 2020

Mapping Out Marketing

Mapping Out Marketing

Photos: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

Ronald Hill, Ph.D. and Cait Lamberton dedicated two years to editing Mapping Out Marketing Navigation Lessons From The Ivory Trenches (Routledge,$39.95), a book targeting marketing students and marketing practitioners. The 193-page softcover book co-edited with Jennifer Swartz, a graduate student, features 55 entries (23 men and 22 women) from multiple academics. Submissions were limited to 500 words each as was the introduction. Proceeds from the book were earmarked for scholarships for underrepresented doctoral students.

“The American Marketing Association played a significant role in helping us find a publisher for our work,” Hill said by email (when approached by email Lamberton referred questions to Hill). “That is an important step that required putting their reputation on the line for our idea.”

When asked what prompted them to search this topic now Hill said “There is so much accumulated wisdom among marketing professors from around the world that does not get to folks interested in marketing practice. Most the self-help books have one good idea that they expand into an entire book. Why not have a book with many such ideas that cover a vast terrain!

Why not now? This wisdom is as necessary today as it ever will be. Let marketing professionals learn what we have to say and use what is most relevant!”

Referring to the meaning of the subtitle he said, “Ivory trenches are the difficult environments professors must navigate every day. So many outsiders think that we stay in our ‘ivory towers’ and ignore the world around us. Instead, we are embedded in a very difficult environment to maneuver and the lessons learned are profound!”

Beyond the distribution of a press release how has the book been promoted? “Our hope is that all contributors will tell two friends and so on and so on … It should be in every class and executive program around the world!”

Ronald Hill

Ronald Hill

Another book may follow. Hill said, “I’d like a new volume on marketing ethics that takes practice and infuses it with values. For example, marketers are good at deciding who they want to sell to, but does it align with all the people who could gain from purchase despite societal prejudices, poverty, and other forms of restriction? We CAN make the world a better place and still thrive as an organization. We just need to consider deeply what that means.”

When asked by email about the scholarship funds an American Marketing Association spokesperson declined to respond on the record. When asked the same question Hill said, “All royalties received from sales of this book go directly to the AMA, and we have no other financial connection with the publisher.”

Hill is a visiting professor of Marketing and holds a Dean’s Excellence Faculty Fellowship at the American University, Kogod School of Business. He is chair, Transformative Consumer Research Committee and recipient of 2019 American Marketing Association Wilkie Marketing for a Better World Award. He has authored over 200 journal articles, books, chapters, and conference papers on impoverished consumer behavior, marketing ethics, corporate social responsibility, human development, and public policy.

Cait Lamberton

Cait Lamberton

According to promotional materials, Lamberton is associate professor and Ben L. Fryrear Chair in Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business, where she researches and teaches consumer behavior and applied behavioral economics at the MBA and Ph.D. levels, in addition to providing consulting services in government and the private sector.

In 2018, Swartz was a full-time MBA student at George Washington University with a focus on operations, strategy, and brand management. Prior to George Washington, she worked in Corporate Communications at Marsh & McLennan Agency in San Diego, overseeing various aspects of digital media strategy, branding, public relations, and non-profit fundraising efforts.


Mapping Out Marketing

Click to buy Mapping Out Marketing


Marketing Manager

Posted by Elena del Valle on January 20, 2020

Marketing Manager
Position Status: Full time
Pay Range: $62,620-$81,406/annually
Close Date: 1/30/20

Do you thrive in a fast-paced, exciting organization that is always changing and never stale? Are you an energetic and dynamic manager who inspires collaboration in your colleagues and partners? Then this is the position for you! We are looking – click to read the entire Job Ad for Marketing Manager

With videos – New international programs coming to public television

Posted by Elena del Valle on January 15, 2020

The Victim, a Scottish thriller
The Victim, a Scottish thriller

Photo, videos: courtesy of KCET

KCET, a Southern California public station, will premiere Austrian, French and Scottish programming this month. The Victim, a four-part Scottish thriller series, Resistance, a French World War II series, and Vienna Blood, an Austrian mystery series will air locally beginning in January. After their on air premier the programs will be available on the station website. Scroll down to watch trailers.

The Victim first aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One April 2019. The engaging and thought provoking thriller explores age old issues of whether the punishment fits the crime as well as the new ethics of individual responsibility for posts on social media. It stars Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire, No Country for Old Men) as Anna Dean who is accused of leaking her son’s suspected murderer’s identity online and conspiring to have him killed. John Hannah (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) plays Craig Myers, a hard working family man seeking prove his innocence.

The first episode aired January 7, 2020. Resistance is scheduled to air Tuesday, January 14 at 10 p.m. PT and Vienna Blood should air January 23 at 10 p.m. PT.

Resistance, based on true events, (in French with English subtitles) portrays the story of “a group of young French heroes fighting for freedom from German Nazi occupation in World War II” who join forces to produce a newspaper. According to a press release, the program is part of Walter Presents, a curated collection of award-winning international dramas hand-picked by Walter Iuzzolino, “a TV connoisseur who has scoured the globe for compelling hits.”

In Vienna Blood, reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes with some elements of romance, a student of medicine and Sigmund Freud and an Austrian detective team up to solve murder cases in early 1900s Vienna. It features Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game) and Juergen Maurer (Vorstadtweiber).  The final four episodes were my favorites.

According to promotional materials, KCET offers cultural and educational programs in Southern and Central California, including local programming and television programs from around the world. Throughout its 54-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards.



Podcast with Gabriela Lechin, SVP, Global Results Communications, about public relations trends, predictions

Posted by Elena del Valle on January 6, 2020

Gabriela Lechin, senior vice president, Global Results Communications

Gaby Lechin, senior vice president, Global Results Communications

Photo: Global Results Communications

A podcast interview with Gaby Lechin, senior vice president, Global Results Communications, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses public relations trends and predictions with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.

Gabriela’s communications career spans 18 years and includes extensive and global experience in the tech, cybersecurity, intelligence, transportation, government, and sports industries as well as global affairs, international relations and crisis management. A United States Navy Reserve Officer, Gaby holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in national security and international relations.

To listen to the interview, scroll down and click on the play button below or locate the “Podcast” section on the right hand side, then choose “HMPR Gaby Lechin” or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home from the RSS feed. Some software will not allow flash, which may be necessary for the podcast player. If that is your case, you will need to download the file to play it. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the January 2020 section of the podcast archive.

Happy New Year!

Posted by Elena del Valle on January 2, 2020