Ciao Amici!

Without intending it, we have lined up an almost completely Hispanic week on Here on Earth, with the exception of one Australian theologian!

Here’s how it shakes out:

Monday: Fermat’s Room: A scary Spanish film featured in this weekend’s Wisconsin Film Festival, and this year’s choice for World Cinema Day, Fermat’s Room has an intriguing premise straight out of The Pit and the Pendulum: 4 mathematicians locked in a shrinking red room that will crush them to death if they don’t solve the problem! Talk about pressure!

Tuesday: Juan Felipe Herrera, a multi-talented writer/performer whose many works focus on the politics of immigration and identity issues in the Latino community. His latest book is 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border.

Wednesday: Isabel Allende talks about her latest memoir, The Sum of Our Days, a passionate and inspiring look at the life of the Allende family held together by the resolute matriarch – Isabel herself - after the tragic loss of Paula, her daughter.

Thursday: Michael Morwood, the controversial Christian theologian, author of Is Jesus God and Tomorrow’s Catholic is in the midst of a rare US tour. We’ll catch him as he flies by.

Friday: We break stride with our Food Friday tradition today to welcome the star of the 2005 Madison World Music Festival, Lila Downs, back to Madison. The daughter of a Mixtec cabaret singer, Downs has been touring internationally performing native Mesoamerican music in Mixtec, Zapotec and Maya. She was featured in the movie Frida. You’ll love her if you don’t already.

What a week! You come too and make it really special.

Jean