One of the things I most love about blogging is stumbling across gems that I had no idea existed. As often as not, I run into them when I”m not looking for them – when I”m researching something else. That”s the case with La Bloga, a blog maintained by RudyG, Manuel Ramos, Michael Sedano, Daniel Olivas, Gina Ruiz. I ran into them looking for more information about Trinidad Sanchez, a Latino poet who recently passed away, and stayed to read far beyond what they had to say about Trini.

La Bloga is dedicated to Chicano Literature, Chicano Writers, Chicano Fiction, News, Views and Reviews. It has been awarded Tu Ciudad Magazine”s Best Blog of 2006 award. Updated five days a week, La Bloga features news, commentary, reviews and more on Chicano writing, including poetry, as in this review posted by Gina last week of Bent to the Earth by poet Blas Manuel de Luna. She observes in that review that

Mr. De Luna is one of the most eloquent and insightful poets it”s ever been my pleasure to encounter. His writing is crisp and conveys a depth of feeling so profound and haunting that it stays long after the book is closed.
Besides the reviews of poetry, literature and fiction that you”ll find at LaBloga, you”ll find calls for submission of Latino writing, observations of life and the city, and one of the most complete lists of links to Chicano and Latina writers and poets that I have found anywhere. Even if you never read a single post written on the blog – and that would be a pity, for it is some of the most informative and entertaining that I have read anywhere – La Bloga is worth repeated visits just to pore through the list of links and find amazing poets, writers and artists who are so often overlooked. I can guarantee that I”ll be visiting again and again for just that reason. You should too.