Event: Hispanic Heritage Month: Nuyorican Poets Café; Movie: Gateskeeper; Movie: Latin Kings of Comedy; Barrio Fiesta

Date/Location: The Nuyorican Poets Café will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Underground, next to the Coffee Shop, in the Memorial Center, 104 University Ave., Bloomington.

Gateskeeper will be shown on Monday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in room 108 of Buck Memorial Library, 1111 N. East St., Bloomington.

Latin Kings of Comedy will be shown on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Beckman Auditorium of The Ames Library, #1 Ames Plaza, Bloomington.

The Barrio Fiesta will be held on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the Memorial Center.

Admission: All events are free and open to the public

Background: National Hispanic Heritage Month begins Sept. 15, the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua). National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is observed through Oct. 15, is a time to remember the many achievements of Hispanic Americans, as well as celebrate the rich and diverse Hispanic culture and encourage all U.S. citizens to recognize the important role of Hispanics in creating, building and sustaining our nation. Other important dates within Hispanic Heritage Month include Mexico’s Independence Day on Sept. 16 and Chile’s on Sept. 18.

Illinois Wesleyan University will hold several events in honor of the celebrated month and in support of the University’s Hispanic population. All events are sponsored by IWU’s Counsel for Latin American Student Enrichment (CLASE).

The second annual Nuyorican Poets Café will be the opening event. The word Nuyorican refers to a group of Puerto Ricans living in New York whose writings deal with issues of identity stemming from their bicultural background. Readings of Nuyorican poetry will be followed by an open-mic poetry slam.

Contact: For more information on other events offered during Hispanic Heritage Month, contact Carmela Ferradáns, associate professor and chair of Hispanic Studies, (309) 556-3155.