The Mexican board game of Loterí\;a is a game of chance&mdash\;similar to bingo. However\, in Loterí\;a instead of matching up numbers on a game board\, players match up images. Many of these legends existed long before their European counterparts&mdas h\;passed throughout the Americas via word of mouth\, collected just like the tales the Brothers Grimm.
\nThis collection features creatures a nd monsters\, vampires\, werewolves and more!
\nPlease join us as we hear more about these Latin American fairytales with a horrifying slant!< /p>\n
\nAbout the Book:
\nLoterí\;a is a haunting\, folkloric\, and deeply imaginative collection in which Cyn thia Pelayo transforms the 54 cards of the traditional Mexican game Loter& iacute\;a into a series of dark\, uncanny\, and emotionally charged storie s. Each card &mdash\; La Dama\, El Gallo\, La Muerte\, El Diablo\, and so on &mdash\; becomes a narrative doorway into a world shaped by myth\, supe rstition\, and the blurred line between the living and the dead.
\nP elayo&rsquo\;s approach is both structural and symbolic: the book mirrors the rhythm of the game itself. Just as players wait for the caller to anno unce the next card\, readers move through the collection anticipating what new terror\, creature\, or moral warning will emerge from the next image. The result is a reading experience that feels ritualistic\, almost ceremo nial\, as if each card is being &ldquo\;drawn&rdquo\; from a cultural arch ive of fear and wonder.
\n\nAbout the Author:
\n
Cynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award&ndash\;win
ning and International Latino Book Award&ndash\;winning author and poet &m
dash\; the first Latina and the first Puerto Rican to win the Bram Stoker
Award. She writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore grief\, mournin
g\, and cycles of violence. Chicago is not her setting. Chicago is her cos
mology.
She holds a Master of Science from Roosevelt University an d an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is pursuing a PhD in English. In 2026 she completed the Odyssey Writing Work shop and was in residence at Ragdale.
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\nIn Conversat ion With:
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Manuel Ricardo Cuellar \;is ass
ociate professor of Latin American and Latinx \;Studies \;at The G
eorge Washington University. His research primarily engages questions of p
erformance\, especially as they concern dance\, indigeneity\, and Afro-mes
tizo imaginaries in Mexico and the United States\, combining ethnographic
fieldwork\, archival research\, and studies of contemporary and classical
Nahuatl\, Mexico&rsquo\;s most widely spoken and written Indigenous langua
ge. He is the author of \;Choreographing Mexico: Festive Performances
and Dancing Histories of a Nation \;(UT Press 2022)\, winner of the 20
23 de la Torre Bueno First Book Award by the Dance Studies Association.&nb
sp\;Cuellar \;is also a dramaturg \;and choreographer \;and se
rves as an academic advisor with Corazó\;n Folkló\;rico \;
Dance Company and the Latinx Movement Festival in Washington\, D.C.
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\nHispanic He ritage Month\, celebrated each year from September 15 to Octo ber 15\, is a national observance that honors the histories\, cultures\, a nd contributions of people whose ancestors came from Spain\, Mexico\, the Caribbean\, Central America\, and South America. The month begins on Septe mber 15 to mark the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica\, El Salvador \, Guatemala\, Honduras\, and Nicaragua\, followed closely by Mexico on Se ptember 16 and Chile on September 18.
\nAcross the country\, Hispani c Heritage Month is a time to recognize the vibrancy\, resilience\, creati vity\, and influence of Hispanic and Latino communities &mdash\; communiti es that have shaped the arts\, literature\, foodways\, public service\, ac tivism\, and everyday life in Washington\, DC.
\nAt DC Public Librar y\, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by uplifting stories\, voices\, a nd traditions that reflect the diversity of the District. Our programming centers the lived experiences of DC&rsquo\;s Latino communities\, offering opportunities for learning\, joy\, connection\, and cultural pride.
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