The end of the year must always brings changes and this is one of the most heartbreaking for many: the small family operated La Paloma Sabanera Coffeehouse and bookstore is closing this week after 3 1/2 years. I for one, will miss it dearly, as la Familia Cotto had created a warm and inviting place for all who stopped by for a cup of coffee, a sandwich, or merely to take a break during a hectic day. Gracias Carmen, Cindy, Leti, Luis, Jeramee, and Brendan.
As part of growing up, for the last several years the Christmas season has been marked by some loss. The most prominent have been: the death of my Uncle Joe on December 23, 1999; the death of Joe Strummer, December 22, 2002; putting Tara's oldest cat, Cleo, to sleep while she was in Tacoma for the holidays, December 25, 2003; my last real conversation with Sgt. Felix Del Greco before shipping out to Iraq December 23, 2003 (he was killed the following April).
With the closing of La Paloma Sabanera, I feel another milestone weighed on the holiday. As Luis Cotto states in his email, many new organizations with the intention of making Hartford a better place were created and met there. This is especially true of our Kino Kafé screenings, which grew into the Capitol Cinema Collective, the LoRes Film Fest, and the Hartford International Film Festival. I'm a better person for having experienced La Paloma as it became a creative home away from home where I've met and maintained many new friendships. The knowledge I've personally gained from conversations over coffee, at a screening, or from the music played at the jazz events they hosted must be shared.
But it will always be the feelings of warmth, friendship, and family which the Cottos embraced us with that has made my world of Hartford a better place. While I will miss them at La Paloma, I will try my best to honor what they gave to Hartford by spreading that feeling of community and family around the city and everywhere else I go.
¡Buen provecho.
The following is Luis Cotto's announcement:
Mi Gente,
As many of you have heard, La Paloma Sabanera is closing by the end of this month. The last day will effectively be Friday, December 28. I wanted to take this time to thank EVERYONE for making these last 3 1/2 years an incredible period in Hartford's history. Not since the days of the Readers Feast have so many different communities had a place to call their own. La Paloma Sabanera is a microcosm of what Hartford can be, a place where everyone is welcome...a place where the next person who walks through the door can become a dear friend, a political ally, or a fellow artist to learn from. La Paloma has been blessed with many wonderful people and organizations who found in us something that Hartford refused to provide: a space. A space for dialogue, a space to share one's point of view and hear differing views. A space to share your art, your music, your poetry. A space to help nurture the next generation of talent in an era and a city where creativity is slowly leaving our schools and our communities. The following is a list of just some of the groups/organizations who, by using our space, have helped La Paloma Sabanera become the "urban force" we've been hailed as:
Latinos Contra la Guerra
Trinity College
Institute for Community Research
Our Piece of the Pie
City of Hartford Office of Cultural Affairs
City of Hartford Office of Youth Services
National Society of Hispanic MBA's
Lary Bloom
Greater Hartford Cuba Coalition
Ned Lamont for Senate
Connecticut Coalition for Peace and Justice
Hartford Area Rallys Together
Curbstone Press
Juan Brito
Donny Mancini and Kennys/Red Rock
Latinos Unidos
Arte Inc.
American Friends Service Committee
Weekly World
Esteban Arrufatt Latin Jazz Ensemble
Pax Educare
HartBeat Ensemble
UCONN Institute of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies
Walter Wagonner
Hartford Undercurrent
Owen McNally
Carole Goldberg
Susan Dunne
NPR
Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble
Hartford International Jazz Festival
North Frog Hollow NRZ
Hartford Food System (Shannon Raider)
Working Families of CT
Youth Rights Media
National INstitute for Latino Policy
A.N.S.W.E.R.
Before I go any further we need to take a moment and thank Robert Hohler and the Melville Family Trust for allowing La Paloma Sabanera to last as long as we have as a for-profit business venture by bestowing us with a generous grant. The past year would not have been possible if not for The Melville's.
When started 3 1/2 years ago we had no idea what to expect or what came next. We'd like to thank the following people for helping make the first day, the first week, the first month, and, as fate would have it, the first year easier for us to succeed:
Victor Pacheco
Hillary Keller
Andrea Miller Keller
Glaisma Perez-Silva
Father James Manship
Tollie Miller
La Paloma became a virtual Latino Museum for a community desperate to see itself in what the world calls 'art'. Father's would bring children in to gaze at our walls, elementary schools organized field trips, and colleges sent their students to get a taste of what the Latin American world has contributed to the genre of the visual arts. We'd like to thank the following for helping to create the 'look' that made La Paloma an unofficial museum for many:
Pablo Delano
Glasima Perez Silva
Victor Pacheco
Bill Katz
Miguel Matos
Luis Gonzalez
Patrick Raycraft
Hector Camacho
Andres Chaparro
Marela Zacarias
Maurice Robertson
Jose Velez
Jorge Fuentes
Hillary Keller
The Puerto Rican Cuatro Project
Valentin Rosario
La Paloma Sabanera sparked the creation of a number of groups. Other than being conceived at La Paloma, what these groups have in common is the desire to; make Hartford a better place, nurture the next generation of creative muses, and help educate the masses. The following is a list of these groups:
Living and Learning in El Barrio
Spoken Palabra
Comite Puertorriquena Pro Independencia
Capitol Cinema Collective - creators of
Kino Kafe
LoResFest
Hartford International Film Festival
Jazz for Good
There are many, many, many more people and organizations to thank. I will stop right now and say that if you are reading this, than I am thanking you for helping us become what we aspired to be.
God Bless and peace,
La Familia Cotto
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~ ¡Para todos todo!
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