{"id":2606,"date":"2014-06-16T17:02:52","date_gmt":"2014-06-17T00:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/education\/2014\/06\/16\/7-reasons-to-love-liberia-martinez\/"},"modified":"2014-06-16T17:02:52","modified_gmt":"2014-06-17T00:02:52","slug":"7-reasons-to-love-liberia-martinez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/education\/2014\/06\/16\/7-reasons-to-love-liberia-martinez\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Reasons to Love Librer\u00eda Martinez"},"content":{"rendered":"

The May edition of COAST Magazine has ranked Rueb\u00e9n Martinez<\/a> at number 7 in\u00a0\u201c50 Landmarks, Legends and Locales that make Orange County Amazing.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

It was nice to see that Rueben Martinez was ranked in the top 10 at number 7.\u00a0 It was also a proud moment for Chapman University and the College of Educational Studies<\/a> to see Rueb\u00e9n<\/span>\u00a0rank ahead of Disneyland (#28), Nolan Ryan (#24), and Tiger Woods (#40). Unfortunately, the list was ranked in \u201cno particular order.\u201d\u00a0 However, we are pretty sure that\u00a0Rueb\u00e9n<\/span>\u00a0could probably throw a no-hitter at Angel Stadium, and win a green jacket at Augusta National if he set his mind to it, and therefore he deserves to be ranked at number 7, ahead of those other icons.<\/p>\n

In honor of Rueb\u00e9n<\/span>\u00a0Martinez being ranked at number 7 in the \u201c50 Landmarks and Legends\u201d list, The College of Educational Studies decided to list the 7 reasons why Libreria Martinez de Chapman University bookstore is a great place to visit.<\/p>\n

1. The Books and Authors.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Each month, numerous authors, give presentations, have book signings, and have casual discussions with their fans and visitors to the bookstore in an intimate setting.\u00a0 There is no other forum in Southern California that allows patrons of the book store to have a one on one conversation with a prestigious author.\u00a0 Some of the notable authors that have presented at the book store include Gustavo Arellano<\/a>, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America\u2019 Rick Najera<\/a>, author of \u201cAlmost White, Forced Confessions of a Latino in Hollywood,\u201d and Alfredo Corchado<\/a>, author of \u201cMidnight in Mexico: A Reporter\u2019s Journey through a Country\u2019s Decent into Darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. The Art and Artist. \u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Visiting the\u00a0Librer\u00eda Martinez Book Store<\/a>\u00a0is like touring a small wing at the Bower\u2019s Art Museum. Inside the book store there are wall to wall paintings from local and national artists.\u00a0 The book cases and top shelves are decorated with sculptures from Nicholas Hernandez<\/a>, who created artwork for former President Bill Clinton and sculptures for their daughter Chelsea, and his sculpture Emergence<\/em><\/a>, is on display in front of the Hashinger Science Center at Chapman University\u00a0.\u00a0 Each month a special friend of the bookstore will stop by and talk about his or her art work and give live demonstrations \u2013 someone like artist and painter, Peter Rodriguez<\/a>, founder of the Mexican Museum in San Francisco and presented his art exhibit, \u201cHonoring Heroes,\u201d at the bookstore in October 2013.\u00a0 The\u00a0Librer\u00eda Martinez de Chapman University is a wonderful place for art aficionados to absorb culture, art, and artist in an intimate setting.\u00a0 The bookstore\u2019s exclusive vibe and intimacy could probably rival the Guggenheim Collection in Italy, or the original Barnes Foundation gallery in Philadelphia!<\/p>\n

3. Music and Poetry.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The bookstore often has poets and musicians give live performance for free!\u00a0 Some of the notable musicians have included Rafael Figueroa<\/a>, Dr. Gloria Arjona<\/a>, and children\u2019s musician Jose-Luis Orozco<\/a>.\u00a0 East Los Angeles Poet, Veronica Reyes, has stopped by the book store to read from her children\u2019s book, \u201cChopper Chopper,\u201d as well as Melinda Palacio<\/a>, author of the poetry book, How Fire Is a Story<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

4. Children\u2019s Book Festivals, Authors and Events.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The\u00a0Librer\u00eda Martinez bookstore has been part of the Big Orange Book Festival, as well as the UCLA festival of books to inspire children to read. Authors such as Vinico Murillo<\/a>, author of Roderic Roach have stopped by to sign books and talk with all readers, young and old.\u00a0 The book store also offers Pre-school story time for children ages 3-5 years old every Tuesday and Wednesday. Preschoolers come and listen to stories in both English and Spanish.<\/p>\n

5. The\u00a0Faculty\u00a0and Staff.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The artist, the poets, and the musicians all have Liberia Martinez Staff to thank for organizing, promoting, and operating all of the events at Librer\u00eda Martinez.\u00a0 Dr. Anaida Colon-Muniz<\/a>\u00a0(Director of Community Education, and Associate Professor at the College of Educational Studies), \u00a0Mac Morante (Director of Events, and Adjunct Professor at the College of Educational Studies), and Maria Ceballos all deserve thanks for organizing all of the events and community services at the book store. \u00a0Maria Ceballos also deserves credit for providing excellent customer services to all of the patrons buying books, or shopping for art.<\/p>\n

6. Community Services.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Librer\u00eda Martinez offers a wide array of community services to the book store each month.\u00a0 The bookstore recently added Teen Mentoring services. Chapman University students interested in civic engagement are paired as mentors with mentees who are high school students from Santa Ana High School. They explore future college and career opportunities and participate in workshops. They also jointly participate in a civic engagement project to improve the Santa Ana community.<\/p>\n

7. Rueben Martinez.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Without Rueb\u00e9n<\/span>\u00a0Martinez, there would be no cool book store in Santa Ana that artists and authors showed up to discuss their works.\u00a0 Without Rueb\u00e9n<\/span>\u00a0Martinez, there would be no local site where children could discover the magic of books and wonders of learning. \u00a0Rueb\u00e9n<\/span>\u00a0Martinez not only promotes literacy and the arts, but he is also frequently encouraging high school students to apply to college, and mentoring them to seek their full educational potential. \u00a0Rueb\u00e9n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0always has a huge smile, and is friendly to talk to about everything and anything.\u00a0 It could be about art, books, music, or just a casual conversation about life. Chapman University and the College of Educational Studies are proud to have partnered with\u00a0Rueb\u00e9n<\/span> Martinez, and we hope that you will show your support by visiting the book store and Rueb\u00e9n<\/span>\u00a0Martinez; He is there almost every Wednesday.<\/p>\n