[URPE] "Politics of Immigration" Authors Plan Dialogues in Midwest, California

[David L. Wilson]

"Politics of Immigration" Authors
Plan Dialogues in Midwest, California

Most authors do talks and signings in bookstores to promote their new books.
Jane Guskin and David Wilson, the New York City-based authors of "The
Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers," have a different approach.

Instead of delivering lectures, they prefer facilitating public
dialogue sessions where participants share experiences and work
together to confront myths about immigrants and immigration--and
they're as likely to schedule the events with a suburban immigrant
rights coalition as with a Manhattan bookstore.

"Our book is designed as a practical guide, encouraging people to take a
deeper look at immigration and providing the facts and solid reasoning in
favor of a rational policy," says Guskin. "The dialogues take the process a
step further by connecting this information to people's own experiences and
helping them respond more effectively to the misconceptions being spread by
politicians and pundits."

Called "a powerful weapon against racism" by labor journalist David Bacon,
The Politics of Immigration was released in July by Monthly Review Press,
which is now preparing a second printing.

After five sessions in New York City and its suburbs, Guskin and
Wilson are taking their dialogues on the road in October and November.
Guskin will be in the Midwest from Oct. 2 through 18, with public dialogue
events confirmed in Madison, Wisconsin (Oct. 2); Chicago (Oct. 3); and
Bloomington, Indiana (Oct. 10). Wilson is traveling to the San Francisco Bay
Area in late October and expects to do several dialogues there.

In early November, Guskin will be in southern California at the
invitation of north San Diego County activists who are finding "The Politics
of Immigration" to be a much-needed resource in their work defending day
laborers from attacks by rightwing vigilante groups.

Guskin and Wilson are scheduling more events in the New York
metropolitan area for the second half of November, and have been
invited to lead a public dialogue in late November at the Lower East Side
Tenement Museum, a designated National Historic Site. They have also been
asked to train the museum staff and facilitators who conduct "Kitchen
Conversations" with visitors touring the tenement. "Kitchen Conversations"
are dialogues where facilitators tie in contemporary immigration issues to
the historical lessons of the museum.

"We see the issues raised in 'The Politics of Immigration' and the
dialogue model being used by the authors as perfect learning tools for our
staff and facilitators," said Tenement Museum Education Associate Prachi
Patankar.

To set up dialogue events or media interviews (English or Spanish), contact
Guskin and Wilson at thepoliticsofimmigration at gmail.com.

For more information about the book, see http://thepoliticsofimmigration.org

MIDWEST EVENTS, with Jane Guskin (confirmed)

Madison, Wisconsin 
Tuesday, October 2, 2007, at 7 pm 
Rainbow Bookstore 
426 West Gilman, just off State 
http://rainbowbookstore.org/ 
Co-sponsored by Community Action on Latin America (CALA) 
http://calamadison.org and Union de Trabajadores Inmigrantes (UTI) 
http://immigrantworkers.org 

Chicago, Illinois 
Wednesday, October 3, 2007, at 7 pm 
Open University of the Left 
2040 N. Milwaukee Ave. 
at the In These Times building, second floor 
http://openuniversityoftheleft.org 

Bloomington, Indiana 
Wednesday, October 10, 2007, at 7 pm 
Boxcar Books and Community Center 
310A South Washington Street 
http://boxcarbooks.org 

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