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Award-winning Chicana playwright, poet and artist Josefina López presents her much awaited first novel “Hungry Woman in Paris” and a brand new play “When Nature Calls.” Best known as the co-author of the acclaimed “Real Women Have Curves,” López, in her literary debut, tells the story of Canela Guerrero, a journalist who leaves the United States for France following the re-election of President Bush. Leaving a broken engagement and an over-bearing mother behind, Guerrero enrolls in a famous culinary school as she weaves through the complex tapestries of gender and immigration roles. Focusing on the centrality of women’s voices, López is also world- premiering her new environmentally conscious play at Breath of Fire Latina Theater in Orange County this Friday. Opening ahead of Earth Day, “When Nature Calls,” is the story of women, their connections to nature, and the potential to transform themselves and their surroundings. The play is based in part on the actual life stories of women like Ching-Ching Ni, who collected used batteries around China while warning of the dangers they pose in contaminating water supplies.

GUEST: Josefina López, award-winning author and playwright, Angela Imperial, Brenda Banda, Actresses in “When Nature Calls.”

When Nature Calls is debuting Friday, April 17 and going thru Saturday May 2, and Friday and Saturday @ 8 PM (April 17, 18, 24, 25, May 1 & 2) and Sunday @ 3pm (April 26 only). Josefina López will be at the opening night Earth Day Gala. For tickets call (714) 600-0129 or visit www.breathoffire.org.

Two Events at Casa 0101, 2009 East First Street, Los Angeles CA 90033:

— Two nights of three one-woman shows, April 18-19, Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 7 pm featuring La Calletana (written by Josefina Lopez and starring Miriam Peniche Moses), and In the Middle, written and performed by Karla Menjivar. For tickets call 323-263-7684, visit www.casa0101.org, or email tickets@casa0101.org.

— 2 Crazy comedy, featuring DJ Cooch and Cisco Lution, hosted by Humberto L Mesa, on Friday April 17th at 8 pm. RSVP at 818-746-7521.