Success Through Fairytales
By Rachel Hadlock-Piltz
Corsair Staff Writer

• Storytelling becomes mentorship when journalist Yolanda Nava describes how she turned her past struggles into achievements.

Pave your way to success following some simple steps -- Emmy Award-winning journalist and author Yolanda Nava will tell you how to do it.

Nava will give a free lecture at 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 20 in the Santa Monica College Art Lecture Hall 214 on the main campus, 1900 Pico Blvd.

In her lecture at SMC, Nava will relate the stories, poems, and dichos in her award-winning book to advice for college students. She will especially talk about things she wishes she had known when she was in school.

The lecture, "You CAN Get There from Here: 10 Steps for Success," will draw on her award-winning book, "It's All in the Frijoles: 100 Famous Latinos Share Real-Life Stories, Time-Tested Dichos, Favorite Folktales and Inspiring Words of Wisdom."

Called a "caldo de pollo for the Latino Soul," (like the best-selling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books) by Hispanic Magazine, "It's All in the Frijoles" won the Best Self-Help Book Award from the Latino Literary Hall of Fame in 2001.

When Nava asked her terminally ill mother, Consuelo Chavira Sepulveda, what made her so strong, she replied, "Beans, beans made me strong!"

Her mother's reply and her imparted dichos, which translated means traditional sayings, led Nava to write about her mother.

She first wrote in a weekly column for Eastern Group Publications, which later led to the idea for "It's All in the Frijoles."

The book contains stories from many famous Latinos about the wisdom they received from their parents and culture.

The book is divided into chapters with titles such as Respect, Hard Work, Loyalty and Faith, much like a book of virtues.

The book also contains stories, folktales, poems and lullabies related to these themes.

Nava is also a contributor to spirituality.com, and she was the first Mexican American woman to host a television show on a network affiliated station in Los Angeles ; she hosted "Life and Times Tonight" on KCET/TV and "Latino Tempo," which aired on NBC.