Pinnick Kinnick Hill, A Story of the Asturian Migration

[Art]

This summer the West Virginia University Press plans to publish Pinnick Kinnick Hill, a book on the Asturian immigrant experience in America.

"The book, written by the late Gavin Gonzalez, is a lightly fictionalized account of one Spanish family’s experience in West Virginia following the emigration of Spanish zinc workers to the industrial hub of north central West Virginia shortly after 1900," according to a press release.



Pinnick Kinnick Hill will be printed with the original English text and a recent Spanish translation facing each other on opposite pages.

The introduction to the book was written by the Asturian-American Migration Forum's own Suronda Gonzalez, who grew up in Harrison County, earned a BA and MA at West Virginia University, and now teaches at a university in New York state where she is finishing up her doctorate.

In her introduction, Suronda wrote that "hundreds of Spaniards settled in the area, raising children in a unique mixture of customs and lifestyles from two continents. Gonzalez said that by 1920, the government of Spain had established a Spanish Vice Consulate in Clarksburg to aid Spaniards living in the area.

The release of Pinnick Kinnick Hill will be accompanied by several related events. We'll keep you posted here of any news. If you would like to be involved in planning something, please contact Suronda or Art.

In the meanwhile, it wouldn't hurt to brainstorm ways to celebrate the book's publication and our heritage. What would you like to see happen?

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Note: Amazon is selling the book and will give Asturian-American Migration Forum a percentage on any orders made through the following link. You can support the forum, at no cost to you. Anything you buy at Amazon after using this link to get to Amazon will support AsturianUS.org.

To buy Pinnick Kinnick Hill, please use this link:
Pinnick Kinnick Hill on Amazon.com

There is a full list of our affiliate links here:
http://www.asturianus.org/affiliateLinks.html

[Suronda]

Hello All,

I've recently heard that WVU Press is planning the celebration and release of Pinnick Kinnick Hill sometime in July 2003. (see previous post for description of Pinnick Kinnick Hill ) As soon as I have more up-to-date information about it, I'lll be sure to post.

At this point I think they're planning a picnic in Clarksburg, WV.

Will anyone be in Clarksburg in July? At this point, I'm planning to be.

What do you think about the picnic? Any suggestions, ideas?

[Art]

The date for this picnic, which is the kickoff celebration for the book's publication has been set for Saturday July 19th.

Please keep that date open and plan on joining us in Clarksburg!

[Art]

The WVU Press is now accepting orders for Pinnick Kinnick Hill.

[Sweeney]

I just pre-ordered Pinnick Kinnick Hill from Amazon.com for $26.25.
_________________
Donna

[Art]

We are now signed us up to be an affilliate of Amazon so we can sell the book and maybe earn enough to pay for the site's upkeep.

To buy Pinnick Kinnick Hill, use this link:
Pinnick Kinnick Hill: An American Story

Clicking the link will not cost you anything, but benefits the forum.

I will go back and add the link to earlier mentions of the book, too, so it's easy for everyone.

[Art]

The celebration of the book's publication will be Saturday, July 19th, 2003, from 11-2 at the Waldomore House in Clarksburg (next to the
Clarksburg Public Library at 404 W. Pike St., Clarksburg, WV.

There will be Spanish guitar music, food, sangria, brief talks, conversation, and a display of paintings by El Pintor (Emilio Fernández Alvarez), his daughter (Honnie Amor Wagner) and his grandson (that's me!).

If you can come, please do! We're expecting a large group of Asturian-Americans.

This is going to be a great weekend to come to Clarksburg, because on the next day, Sunday, July 20th, is the annual Hispanic Heritage and Cultural Association picnic. See Suronda's post for details: http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=215

[Suronda]

Art,

I'll be there too, with my laptop and scanner. I hope that those in attendance who would like to have pictures scanned for themselves, and/or for the website will bring them along. This will save time and worry with shipping pictures to us for scanning.

I also know that there will be at least 50 members from the G.W. Gonzalez family (Gavin lived in Spelter, WV during the 30s, but eventually settled with his family in St. Louis) will be there. We're expecting a nice crowd, with food and music.

See you there!

S.

[Bob]

If you have not already purchased Pinnick Kinnick Hill, you are missing a pleasurable experience. I ordered one copy for myself and one for my father, who was born in the transplanted asturianu community of Spelter, West Virginia, in 1917. It has stirred up more memories of his childhood than I can count (and quite a few phone calls to me about them), and after having it only a week, he has already begun reading it for the second time.

I am especially pleased that the text appears on facing pages in both English and Spanish. From my perspective, the Spanish translation is smooth and accurate, and adds greatly to the pleasure of reading the book. The dust cover has a reproduction of a painting by El Pintor, Art's grandfather who emigrated from Asturias to West Virginia. Suronda's well-written preface provides background that allows the reader to enjoy the text in the historical context of the Asturian immigrant experience.

This is a book that is well worth reading. Some of the events it describes have close parallels in my family's remembered history. Perhaps the stories are similar. Perhaps they describe happenings that so directly touch the very heart of our ancestors' lives that they have found their way into legend, not urban legends but leyendas aldeanas americanas.

Bob Martinez