UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A songwriting workshop featuring Denise Carlos from the Latin alternative band Las Cafeteras will take place at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 10, in the Dewey Room, located in Pattee Library’s Collaboration Commons on Penn State's University Park campus.

The workshop, part of the 2023-24 University Libraries’ Political Song Series, is free and open to the public, but space is limited and advance registration is required. A light lunch will be provided for participants.

Carlos will present "A People’s History of Music in the United States," an interactive timeline of video and audio clips that highlight artists who risked their careers —and lives — by using music as a tool to fight oppression and offer hope for liberation. This performance lecture will begin with music by Las Cafeteras and culminates with a writing exercise.

This event is presented by Penn State University Libraries and the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, in partnership with the Penn State Hispanic Heritage Month Committee and Penn State’s Educational Equity Equal Opportunity Planning Committee. Lunch will be provided by support from the George and Shirley Middlemas Program Endowment for the Arts and Humanities Library.

Las Cafeteras is known for its protest songs and use of traditional instruments to connect cultures and generations. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, the musicians of Las Cafeteras fashion a patchwork quilt of “urgent, relevant music” with infectious live performances, proclaims their website.

For more information or questions about the songwriting workshop, including inquiries about accessibility or accommodations for the event, contact Rebekah Hill, music and performing arts librarian, at rqh5509@psu.edu or Andrew Dudash, librarian for political science, at amd846@psu.edu. Visit the Center for the Performing Arts website for program information and tickets to Las Cafeteras at Penn State.

The University Libraries Political Song Series celebrates the history and legacy of political and protest songs through exploration of the music and artists who contributed to political dialogue, shaped cultural landscapes, and inspired movements of social and political change worldwide. Learn more about the 2023-24 Political Song Series, or Song-a-Palooza on Facebook.