Judee Koester-Soendker and Chuy Ramirez, Strawberry Fields, a Book of Short Stories, by McAllen, attorney and fiction writer, Chuy Ramirez, illustrated by Raymondville’s own Judee Koester-Soendker, will be to the community at the Reber Memorial Library on Tuesday March 9th, 2010 at 7:15pm. The library is located at 190 North 4th Street in Raymondville. Ramirez plans to read brief excerpts from his book which was published February 5, 2010.

Strawberry Fields tells the tales of three generations of a Mexican family as they make their way from Northern Mexico to South Texas, says Ramirez. The book is written like a novel but readers can read chapters as independent vignettes. The book is also a murder mystery. Most of the focus is on that period in the 1960s when the “baby boomers” begin to come of age. Strawberry Fields is symbolic of both the strawberry fields in Michigan at which farm workers labored to improve their lot, as well as an abstract place that represents the dreams and ambitions of a young Joaquin, the protagonist.

Ramirez grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, attended Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He practices law in McAllen. Strawberry Fields is his first fictional work.

Born in Sabetha Kansas, a self taught artist, Koester- Soendker, has lived in south Texas most of her life. “It’s Still Me” artwork graces the cover of Strawberry Fields. Her art is an expression of her life experiences. Judee states, “it is an unusual piece, that Ramirez was able to pick up the underlying meaning and that it related to exactly what he was trying to say in literary form and I was saying in visual form. That is exciting!” She continues to say, “What are the odds we would meet at the Art show with the same concept in mind?”

For more information on Judee Koester-Soendker and her art contact 956-642-6833.