Lectures on Tap - "The Cultural Importance of the Taco"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "The Cultural Importance of the Taco"

🎙 Speaker: Dr. Steven Alvarez

Join us for a deliciously insightful evening as taco literacy scholar Dr. Steven Alvarez explores the regional histories and cultural significance of six essential tacos: taco de canasta, taco árabe, taco al pastor, taco gobernador, taco de birria, and taco placero.

Drawing from his research on Mexican migration in New York City, Dr. Alvarez will highlight how these tacos tell stories of culture, community, and resilience. He will also share where you can find each of these tacos across different neighborhoods in New York City, connecting culinary traditions to local foodways and immigrant experiences.

Dr. Alvarez is a Professor of English at St. John’s University in Queens, the author of Brokering Tareas: Mexican Immigrant Families Translanguaging Homework Literacies and Community Literacies en Confianza, as well as four novels in verse. His current “taco literacy” project examines how Mexican communities across the five boroughs enact confianza, bilingual learning, and community-building through food.

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.