Dog Lady and The Cuban Swimmer.

THE STORIES: In DOG LADY, the setting is a barrio street in Los Angeles, where a young Hispanic woman is in training for a marathon sponsored by a local church. Egged on by a dogged suitor, she is unable to achieve her best until the local curandera, or faith healer, a loony old woman who lives amid a horde of dogs, endows her with magic powers-which enable her to run swiftly on all fours and easily out distance her fellow competitors. (2 men, 5 women.) THE CUBAN SWIMMER deals with another instance in which Hispanic-Americans use athletic skills to propel themselves into the mainstream of middle-class life. Here the action involves a young woman endurance swimmer who races from San Pedro to Catalina Island while her family follows her in a leaky boat. As they bicker and exhort her, she begins to weary and stray off course-until a spiritual and magical intervention reinvigorates her and she resolves to dive into the Milky Way and wash my hands in the stars. (2 men, 3 women.)Milcha Sanchez-Scott is the author of 'Dog Lady and The Cuban Swimmer.' with ISBN 9780822203209 and ISBN 0822203200.