Amplify Your Library with Women Centric Writings “El feminismo no es nuevo”: Las crónicas de Clotilde Betances Jaeger by Clotilde Betances Jaeger Edited by María Teresa Vera-Rojas “Every woman who gets accustomed to the yoke of marriage remains a slave,” Clotilde Betances Jaeger wrote in an article published in 1929. This revolutionary idea, which scandalized society at the time of its publication, reflects her passionate ideas in this collection of essays and articles that shines a light on the women’s movement in the first half of the twentieth century in New York’s Hispanic community. Clotilde Betances Jaeger was a Puerto Rican feminist, writer and intellectual who, in addition to championing women’s rights, advocated for racial equality, education rights and Puerto Rican independence. She questioned the role of the church, reflected on marriage and highlighted women’s roles in education, the economy and politics. Her writing was a call to arms, encouraging women to fight for their emancipation: “Woman, mother, wife, daughter, alone you have …
Texas Author’s Debut novel Recognized
HOUSTON, TX August 2019— Alex Temblador’s debut novel for teens, Secrets of the Casa Rosada, has been named the Middle Grade / Young Adult Discovery Prize Winner in the 2018 Writers’ League of Texas Book Awards. Established in 1991, the awards recognize the year’s outstanding books published by Texas authors. The recipient of the 2019 Tejas Foco Young Adult Fiction Award and named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2018, Secrets is an engaging novel for young adults that follows a family of women and the secrets they hold. Reviewers have enthusiastically recommended it: “Debut novelist Temblador has created an unforgettable character in Martha, a girl whose gifts are greater than she could have imagined, in part because they belong to a world she never could have imagined. A suspenseful and fascinating glimpse into a Mexican-American world.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Alex Temblador’s magical Secrets of the Casa Rosada …
Women’s History Month–Fiction Titles
A useful guide to woman-centric novels, poetry collections and short stories for librarians, readers and teachers alike! Create a shelf display or find your next read. Secrets of the Casa Rosada Sixteen-year-old Martha and her mother move constantly, never staying anywhere for long. So she knows better than to ask if they’ve been evicted again when her mom says they’re going on a “vacation” to Laredo, Texas, to meet the grandmother Martha didn’t know existed. At her Abuela’s pink house, Martha’s shocked and hurt when her mom abandons her, even though a part of her had been expecting it. Suddenly, Martha must deal with a lifestyle that is completely foreign. And it turns out that her grandmother is revered as a healer, or curandera. Meanwhile, at Martha’s new school, she can’t be anonymous because everyone knows she’s Doña González’s granddaughter, and a girl named Marcella has it out for her. …
Women’s History Month–Nonfiction Titles
We’re celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting these books about inspirational Latina women throughout history! There’s poetry, academic and general interest texts. Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry Diagnosed with scleroderma at 22 and lupus just six years later, Jasminne Méndez’ life becomes a roller coaster of doctor visits, medical tests and procedures. Staring at EKG results that look like hieroglyphics, she realizes that she doesn’t want to understand them: “The language of a life lived with chronic illness is not something I want to adapt to. I cannot let this hostile vocabulary hijack my story.” In this stirring collection of personal essays and poetry, Méndez shares her story, writing about encounters with the medical establishment, experiences as an Afro Latina and longing for the life she expected but that eludes her. Seasons of Rebels and Roses Ranging from Puerto Rico to Cuba and the United States, Virginia Sánchez-Korrol’s engaging novel …
It’s No Secret That We’ve Got a Winner!
Author’s debut for teens wins Texas award HOUSTON, TX February, 2019—Alex Temblador’s intriguing novel for teens, Secrets of the Casa Rosada, has won the 2019 Tejas Foco Young Adult Fiction Award given by the National Association for Chicana/o Studies. The Tejas Foco Young Adult Fiction Award recognizes outstanding work that best represents a significant topic related to Mexican American experience in Texas. The prize is given by the Texas chapter of the National Association for Chicana/o Studies (NACCS), an organization that serves academic programs, departments and research centers focusing on issues pertinent to Mexican Americans, Chicana/os and Latina/os. Formed in 1972 during the height of the Chicana/o movement, NACCS called for the development of a space where Chicana/o students could develop their talents in higher education. Named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2018, Secrets is an engaging novel for young adults that follows a family of women and the …
First-Time Novelist Starts 2019 with a BANG!
HOUSTON, TX February 2019—Daniel Peña’s debut novel, Bang, was awarded the 2019 Tejas Foco Fiction Award and was named a finalist for In the Margins’ 2019 Advocacy/Social Justice Award. The Tejas Foco Fiction Award recognizes outstanding work that best represents a significant topic related to the Mexican-American experience in Texas. The prize is given by the Texas chapter of the National Association for Chicana/o Studies (NACCS), an organization that serves academic programs, departments and research centers focusing on issues pertinent to Mexican Americans, Chicana/os and Latina/os. In the Margins (ITM) is a committee under the umbrella of Library Services for Youth in Custody, an organization serving the needs of and advocating for those who provide library services for youth in custody which includes local and federal facilities, ICE detention centers and mental health or rehab centers. The ITM committee seeks to highlight the best fiction and non-fiction titles of high-interest …
Arte Público Press Receives Prestigious National Literary Award
Houston, TX January 2019— The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) has announced that Arte Público Press, the nation’s largest publisher of U.S.-based Hispanic authors, has received the prestigious Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award. Named after the first president of the NBCC, the award is given annually to a person or institution with an extensive history of significant contributions to book culture. “The award comes as a total surprise because it typically goes to authors,” said Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, founder and director of Arte Público Press. “This recognition will help us amplify voices in Latino literature throughout the United States.” The National Book Critics Circle Awards, considered among the most respected literary awards in America, are bestowed by a jury of working critics and book-review editors. Past recipients include Margaret Atwood and Pulitzer Prize-winner Toni Morrison. “The University of Houston has given Arte Público Press an intellectual space in which to …
Author on the Airwaves: Xavier Garza
Arte Público Press Author Xavier Garza featured on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Garza for its website’s “Arte Público Press Authors” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: XAVIER GARZA is the author of numerous books for kids, including Zulema and the Witch Owl / Zulema y la Bruja Lechuza (Piñata Books, 2009), Juan and the Chupacabras / Juan y el Chupacabras (Piñata Books, 2006) and Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask (Cinco Puntos Press, 2005). He lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. About his new book for children, Just One Itsy Bitsy Little Bite / Sólo una mordidita chiquitita “I love pan de muerto,” Joaquín says as he and his mother …
Author on the Airwaves: Jasminne Méndez
Arte Público Press Author Jasminne Méndez featured on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Méndez for its website’s “Arte Público Press Authors” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: JASMINNE MÉNDEZ is a poet, educator, performer, and award-winning author. She is a Macondo and Canto Mundo Fellow, as well as a Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) alumna. Her collection of essays and poetry, Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry, was published by Arte Público Press on April 30, 2018. Her first multi-genre memoir, Island of Dreams, was awarded Best Young Adult Latino-focused Book by the International Latino Book Awards in 2015. She received her B.A. in English Literature and her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the …
