Arte Público Press Author Alicia Gaspar de Alba featured on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Gaspar de Alba 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: ALICIA GASPAR DE ALBA is the author of several books: Calligraphy of the Witch (Arte Público Press, 2012); Desert Blood: The Juárez Murders (Arte Público Press, 2005), winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery; La Llorona on the Longfellow Bridge: Poetry y Otras Movidas (Arte Público Press, 2003); the acclaimed novel Sor Juana’s Second Dream (University of New Mexico Press, 1999); Chicana Art Inside/Outside the Master’s House: Cultural Politics and the CARA Exhibition (University of Texas Press, 1998); The …
And the International Latino Book Award Goes To…
HOUSTON, TX June 2018—José B. González’ moving collection of narrative poems, When Love Was Reels, was named a finalist in Best Poetry Book category of the 20th annual International Latino Book Awards sponsored by Latino Literacy Now, a non-profitorganization that supports and promotes literacy and literary excellence within the Latino community. LLN created the International Latino Book Awards in 1999 to recognize the many positive contributions being made to Latino literature by publishers and writers worldwide. The awards, which honor literary excellence in a variety of categories, will be given on Saturday, September 8, 2018. Using iconic Latin American and Latino films as a guiding motif, these poems hauntingly illuminate Salvadoran immigration to the United States. González writes about a young boy’s experiences—first in El Salvador under the care of his grandmother and later living with his uncle in New York City. In each poem, famous movie and TV scenes …
Bilingual Picture Book Honored!
HOUSTON, TX June 2018—Juan Guerra’s bilingual picture book, The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, illustrated by Victoria Castillo, has been named a 2018 Américas Award Commended Title. The Américas Award is given in recognition of US works of fiction, poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction (from picture books to works for young adults) published in the previous year in English or Spanish that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean or Latinos in the United States. It is sponsored by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP). The winning books will be honored at a ceremony on September 28, 2018 during Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The awards committee chose this engaging bilingual picture book because “[it] makes us aware of the diversity amongst Latinas/os while highlighting their shared cultural values of familism, empathy, education and hard work.” In Guerra’s debut title, a …
Calling All Latino Authors…Children’s Book Award Celebrates Latino Talent
Houston, TX— Generations of Hispanic children in US schools had to do without books reflecting their culture and heritage. In 2019, according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only 225 of the 4,029 children’s books published were written by Latinos; only 235 were about Latinos. In an effort to fill that gap, Arte Público Press is accepting children’s book manuscripts to be considered for the Salinas de Alba Award for Latino Children’s Literature. The award seeks to address the need for more culturally relevant, bilingual reading materials for Hispanic children by encouraging more authors to create for this growing audience. The award will be given annually to one manuscript for a children’s picture book. Manuscripts can be submitted all year long. Winners will receive a cash award of $5,000 and publication of their book. Each year’s winner will be announced shortly before the publication of the book. Children’s book entries …
Two Exceptional Piñata Books Are on a Roll!
HOUSTON, TX June, 2018—Evangelina Takes Flight by Diana J. Noble and Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water by Jorge Argueta with illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara are recipients of the Skipping Stones Honor Award from Skipping Stones: An International Multicultural Magazine. Founded in 1988, Skipping Stones is a timely and timeless award-winning resource in multicultural and global education. It welcomes art and original writings in every language and from all ages. A total of 33 titles were selected to receive this year’s awards. Named a Junior Library Guild Selection, Diana J. Noble’s moving young adult debut, Evangelina Takes Flight, introduces teens to the tumultuous times of the Mexican Revolution and the experiences of immigrants, especially Mexican Americans, as they adjust to a new way of life. It is also the recipient of the following awards: 2018 Tejas Foco YA Fiction Award from the National Association for Chicana/o Studies 2017 June Franklin Naylor Award for …
Author on the Airwaves: John Rechy
Arte Público Press Author John Rechy featured on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Rechy 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: JOHN RECHY is the author of seventeen books, including The New York Times best-sellers City of Night and Numbers, the Los Angeles Times best-sellers The Coming of the Night, The Life and Adventures of Lyle Clemens and The Sexual Outlaw (all from Grove Press). He is the recipient of PEN Center USA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Los Angeles Times Robert Kirsch Award, the William Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Luis Leal Award for Excellence in Chicano/Latino Literature. He is the first recipient of the …
Author’s Debut for Children Named Paterson Prize Honor Book!
HOUSTON, TX May 2018—Larissa Mercado-López’s bilingual picture book, Esteban de Luna, Baby Rescuer! / Esteban de Luna, ¡rescatador de bebés!, has been recognized as an Honor Book in the 2018 Paterson Prize for Book for Young People. Books published for children and young adults in 2017 were eligible for the Paterson Prize, awarded by the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey. For thirty-seven years, the center has garnered international recognition for many of its activities including the Distinguished Poets Series, the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, the Paterson Poetry Prize, the Paterson Fiction Prize and the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. In Larissa Mercado-López’ debut, a kind and compassionate boy learns he can be a superhero even without supernatural powers. Esteban wears his green cape every day. The only problem is that it doesn’t do anything: it doesn’t help him fly or make him …
Debut Author’s Novel Soars!
HOUSTON, TX May 2018—Diana J. Noble’s historical novel for teens, Evangelina Takes Flight, was selected for inclusion in the Texas Library Association’s 2018-2019 Spirit of Texas Reading List. The Spirit of Texas Reading Program-Middle School is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the TLA’s Young Adult Round Table (YART). The purpose of the list is to encourage kids in grades 6-8 to explore a variety of current, quality books from Texas authors and illustrators, develop critical reading skills and to encourage greater interaction between Texas authors and illustrators, Texas librarians and Texas youth. Named a Junior Library Guild Selection, Diana J. Noble’s moving young adult debut introduces teens to the tumultuous times of the Mexican Revolution and the experiences of immigrants, especially Mexican Americans, as they adjust to a new way of life. In the summer of 1911, thirteen-year-old Evangelina and her family are forced to …
Book Featuring Young Puerto Rican Detective Shines!
HOUSTON, TX May 2018—Alidis Vicente’s bilingual “flip” book for intermediate readers, The Case of the Three Kings / El caso de los Reyes Magos, was selected for inclusion in the 2018-2019 Tejas Star Reading List. The Tejas Star Reading List (TSRL) is developed to encourage children ages 5-12 to explore multicultural books and to discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism. Sponsored by the Texas Library Association, the TSRL is intended for recreational reading and not to support a specific curriculum. In the second installment of Alidis Vicente’s bilingual series, The Flaca Files / Los expedientes de Flaca, a spunky young Latina investigates the suspicious logistics of Three Kings Day while on vacation with her family. Flaca, or Detective Flaca as she prefers to be called, is not at all pleased with the airline tickets to Puerto Rico she and her sister are given for Christmas. She …
Author on the Airwaves: Gwendolyn Zepeda
Arte Público Press Author Gwendolyn Zepeda featured on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Zepeda 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: GWENDOLYN ZEPEDA is the author of five bilingual picture books for children: Maya and Annie on Saturdays and Sundays / Los sábados y domingos de Maya y Annie (Piñata Books, 2018); Level Up / Paso de nivel (Piñata Books, 2012); I Kick the Ball / Pateo el balón (Piñata Books, 2011); Growing Up with Tamales / Los tamales de Ana (Piñata Books, 2008), a 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title; and Sunflowers / Girasoles (Piñata Books, 2009), winner of the Texas Institute of Letters’ Austin Public Library …
