Houston, TX January 2014— Prolific Mexican-American author Rolando Hinojosa has been selected by the National Book Critics Circle as the recipient of 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—a writer, publisher, critic, or editor, among others—who has, over time, made significant contributions to book culture. The National Book Critics Circle Awards, considered among the most respected in American letters, are the sole prizes bestowed by a jury of working critics and book-review editors. The awards will be presented on Thursday, March 13, at 6 pm at the New School’s Tishman Auditorium (66 W 12th Street, New York, NY 10011), and a finalists’ reading will be held on March 12, also at 6 pm at the same location. Both events are free and open to the public. Rolando Hinojosa is the author of the …
And the International Latino Book Award Goes To…
HOUSTON, TX March 2014—Three titles published by Arte Público Press were nominated as finalists in the 16th annual International Latino Book Awards sponsored by Latino Literacy Now, a non-profit organization that supports and promotes literacy and literary excellence within the Latino community. Our Lost Border: Essays on Life Amid the Narco-Violence, edited by Sarah Cortez and Sergio Troncoso, is a collection containing personal essays in English and Spanish that deal with the impact of drug violence on people living along the Texas-Mexico border. It is a finalist for the Best Spanish or Bilingual Latino Focused Nonfiction Book. Desperado: A Mile-High Noir, by author and attorney Manuel Ramos, is a finalist in the Best Mystery Novel category. Ramos returns to novel-length crime fiction with a down-on-his-luck protagonist, Gus Corral, who is caught up in an investigation of the murder of an old high school friend, Artie. An investigation into Artie’s involvement in …
Hotel Juárez Wins the Tejas Foco Fiction Award!
Come and stay a while at the Five-Star Hotel Juárez! HOUSTON, TX February, 2014—Hotel Juárez: Stories, Rooms and Loops by Daniel Chacón has won first place in the Tejas Foco 2014 Fiction Awards by the National Association for Chicana/o Studies. The Tejas Foco Fiction Awards recognize outstanding work of fiction or young adult fiction that best represents a significant topic related to Mexican American experience in Texas. The National Association for Chicana/o Studies (NACCS) is the academic organization that serves academic programs, departments and research centers that focus on issues pertaining to Mexican Americans, Chicana/os, and Latina/os. The Association was formed in 1972, during the height of the Chicana/o movement, and called for the development of a space where scholarship and Chicana/o students could develop their talents in higher education. In this collection of short and flash fiction, misconceptions about people, the responsibility of the artist and conflicts about identity …
Our Lost Border Wins a Southwest Book Award!
HOUSTON, TX January, 2014—Our Lost Border: Essays on Life Amid the Narco-Violence, edited by Sarah Cortez and Sergio Troncoso, is one of only twelve titles that has been selected to receive a 2013 Southwest Book Award by the Border Regional Library Association. This collection contains personal essays in English and Spanish that deal with the impact of drug violence on people living along the Texas-Mexico border. The Border Regional Library Association (BRLA) is an organization founded in 1966 for the promotion of library service and librarianship in the El Paso/Las Cruces/Juárez metroplex. Current membership includes over 100 librarians, paraprofessionals, media specialists and library friends and trustees from all types of libraries in the tri-state area of Trans-Pecos Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Chihuahua. Editors Sarah Cortez and Sergio Troncoso write that this anthology was “born of a vision to bear witness to how violence has shattered life on the …
The Patchwork Garden Included in RIF’s Multicultural Collection!
HOUSTON, TX January, 2014—The Patchwork Garden / Pedacitos de huerto by Diane de Anda with illustrations by Oksana Kemarskaya has been chosen for inclusion in Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF) 2013-14 Multicultural Collection of Children’s Literature. Containing only 40 titles, RIF’s Multicultural Collection is sponsored by Macy’s and consists of books focused on science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM). Reading Is Fundamental prepares and motivates children to read by delivering free books and literacy resources to those children and families who need them most. During this year, RIF will distribute collections to schools and other organizations across the country, with a focus on reaching at-risk and underserved children. In author Diane de Anda’s colorful picture book, a young girl inspires her neighbors to create community gardens full of delicious vegetables. According to Kirkus Reviews, “its positive message of collaboration and cooperation is enhanced by gouache paintings that cheerily depict a …
The Stars are Big, Bright and Bilingual in Tejas!
Three Piñata Books for Kids Chosen for Tejas Star Reading List HOUSTON, TX January 2014—Three books published as part of Arte Público’s imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books, were chosen for the 2014-15 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. The program began as the Tejas Star Book Award, created by the Region One ESC Library Advisory Committee. The Texas Library Association assumed responsibility for the list in 2012. Texas school children will read the books on the list and vote for their favorite one. The three Piñata Books selected for consideration are: Canta, rana, canta / Sing, Froggie, Sing with illustrations …
Author on the Airwaves: Spelile Rivas
Rivas chosen as March 2014’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Rivas for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” 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: SPELILE RIVAS lives in Arlington, Texas, with her family. A former middle-school English teacher, she is the author of No Time for Monsters / No hay tiempo para monstruos (Pinata Books, 2010), winner of the 2010 Tejas Star Book Award. About her latest book, The Cucuy Stole My Cascarones / El Coco me robó los cascarones Mighty Monster Mysteries! Roberto and his mother made thirty dozen confetti-filled eggs, or cascarones, for his birthday party. Roberto can’t wait to crack the hollowed, painted and confetti-stuffed eggs …
Author on the Airwaves: Alidis Vicente
Vicente chosen as February 2014’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Vicente for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” 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: ALIDIS VICENTE is the author of a picture book, The Coquí and the Iguana (Operation Outreach-USA Press, 2011). She received her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and worked for New Jersey’s Division of Youth and Family Services. She lives with her family in New Jersey. About her latest book, The Missing Chancleta and Other Top-Secret Cases / La chancleta perdida y otros casos secretos Flaca’s chancleta, or flip flop, has gone missing! She prepares to investigate the theft: “Pencil and notepad: in hand. Straw hat …
Author on the Airwaves: Gloria Velasquez
Velasquez chosen as January 2014’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Velasquez for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” 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: GLORIA L. VELASQUEZ is the author of the Roosevelt High School Series, which now comprises nine novels, and two poetry collections, I Used to Be a Superwoman (Arte Público Press, 1997) and Xicana on the Run (Chusma House Publications, 2005). She lives in San Luis Obispo, where she is a professor in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department at California Polytechnic State University. About her latest book, Tommy Stands Tall Tommy is excited to finally be a senior at Roosevelt High School. There was a …
Author of the Month: Dr. Gloria Velasquez
KUHF host Eric Ladau recently interviewed Dr. Gloria Velasquez for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature. Along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners through on-demand audio streaming here. “Velasquez has written an engaging story that will help teens, gay and straight, to better understand the consequences of homophobia.” -Booklist, starred review GLORIA VELASQUEZ is the author of the Roosevelt High School Series, which now comprises nine novels, and two poetry collections, I Used to Be a Superwoman (Arte Público Press, 1997) and Xicana on the Run (Chusma House Publications, 2005). She lives in San Luis Obispo, where she is a professor in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department at California Polytechnic State University.