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Hate Crimes, YA Lit & Latinos: An interview with Caroline Bock, author of LIE
LIE Caroline Bock St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011 978-0-312-66832-7 I can’t say it’s a pleasure to read a book about hate crimes by teens. But since hate crimes against Latinos have seen the highest spike...
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Meet Cristina Dominguez Ramirez: RPL’s newest non-shushing Latino librarian
“I don’t do much shushing. In fact, patrons ask me to turn down the volume; I have a strong voice.” So says Cristina Dominguez Ramirez, an exciting new face at Richmond Public Libraries. She’ll be...
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John Parra and the Art of Libros
If you ask me, it’s a great time to be interested in Latino children’s books, mostly because there’s a strong talent pool – one that includes John Parra. John is a tall, quiet guy whose beautiful,...
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Fighting for the Story
This is a new shirt I bought at La Casa Azul last week, a sweet Latino-themed bookstore on 103rd Street in Harlem. How could I resist? It reminded me of the hours I spent as a kid watching Lucha Libre...
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Hispanidad Meets First Fridays: Helene Ruiz at Art6
from ¡Azucar! This month you’ll find celebrations of Hispanic heritage in all sorts of corners of the city – and that’s thanks in part to the efforts of Helene Ruiz. The Bronx native lives in...
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Here Come the Américas Awards! Q & A with author Monica Brown
This Friday, I’ll be trekking back to DC for another happy occasion. For starters, I will be visiting the Library of Congress for the first time, one of country’s most beautiful buildings. But even...
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Q & A with Christina Díaz Gonzalez
Christina Diaz Gonzalez It’s a pleasure to introduce you to Christina Diaz Gonzalez as we head into the final week of Hispanic Heritage Month. You may remember her from her debut novel, The Red...
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James River Writers Conference Spotlight: Elizabeth Huergo
About this time of year, I start to perk up with bookish anticipation. The autumn brings us the Virginia Literary Festival (Oct 16 – 20, 2013), anchored in part by the James River Writers Conference....
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EE Charlton Trujillo and the FAT ANGIE tour
It’s National Anti-bullying month, so I have a treat for you. E.E. Charlton Trujillo, author of FAT ANGIE is stopping in Richmond this coming week as she continues her cross country book tour. Here...
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Strap on some literary walking shoes for a new class at University of Richmond
Meet Angela Leeper, the Director of Curriculum Material Center at the University of Richmond, a native Virginian who relocated to Richmond four years ago. Turns out, that’s great news for our city’s...
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Football, Racism & Latino History for Teens: A talk with Sandra Neil Wallace
The holidays are a time to invite friends to your house, and that’s true for this blog, too. I’m honored to have Sandra Neil Wallace with me this week. Sandra is a former ESPN sportscaster and author...
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My writing process is a mess and other confessions
Blog tour is the phrase of the day. I’m also on Latinaish today (April 21) talking about diversity and how all kids connect with stories. But my own little blog is also a stop on the My Writing Process...
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Five Questions for Kwame Alexander
Kwame Alexander’s latest middle grade novel, The Crossover, stole my heart this summer. It’s a novel-in-verse about two brothers – both basketball phenoms – and what threatens to pull them apart. At...
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An audio documentary on migrant deaths on our border
Catherine Komp, radio producer at Virginia Currents on NPR (locally WCVE 88.9 FM,) recently sent me the audio documentary below. Created by her colleagues for a show called Making Contact, it examines...
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Check out SCBWI from the art director’s view
Guiseppe Castellano A while back, I had the pleasure of being on the SCBWI faculty in Atlanta where I met Guiseppe Castellano, Art Director for Penguin Random House. I’ve been making a habit of hanging...
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Meet the Enchanting Margarita Engle
For more than two decades, Margarita Engle has produced award-winning work for children of all ages. Among her many distinctions, she is a multiple recipient of the Pura Belpré medal, the Américas...
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¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Pura Belpré!
Pura Belpré storytelling at La Casita Maria community center in East Harlem This week marks the birthday (as far as historians can tell) of Pura Belpré, New York City’s first Latina librarian after...
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Traitor Angels: How motherhood helped Anne Blankman tackle Milton and Galileo...
I have a new neighbor – and it’s none other than the fabulous YA author, Anne Blankman! Anne, a former youth services librarian, is the author of three historical novels for teens, including her...
View ArticleThe First Rule of Punk: A Guest Blog Post by Celia Pérez
Feliz Año Nuevo, everyone! The holidays, a chest cold, and assorted family emergencies kept me off this blog for a few weeks. Sorry about that! But I’m back with the best launch into 2018. As we head...
View ArticleThe Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary: An Interview with NoNi Ramos
As readers of this blog know, I like to introduce new Latinx writers, especially those whom I’m lucky to meet in person on the road. Today, I’m talking with debut novelist Noni Ramos about The...
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