Rafael Lopez

Latino Life What I'm Reading

September 15, 2019

Some titles for Hispanic Heritage Month

Repeat after me: "I will read works by Latinx authors throughout the year." It goes without saying that good books are good books - any time of the year. And yet, I know it's Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15. So, here's a quick look at a few hot-of-the-press works that I think you might want to pick up. Dancing Hands by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Rafael López (picture book, August 2019) The Gumazing Gum Girl: Book 4 Cover Blown by Rhode Montijo (chapter book, October 2019) Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers by Celia Pérez (middle grade, September 2019) The Fresh New Face of Griselda by Jennifer Torres (middle grade, August 2019) Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya (middle grade, August 2019) The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Barcarcel (middle grade, August 2019) The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos (young adult, September 2019) For more great title ideas all year long (remember, you promised,) visit my go-to site for the latest in Latinx kid lit: Latinosinkidlit.com

Meg Medina

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Awards and news

January 31, 2014

Yaqui, Pura Belpré and Me

Here is what it looks like when a dream comes true. This blurry "selfie" was taken on a Richmond-bound Amtrak train, two minutes after getting the news that I had won the 2014 Pura Belpré Award. I was on my way home from the ALA Midwinter Conference on Sunday night when my cellphone rang and Ruth Tobar, chair of the selection committee, gave me the good news. I was promptly sworn to secrecy until the next day. Obviously, Gigi guessed what all my Spanish and crying was about; thank goodness she's a steel trap. Thank you so much, everyone, for the tsunami of good wishes. (And thank you, Ms. Espinal, President of REFORMA (the ALA's affiliate group that focuses on library services for Latino youth and families) for saying "ass" with such courage and gusto from the podium!) It's an honor beyond belief to receive this award alongside some of the most talented people working in children's publishing today. (Full list of ALA Youth Media winners here.) Un abrazo fuerte for: Yuyi Morales, Margarita Engle, Matt De la Peña, Duncan Tonatiuh, Angela Dominguez, and Rafael Lopez. Pura Belpré winner for illustration Other pieces of good news continue to come in for YAQUI, but for now I'm off to a Banned Books and Brews event at Longwood University this weekend to help raise funds for the Virginia Children's Book Festival which will bring some pretty big names to Virginia in the fall. A drink doesn't sound like such a bad idea right about now. ¡Salud! (Check out the awards. FYI,…

Meg Medina

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Guests

October 3, 2012

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 better is the fact that I'll be there for the Américas Awards. Established in 1993 by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs, the Américas Award honors outstanding fiction for children that offers realistic portrayals of Latin American culture.This year's winners are Monica Brown and illustrator Julie Paschkis, for their lovely picture book Pablo Neruda, Poet of the People (Henry Holt, 2011); and Margarita Engle for her novel in verse, The Hurricane Dancers (Henry Holt, 2011). I have been an admirer of their work for a long time, and it's exciting to be able to join in honoring them. Monica Brown I got a chance to ask Monica some questions in preparation for the big day – pretty amazing considering what she's up to. She's just back from a trip to Peru, on the cusp of pubbing a new picture book, and (of course) frantically packing. How did you turn to writing and literature? Were you always passionate about books and story? What were the books and stories that inspired you as a child? I’ve always loved books, of all sorts. As a young child I like everything—Dr. Suess, ghost stories, and National Geographic books. As a teenager, I can honestly say books helped me survive adolescence. I entered college a declared English major at 17, and have built…

Meg Medina

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Adult books Random howls into the world What I'm reading

September 24, 2012

Gracias Sandra Cisneros

So, I got home from the Nat'l Book Festival on Saturday. I had dusty toes and a tired back, but my head was swirling with gratitude for the way of the world. True, the lines inside the Barnes & Noble tent were obnoxiously long, but it was a great event in every other way. My friend Katharine and I set out by train - a pleasant two-hour ride – and spent our day strolling the grounds, eating Snicker bars in the sunshine, and generally marveling at the mass of people who came from all over the country to celebrate the best our country has to offer in terms of books and authors. I got to meet illustrator Rafael López and his lovely wife, Candice, who chatted with us about their mural projects, their new Obama poster, and our shared friends, whose talents we both admire. But in the afternoon, I received a gift I never expected from this festival. I'd managed to snag a chair inside the tent where Sandra Cisneros was speaking. I read The House on Mango Street in the 1980s, of course, and I've been a fan ever since, devouring her short stories, picture books and novels as soon as they're published. Her voice always rings fierce and true, and like so many other Latina authors, I can point to her work as an influence on why I like to capture Latino culture in fiction. She is, in my view, a literary madrina to our whole country.…

Meg Medina

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