Conference personalities: Authors & Keynote Speakers
Latina Author & Professor
Dr. Monica Brown is an Associate Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, specializing in U.S. Latino Literature and Multicultural Literature. She is the author of many award-winning bilingual books for children, including My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz (Luna Rising), My Name Is Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Mistral/Me llamo Gabriela: La vida de Gabriela Mistral (Luna Rising), and My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo Gabito: La vida de Gabriel García Márquez (Luna Rizing). Her other books include Pelé, King of Soccer (HarperCollins/Rayo), Butterflies on Carmen Street (Arté Publico Press), and Chavela and the Magic Bubble (Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt). Her picture book Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and César Chavez will be published in Fall 2010. Monica's books are inspired by her Peruvian-American heritage and passion to share Latino/a stories with children.
First-Time Latina Author
Jennifer Cervantes was born and raised in San Diego, CA by a Hispanic mother of Spanish and Mexican heritage and a father of German, English, French, and Irish ancestry. She is a first-time children’s author of the Latino intermediate-level novel Tortilla Sun (Chronicle Books) which will be published in Summer 2010. A faculty member in the English department at New Mexico State University, Jennifer teaches children's and young adult literature.
Latino Children's Literature & Literacy Consultant & Advocate
Oralia Garza de Cortés is a leading voice for bilingual and multicultural children’s literature and an ardent advocate of equity in library services for Latino children and families. A Past President of REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, an ALA affiliate, Garza de Cortés co-founded the Pura Belpré Award, an award that honors Latino authors and illustrators for works that best portray and affirm the Latino experience in literary works for children. She co-founded the Children and Young Adult Services Committee (CYASC) of REFORMA, and lead REFORMA and the library community in implementing El día de los Niños/El día de los libros, a now annual national literacy event that celebrates children, books, languages, and cultures throughout the United States. She is also a co-founder for Noche de Cuentos, a Family Literacy Initiative of REFORMA. A native of Brownsville, Texas, Garza de Cortés was the first Latina elected by the membership in 1995 to serve on the Board of Directors of ALSC, the Children’s Division of the American Library Association, she was the first Latina children's librarian elected to serve on the Caldecott award committee. She has served on numerous children’s book award committees including the Pura Belpré Award, the Américas Children’s Literature Award, the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award sponsored by the U. S. section of IBBY(The International Board of Books for Young People), and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for Social Justice ( 2006-present).
First-Time Latina Author
Christina Diaz Gonzalez is the author of The Red Umbrella (Knopf) which will be published in Summer 2010. This, her debut novel, is a fictional story of a fourteen-year-old Cuban girl who comes to the U.S. through Operation Pedro Pan. Christina was born and raised in a small Southern town in the Florida panhandle, but she’s always maintained a strong connection to her Cuban heritage. She is an attorney in Florida, although her primary focus is now on writing children’s books.
Latino Artist, Muralist, & Illustrator
Rafael López is an artist and muralist whose artwork is a fusion of strong graphic style and magical symbolism. Growing up in Mexico City, he was immersed in the rich cultural heritage and native color of street life. Influenced by Mexican surrealism, dichos, and myths, Rafael developed a distinctive style rooted in these traditions. He has created artwork for many well-known clients including Oprah Winfrey and President Obama, and worked with the United States Postal Service to create a 2007 commemorative stamp celebrating Mendez vs. Westminster, an important legal case in education equality. Rafael’s blazing illustrations, which have won numerous children’s book awards, are included in his book with Monica Brown, My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz (Luna Rising) and in his books with Latina author Pat Mora, Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day/Book Fiesta!: Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros (HarperCollins/Rayo) and Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico!: Americas’ Sproutings (Lee & Low). The artist is the recipient of the 2010 Pura Belpré Award for Illustration for his illustrations in Book Fiesta.
First-Time Latina Author
Guadalupe Garcia McCall is the author of Under the Mesquite (Lee & Low Books, Summer/Fall 2010), a novel-in-verse featuring Lupita, a young girl from a tight knit Mexican immigrant family, who comes of age during her mother's battle with cancer. Guadalupe was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. Her family immigrated into the United States when she was six-years-old so that she and her siblings could attend school. She is an English/ Language Arts teacher in San Antonio, Texas.
Latina Author, Professional Storyteller, & Professor
Dr. Carmen Tafolla is an internationally acclaimed author and educational consultant who was raised in the West-Side barrios of San Antonio, Texas. A poet and sought-after speaker, storyteller, and performer, she has published five books of poetry, eight children’s picture books, seven television screenplays, one non-fiction volume, and a collection of short stories. Her recent books for children include What Can You Do with a Rebozo (Tricycle Press), which received a Pura Belpré Honor award and was named an Américas Award Commended title, and What Can You Do with a Paleta?(Tricycle Press), which received the 2010 Charlotte Zolotow Award. Her latest book Fiesta Babies was published this spring by Tricycle Press. Carmen has held numerous faculty and administrative positions at universities throughout the Southwest, including Associate Professor of Women’s Studies at California State University Fresno and Special Assistant to the President for Cultural Diversity Programming at Northern Arizona University. She is currently a Visiting Faculty in Mexican American Studies at University of Texas San Antonio.