Apr BoM Outside Links: Book Author Publisher
Apr ACW1 Outside Links: Book Author Publisher
Apr ACW1 Outside Links: Book Author Publisher
April 2016 Book of the Month
About the Book:
Rant. Chant. Chisme.
By Amalia Ortiz
Published by Wings Press
ISBN-13: 978-1609404444
Rant. Chant. Chisme. is the debut collection of poetry by south Texas native Amalia Ortiz, featuring writing from the first decade of her career. This is Tex-Mex life on the border from the perspective of a young Chicana struggling to write herself into existence, giving readers a unique transcultural feminist viewpoint.
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About the Author:
Amalia Ortiz
Originally from the small town of La Feria, Texas, Amalia Ortiz studied Creative Writing at the University of Texas-Pan American and now lives in Harlingen, Texas. During a Hedgebrook fellowship, she wrote her poetry musical, Carmen de la Calle. In 2014, she completed an IC3 residency at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. She is also a recipient of the the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Fellowship.
Ortiz is widely known as a Tejana actor/writer/activist. She was featured on three seasons of “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” on HBO, and on the NAACP Image Awards program on FOX. She is the creator of “Otra Esa on the Public Transit,” a powerful one-woman stage show about destination and destiny, which she performed at San Antonio’s Guadalupe Theater and Talento Bilingüe de Houston. She also stars in the award-winning independent film Speeder Kills, which was broadcast on SiTV and PBS. As a member of Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word, she co-wrote and performed the poetry/theater piece, “Fear of a Brown Planet,” in San Francisco, Miami, Denver, and Houston. Latina Magazine honored Amalia for her role in founding, co-writing, directing, and performing in “Women of ILL Repute: Refute!” It was presented at the Texas Book Festival, Young Tongues Festival, San Antonio Inter-American Book Fair, Latina Letters Conference, Austin Poetry Festival, Austin Book Festival, and many universities.
Amalia Ortiz was the first Latina poet ever to reach the final round at the National Poetry Slam, where her team took the second place prize. She is a San Antonio Puro Slam three-time slam champion; an Open Slam Champion and Tag Team Champion (w/ Gary Mex Glazner) at the Taos Poetry Circus; and winner of the inaugural Ultimate Poetry Boxing Championship.
Ortiz’s poetry is included on the spoken word compilations PoetCD.com, Sampler Vol. I, NYC Urbana: the Very Best of 2003, and The Chicano Messengers of Spoken Word. She participated in the Slam America National Bus Tour and is featured on the tour documentary “A Busload of Poets.”
April 2016 Additional Conversation With
About the Book:
Dragons Beware!
By Jorge Aguirre
Published by First Second Books
ISBN-13: 978-1596438781
Scrappy Claudette sets out once again with her pal Marie and her little brother Gaston to right wrongs and fight evil. And this time, it’s personal. Claudette is out to get the dragon who ate her father’s legs…and his legendary sword. But as usual, nothing is as simple as it seems, and Claudette is going to need Marie and Gaston’s help more than ever.
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About the Author:
Jorge Aguirre
Jorge Aguirre is a Colombian-American from Columbus, Ohio. He’s written for everything from the most popular children’s shows to documentaries about Romanian exorcisms. He is the author of Giants Beware! He lives on the East Coast.
April 2016 Additional Conversation With
About the Book:
Mango, Abuela Y Yo
By Meg Medina
Published by Candlewick Press
ISBN-13: 978-0763680992
Mia’s Abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Abuela before they go to sleep and discovers that Abuela can’t read the words inside. So while they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English (“Dough. Masa”), and Mia learns some Spanish too, but it’s still hard for Abuela to learn the words she needs to tell Mia all her stories.
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About the Author:
Meg Medina
Meg Medina is the Pura Belpre Award–winning author of several books for young readers, including the highly acclaimed Young Adult novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass and the picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car, for which she received an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award.