Gloria Amescua

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Gloria Amescua
Born
Austin, Texas
NationalityMexican American
CitizenshipAmerican
EducationB.A., Masters of Education
Alma materUniversity of Texas at Austin
Occupation(s)Writer, poet, educator
Notable work"Windchimes" and "What Remains"

Gloria Amescua is a Latina and Tejana writer from Austin, Texas. Amescua is most known for her poetry chapbooks, "Windchimes" and "What Remains." She won Lee and Low's Award Honor (2016) for her picture book manuscript in verse originally titled: Luz Jiménez, No Ordinary Girl.[1] Her most recent book is Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, a picture book illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers in 2021.[2][3]

Early life and education[edit]

Amescua was born in Austin, Texas.[citation needed] Her father was born in Michoacán, Mexico.[4] Her mother was Mexican-American. She has dedicated poems to her mother, including "Fall into the Fig," which appeared in Entre Guadalupe y Malinche: Tejanas in Literature and Art.[3]

Amescua received her B.A. and Masters of Education from University of Texas at Austin, and began her career as an English teacher.[citation needed]

Career[edit]

Amescua became a high school assistant principal and the Secondary Language Arts Curriculum Director for a school district in Texas. In 2013, she won the Austin International Poetry Festival Contest, the Austin Poetry Society Award, and the Christina Sergeyevna Award for poetry.[5] She was chosen to receive the 2016 Lee and Low New Voices Award Honor for her poetry manuscript, Luz Jiménez, No Ordinary Girl.[1] She is an inaugural member of CantoMundo, a national Latinx poetry community.[6] Additionally, she is a member of the Austin, Texas chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators,[7] and an alumna of Hedgebrook's Writers-in-Residence program.[citation needed]

Her most recent book, Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, features a Nahua woman who overcomes various cultural obstacles through her experience as a teacher and art muse in Mexico.[8] In 2022, it received three International Latino Book Awards: Alda Flor Ada Best Latino Focused Children’s Picture Book Award – English (Gold); Best Educational Children’s Picture Book – English (Gold); and Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book – English (Bronze).[9] It was also named as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection,[10] a 2021 School Library Journal Best Books for Nonfiction,[11] a 2022 Pura Belpré Children's Author Award Honor Book,[10] a 2022 SCBWI Golden Kite finalist for Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers,[12] and a 2023 Rise: Feminist Book Project Top Ten.[13]

As of 2017 she has been a workshop presenter for youth and adults in Austin, Texas.[5]

Publications[edit]

Amescua's work has appeared in several publications:[5]

  • Acentos Review (2012);
  • Texas Poetry Calendar (2013);
  • di-verse-city (2000-2016);
  • Kweli Journal (2014);
  • Generations Literary Journal (2011);
  • Texas Poetry Calendar (2013-2016);
  • Pilgrimage Magazine (2014);
  • Lifting the Sky Southwestern Haiku & Haiga (2010);
  • Bearing the Mask: Southwestern Persona Poems (2016);
  • The Crafty Poet II: A Portable Workshop (2016);
  • Entre Guadalupe y Malinche: Tejanas in Literature and Art (2016)

Bibliography[edit]

  • Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua (Abrams, 2021)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Lee & Low Announces 2016 New Voices Award Winner | Lee & Low Books". Lee & Low Books. January 23, 2017. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Amescua, Gloria (April 16, 2024). Child of the Flower-Song People Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua. Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-4197-4020-6.
  3. ^ a b Hernández-Ávila, Inés; Cantú, Norma Elia (February 23, 2016). Entre Guadalupe y Malinche: Tejanas in Literature and Art. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9781477308363. Retrieved March 10, 2017 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Ancestral Migration by Gloria Amescua". KWELI / Truth From the Diaspora's Boldest Voices. December 23, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Success Story Spotlight with Gloria Amescua – Writing Barn". thewritingbarn.com. February 17, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  6. ^ "CantoMundo | Gloria Amescua". CantoMundo. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Vane, Sharyn (August 15, 2021). "Austin writer Gloria Amescua on how Luz Jiménez's life inspired her picture book". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Texas: Austin – Gloria Amescua's original manuscript under a different title was chosen for LEE & LOW BOOKS 2016 New Voices Award Honor". scbwi.org. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  9. ^ "The 24th International Latino Book Awards Winners!". Latinxs in Kid Lit. August 25, 2022. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "2022 ALA YMA Award Winners | Junior Library Guild Awards". www.juniorlibraryguild.com. January 24, 2022. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Annico, Alyssa; Bilton, Karen; Bussen, Abby; Fakih, Kimberly; Kingrey-Edwards, Kelly; Lanni, Mary; Mastrull, Amanda; Scott, John; Simmons, Florence (November 20, 2021). "Best Nonfiction 2021 | SLJ Best Books". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  12. ^ SLB Staff (March 18, 2022). "SCBWI Announces 2022 Golden Kite Awards". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  13. ^ risefeministbooksadmin (January 17, 2023). "2023: Rise: A Feminist Book Project Top Ten". Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2024.

Sources[edit]

  • Hernández-Ávila, Inés, and Norma Elia Cantú, eds. Entre Guadalupe Y Malinche: Tejanas in Literature and Art. Austin: U of Texas, 2016. Print.
  • "Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators The International Professional Organization for Writers and Illustrators of Children's Literature." SCBWI Texas-Austin. N.p., 2017. Web. March 9, 2017.
  • "Success Story Spotlight with Gloria Amescua." Writing Barn. N.p., February 17, 2017. Web. March 9, 2017.

External links[edit]

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