The award ceremony for the Pura Belpré Award, also known as the ”Belpré Celebración” is a tradition on Sunday afternoons during Annual Conference, and one not to miss. This year’s event at the Renaissance Hotel resumed the celebration of ”excellence in books that portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.” Now that the Award includes three categories (Illustration, Author, and Young Adult) it is co-sponsored by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, ALSC, and YALSA. With the presence of one of the Award co-founders, Oralia Garza de Cortés, in the audience, REFORMA’s former President Ana-Elba Pavón presented her with a plaque in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Award in 2021. Medal winners Raúl the Third, for ¡Vamos!: Let’s Cross the Bridge, Donna Barba Higuera for The Last Cuentista, and Raquel Vasquez Gilliland for How Moon Fuentez Fell in…
Author: Alicia K. Long
Tarde de Cuentos at the Library of Congress
No better way to begin the #ALAAC22 than with storytelling! On Friday June 24th at 3:30pm, if you made your way to the Library of Congress you would have found an afternoon of stories: a “tarde de cuentos.” Sponsored by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, the program was co-hosted by the Library of Congress and took place in its beautiful Hispanic Reading Room.