September 17, 2008 Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature to be Presented at the Library of Congress Oct. 4

Press Contact: Erin Allen (202) 707-7302
Public Contact: Cynthia Acosta (202) 707-2013

Authors Pat Mora and Laura Resau and illustrator Rafael Lopez will receive the 2007 Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature at the 15th annual award presentation hosted by the Library of Congress on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C.

The award is sponsored by the Consortium of the Latin American Studies Program (CLASP) at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. The Library of Congress’s Hispanic Division and the Center for the Book will host the event, which is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and can be made through the Hispanic Division at (202) 707-2013.

Mora and Lopez will be honored for their book “Yum! Mmmm! !Que Rico! America’s Sproutings” (Lee & Low, 2007). Resau will be recognized for her book “Red Glass” (Delacorte Press, 2007). At the event all will discuss and sign their books.

Mora is a Mexican-American poet and author of children’s books. She has written 47 books, including “My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems” (2000). Her many awards include the Southwest Book Award and the Aztlan Literature Award.

Lopez’s work for “My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz,” by Monica Brown, was recognized as a Pura Belpre Honor Book. His work, imbued with magical symbolism, depicts the rich cultural heritage of Mexico an is inspired by the work of Mexican muralists.

Resau writes children’s and young adult fiction. Her book “Red Glass” received the International Reading Association’s Young Fiction Award.

The Americas Award recognizes outstanding U.S. works of fiction, poetry, folklore or selected non-fiction published in the previous year. The work must “authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean or Latinos in the United States.” More information about the American Award and CLASP can be found at www.uwm.edu/Dept/CLACS/.

The Library of Congress, the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, is the world's preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s Web site www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a new, personalized Web site at www.myLOC.gov.

Created by law as a public-private partnership in 1977, the Center for the Book uses the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. For information about the projects and publications and the activities of its affiliates in 50 states and the District of Columbia, visit www.loc.gov/cfbook/.

The Hispanic Division, established in 1939, is the Library’s center for the study of the cultures and societies of Latin America, the Caribbean, the Iberian Peninsula and other areas with significant Spanish and Portuguese influence. For more information about the division’s resources and programs, visit www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/.

###

PR 08-154
2008-09-17
ISSN 0731-3527