The Beautiful Lady Interview on CNN

It was a pleasure to participate in this remote CNN interview in Spanish.

See more images of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Featured on The Writer's Almanac

Today Garrison Keillor will read Pat's poem "Teenagers" from Communion on The Writer's Almanac  produced by American Public Media. Tune into your favorite public radio station to listen, or listen and read on The Writer's Almanac  website.

The Moon and a Poem

Love the moon? I do, especially on full-moon nights. I tend to feel a bit stunned by the beauty of that celestial radiance. Wanted to share this picture of the moon rising above the Santa Fe hills recently. Here's a companion poem from my book BORDERS(1986). Though hard, the moon seems such a benevolent body of light.




                 







Home

It only happened once
spinning in the desert white
with moonlight, glancing down,
rabbits, snakes, small burrowing owls
in a circle round her bare feet,
stretching too toward the moon,
snakes charmed by silent music.


Closing her eyes, feeling the pull
as they spun round
her knee, breasts, touching
her long hair, circling higher
in a funnel through which she rose
pushing upward, upward, grazing stars
with her fingertips and toes
her body light
finally curling on the moon
which circled round her
while she slept, slipped her
softly on the desert floor at dawn.

                              by Pat Mora ©  

Talking About a Writing Career

This summer, Cynthia Leitich Smith began a series of "Career Builders" interviews on her Cynsations blog. This week Pat is featured talking about creativity, a writing life, success and future goals.

There's also a 4 book giveaway so stop by now.

Poetry, Inclusivity, and Creativity in Classrooms

Last month, I spoke at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Dr. Linda Pavonetti had invited me to visit her class, “The Author’s & Illustrator’s Art & Craft.” I was intrigued by the concept for the class. The masters students in education study the work of the visiting authors, illustrators, editors, etc. prior to the lecturer’s arrival. On the day I visited, I used my book ZING! as the basis for my PowerPoint focusing first on my books of poetry and why it’s my favorite genre as a writer. Sadly, many teachers feel hesitant to teach poetry though it’s a fine way to foster delight in language and to strengthen our writing at any age. I also stressed the importance of being inclusive of all the various parts of ourselves and of enjoying diversity in literature, colleagues and students. A key theme of my remarks was the seven practices I propose in ZING! to help nurture creativity in ourselves, our colleagues, and our pupils.

Symbols for the seven creative practices of ZING!

My flight experiences on this trip were the worst of my life (the challenge of flying these days), BUT I so enjoyed part two of the class when, after meeting in groups, the students asked me many thought-provoking questions. As educators at all levels prepare for a new academic year, I wish them excitement as they prepare to foster creativity in themselves and their students. Life’s details, technology, etc. can snare us. I find it takes daily effort to value our unique inventiveness.

Día at Bookmobiles

I was so pleased to donate books and posters to the New Mexico State Library for their Día celebration at bookmobiles. New Mexico is a rural state, and it's wonderful that bookmobiles serve children and families that don't have a nearby library. One of my grown daughters was reflecting recently how much she enjoyed visiting the bookmobile in El Paso.

Wagon Mound, NM

Mosquero School

Mosquero, NM

Photos courtesy of Rural Bookmobile Northeast/New Mexico State Library, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Teacher Appreciation Day

Congratulating dedicated teachers at all levels! Thanks for the vitality, the ZING you bring to your classrooms and libraries.

Zing! Seven Creativity Practices for Educators and Students

Book Fiesta Selected for RIF's Multicultural Booklist

Pat’s picture book about El día de los niños/El día de los libros, Children's Day/Book Day, Book Fiesta!,  was selected as one of forty-five titles on RIF’s (Reading is Fundamental) 2011-2012 Multicultural Booklist. The collection celebrates cultures from all over the world and can be used with Grades K-4.

A Letter to Child Readers

Each year Pat writes a letter to her young readers. You can read this year's letter below and earlier letters are archived on Pat's website.  Teachers, feel free to use this letter for Author Studies or other language arts activities.

Dear Girls and Boys,

Are you patient? I’m not. Right now, far away from me, illustrators are working on art for some of my new books. I can’t wait to see the sketches, and I can’t wait to hold the finished books in my hands. I always have to wait years for that special moment. I don’t get to talk to the illustrators ahead and sometimes I never meet them. I sure like to though.

What do you like to do best: write or draw? Maybe you can do both, or maybe you do the writing and your friend or brother or sister or cousin can illustrate your words. It’s fun to make your own books at school, the library and at home.

I’m a writer because I’m a reader. I love to read! Do you know how important being a good reader is? It helps you in all your classes, it helps you be a good writer, and reading is fun. If you’re not a good reader now, start practicing. Read every day—for you. Find books about the things you like—horses, bugs, bikes—and read about them. Then you can write your own new book and share it with your family, teacher or friend.

My next book, THE BEAUTIFUL LADY: LA SEÑORA DE GUDALUPE will be out at this time next year. It’s an old story about a special lady who years ago appeared on a hill in Mexico. I can’t wait to see it! As always, I’m busy working on new books too.

I hope you’ll visit my website and see all my books and even some family photos. You can write and tell me what you liked.

Your reading friend,

Pat Mora


 2012: 20th Anniversary





Celebrating Las Posadas

Jeanette Larson posted about "Celebrating Las Posadas" on the ALSC blog and mentioned Pat's book Gift of the Poinsettia/ El regalo de la flor de nochebuena. Las Posadas re-enacts Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem and is celebrated throughout Latin America.

Early Literacy Project

Sandra Lamm, Early Childhood Coordinator with the Library Department in Fort Worth, Texas, shared a project created by a family at one of the city's Early Childhod Resource Centers. Sandra wrote "Erica Rodrigues said that Let’s Eat! ¡A Comer! is the favorite book of her daughters, Julianna and Brianna, ages 2 and 3. Mrs. Rodrigues said they read the book over and over, and she said, 'What I like about this book is that to be happy you only need simple things.'


So for their project they covered a piece of Styrofoam with construction paper to make a table, and then replicated the food that the family shared in the book with items they found around the house. We took a couple of pictures – So creative!"

Sandra also wrote a description of her library's program. "Early Childhood Matters (EMC) is a program of the Fort Worth Library, launched in 2006 in response to the number of children entering kindergarten without the skills they needed to be successful in school. ECM is a neighborhood-based free program that helps parents and other caregivers of children from birth to age five learn how to prepare their children for kindergarten and beyond. Parenting sessions, resource materials, and high quality children’s books are offered in English and Spanish in six high-need neighborhoods in Fort Worth. The program is supported by the City of Fort Worth, a grant through the US Department of Health and Human Services, and collaboration with many community partners.


ECM focuses on early literacy and pre-reading skills. Pat Mora’s beautiful bi-lingual books capture the interest of adults and children alike, support early language and pre-reading development, and reflect family and cultural values. Our participants are delighted with them."

New Translation

An Arabic edition of Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day/ Book Day • Celebremos El día de los niños/ El día de los libros is now available. It’s published by Kalimat Publishing and Distribution and the ISBN is 978-9948-16-075-5.

Did you know that several of Pat's titles are available in languages other than Spanish? Try these:

The Night the Moon Fell -- also available in Korean, Bluebirdchild Publishing, ISBN 89-7057-645-2

Race of Toad and Deer -- also available in Korean, Glendoman, ISBN 89-517-2093-4

Song of Francis and the Animals -- also available in Korean, Nexus Junior

Tomás and the Library Lady -- also available in Japanese, Hiroyuki Fujiwara

First Graders Talk about Pat's Books

I'm so grateful to Martha Rico, librarian at Hawkins School in my home city of El Paso, Texas. Martha was kind enough to send me the video of her first grade students responding to my books by sending me their messages in Spanish. Isn't that creative and generous of Martha? I asked her the following questions.

1. How long have you been a librarian?

MR: I have been a librarian 10 years.

2. What do you enjoy about the work?
MR: I enjoy being in the library because I work with the whole student body! I enjoy watching the students grow from kindergarten to fifth grade: to watch their likes and dislikes change as well as their personalities. It is especially momentous when a former student who is now in high school or older comes by and says, "I remember when you used to ....". That lets me know I have made a small impact on their lives. I also get to work with the entire faculty on various projects.

3. How do you select the books?
MR: Books are selected through reviews, student/teacher interest and award-winning books.

4. Do you think of yourself as creative?
MR: I wouldn't say I am creative at all. Sometimes I have a really good idea for a project or bulletin board or even for a lesson, but overall I don't consider myself creative.

5. Do you celebrate Día at your library? If not, will you next year? If yes, how do you plan and what happens?
MR: Honestly, I promote Día because our city hosts a big fair, but in the library I haven't done all that much. We usually get an email with all the info about it with a printable flyer that I post outside the library. It usually falls so close to state testing that it gets put on the back burner at my library. I will try to be a better advocate next year.

Hawkins Elementary School

Pat Visits Tuscon AZ for Día's Anniversary

My thanks to the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC) for sending me to Tucson for Día’s 15th Anniversary. It was special to be back in the city where the Día idea arrived from above. Librarian and loyal Día supporter Donie Gignac hosted me and was kind enough to take me to the spot at the University of Arizona where the Día notion came to me in 1996. An interviewer at the campus public radio station had introduced me to the annual Mexican celebration of El día del niño, The Day of the Child. I walked outside into the wonderful Arizona spring sun and thought: Why don’t we have a special day annually for celebrating children in this country—and we can link the celebration to literacy. What fun: children and books! Here I am remembering being “zapped” by Día.

Pat returns to the spot where she was "zapped" by
the Día idea at the University of Arizona, 1996.

Pat and Donie Gignac

I spent April 30th at the Valencia Library that has a wonderful mural of my book, THE DESERT IS MY MOTHER. During the enjoyable neighborhood Día celebration complete with crafts and snacks, I had the pleasure of seeing a delightful puppet show of this book with a young library associate, Thania Mayorga-Shull, as a lovely earth mother symbolizing the desert. I smiled and smiled.

Pat by mural of "The Desert is My Mother," by Susan Gamble (1997)
at the Valencia Branch of the Pima County Public Library, Tucson, AZ.

Puppet show of The Desert is My Mother at
Valencia Library in Tucson, AZ, April 30, 2011.

D I A Spells Día

Two Día Dynamos are Laurina Cashin and Bobbie Combs who are my web team. They also generously donate some of their time to help me promote Día. At the beginning of the year, I received a package in the mail from my team. I opened it slowly and stared at the three letters below. Being a bit dense, I first arranged the beautiful letters decorated with art from BOOK FIESTA as A I D. Oh yes, thought I, Laurina and Bobbie do aid me. Very sweet. As I looked more carefully at Rafael López' art, I suddenly thought, OH! The letters spell Día. I was stunned at all the work and at the thoughtfulness. I then spotted the message, "For our friend Pat in honor of Día's 15th Anniversary." How sweet is that?

* Letters were created from a f & g of Book Fiesta!

Colorín Colorado Videos

My deep thanks again to Lydia Breiseth and her team at WETA for sharing these video clips.  Colorín Colorado has been an outstanding Día supporter.



View  recent interview with Colorín Colorado.

Visit Dia resources on Colorín Colorado's website.

News

ALSC announced the opening of 2011 registration for Día. Let others know about your upcoming Día programming and see what Día celebrations are occurring all over the country. Spread the Día word!


Cool stickers, right? Receive complementary stickers when you register.


PoetryTagTime is the first electronic-only poetry anthology for kids! This eBook project was compiled and edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. Included are 30 new poems by 30 well-known contemporary poets writing for children -- including a poem by Pat.Visit the website for more information. (Available April 1)

Creativity Interview: Erica Brown

I met Erica briefly at YALSA's Young Adult Literature Symposium in Albuquerque.  My friend, Flo Trujillo, Día Dynamo and Youth Services Coordinator at the Farmington Public Library (NM) proudly gave me a copy of Blended Zine edited by Erica and staffed by her fellow teens in San Juan County, New Mexico. I was so impressed by the quality of the work in the zine and by the fact that this is a teen production.  What a fine model of school, library, and community cooperation.

My name is Erica Brown, I’m 17 years old, a senior in high school and I have been home schooled my entire life. I’m involved in several programs besides Blended such as Mayor’s Teen Advisory Council, UMATTR (http://www.umattr.com/), coaching second grade cheerleading for Upward basketball, and Student Leadership and the Worship team through my church. In January of 2009 when I was 15 years old, I applied for a position at Blended Zine. I had submitted before and thought it was a really cool project, so I wanted to get involved. I was hired as a general staff member and joined the 12 person staff. In June of ’09 after the current editor graduated, I was promoted to the position of editor.

Do you think of yourself as creative?
EB: I would definitely think of myself as of creative. My whole life I’ve loved experimenting with different art forms whether it was painting, drawing, writing or music. I always try to do something different and think outside of the box. Creativity is one of the most defining aspects of my life. I like to be different from what most people are doing. I like to be crazy and stay on the edge of new and exciting things.


In what ways does creativity shape your life?
EB: I love creativity in any form. I love dancing and learning new things and figuring out things that haven’t been done. I also love music. I love just experimenting with music to make something different or a new sound. Something I really enjoy is making sidewalk murals with chalk. Chalk is one of my favorite mediums. For Blended over the past few years I have submitted a broad range of pieces. Drawing, etchings, paintings, digital art, and in our most recent issue, poetry! I really like expressing myself in so many different ways.

Blended, May 2010

 As for balancing school and creativity, I think the two can be a wonderful combination. I truly believe that creativity produces rational thinking because when you don’t limit yourself to the norms, you open up your mind to so much more! You can look at things from more perspectives. One of my favorite subjects is math. Although math is very precise, there are limitless possibilities that are just wonderful to explore, and for me personally this sparks a lot of curiosity. No matter what subject you are researching or writing on, creativity can helps you see things from new perspectives or different viewpoints.


That’ s why Blended is such a great program for teens to get involved with. It sparks creativity. We've had many teachers tell us that they've had students improve in school after submitting and getting published in Blended. I think that’s one of the greatest effects a program like this could ever have.


Blended, December 2010

 Blended Zine has been one of the biggest parts of my life for the past two years. I was so blessed with the opportunity to be part of the program and it has changed my life in more ways than I can list. I am currently working on the eighth issue, and my fifth and last issue as part of the staff. It has been a truly amazing experience!

Tell us about your most memorable teacher.
EB: I have been home schooled my entire life [so] my most memorable teacher is definitely my mom! She has taught me the importance of thinking for myself, being my own person and just being myself! Although, I have been taking college classes part time since my junior year, in my second semester I took inter-personal communication. My teacher was wonderful! She definitely made a profound impact on my life.

Release Party December 2010

Blended Zine is published three times each year by the Farmington Public Library, Farmington NM. All submissions and published pieces are from students, ages 13-19, living in San Juan County. The Mission Statement states "Blended strives to be a positive influence and helps teens stay connected and involved with the community. Along with the Farmington Public Library, Blended enlightens, enriches, and changes lives by providing innovative, optimistic and constructive influences for adolescents.

__________________________________________________________

Uno, Dos, Tres: One, Two, Three Featured Title for Summer Reading Program

Pat's picture book Uno, Dos, Tres: One, Two, Three is a featured title for this summer's Collaborative Summer Library Program's (CSLP) theme "One World, Many Stories." TeachingBooks.net has created an audio clip of Pat talking about how she came to write the book, and reading from it.

Pat’s Visit to Zavala Elementary School

This past September, I received an e-mail from a young school librarian. She had heard that I was going to be speaking in my home city of El Paso, Texas, and she wrote urging me to visit her school. She spoke of her commitment to El día de los niños / El día de los libros ( Día) and promised me that her students would be well-prepared for my visit and well-behaved. I called Lisa and gained energy and inspiration from her excitement about sharing bookjoy. Meeting her was a highlight of 2010. Thanks, Lisa, for making me feel so welcome and Zavala Elementary and for preparing such a special morning for me.



1. Why did you become a librarian?
LL: I was born in El Paso, Texas but grew up across the border in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua until I was thirteen years old. Since I completed my elementary education in a city where libraries are non-existent, the first thing I did when I moved to El Paso, TX from Juarez, was to sign-up for a public library card. I recall feeling right at home every time I set foot in such a wondrous print-rich environment. By the time I finished my undergraduate degree in early childhood education, I could not help but feel a void in my professional accomplishments. I decided to apply to graduate school at the University of North Texas and pursue a Masters in Library and Information Science, which I have just completed in the summer of 2010! I love being a librarian and instilling a love of literature and reading.

2. What are some of the comments students made following the author visit?
LL: Students were so excited to meet Pat Mora! They kept making remarks about her upbringing in El Paso TX, and her founding of the Día celebration that allowed them to relate to her creative work. Our students keep checking out her books with such enthusiasm that there is a waiting list to check out her autographed copies.

3. Why did you think an author visit was important and how did you prepare for the visit?

LL: An author school visit is always such an honor to host because not only do they motivate students to read more, they also give students hope that maybe someday they too can be acclaimed authors. Hosting Pat Mora at our campus was such an enlightening experience not just because we hold 27 copies of her books, but because of her founding of El Día de Los Niños – Día de Los Libros. This literary fiesta is famously celebrated in our hometown of El Paso, TX. As a lover of literature and advocate of libraries, I have volunteered in previous Día celebrations as a storyteller. Preparing for her school visit was so memorable because her arrival coincided with the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month! I personally decorated our cafeteria auditorium with festive Mexican “papel picado” flags, miniature piñatas, student-made welcoming banners, a myriad of her books, and the US-Mexico Consulate donated books in Spanish for children. The procession ended with the distribution of “Marranitos” Mexican sweet bread for every student. I purchased these treats at Bowie Bakery, the famous bakery in El Paso depicted in Mrs. Mora’s The Bakery Lady, a Zavala favorite!

4. Why is Día important to you and how do you hope to celebrate Día’s 15th Anniversary?
LL: Our Dia Celebration is so important to me because it is the greatest opportunity to cherish books, reading, and family literacy in general. As the all-time favorite saying goes "Los Padres y Ninos que leen juntos, crecen juntos", “The family that reads together, grows together” and so it is my primary goal to witness the flourishing of a community of readers. Books and storytelling are capable of bridging the gap between generations and thus bringing everybody closer together. Our school community makes plans way ahead of time to take everybody along in the family to celebrate Día at Washington Park. Last year alone, 20,000 gathered to celebrate here in our border area!

Día’s 15th Anniversary will be celebrated similarly to last year with one difference. I will plan for a thematic unit at our library on fairytales and folktales in which students will get to create their own folktales and perform those using marionettes. We’ll record the performances to create a digital storytelling event at our campus. A group of students will also accompany me to Día’s celebration to perform their folktales at the storytelling booth. I’m adding something new for the anniversary and implementing a family literacy month throughout March. This will prepare my students who are storytelling at the actual Día celebration. In addition, children and families will get the opportunity to enjoy live theatrical plays based on classic folk tales and fairy tales using my marionette set. The family literacy program will take place on every Saturday of March for two hours of performance and read alouds at Washington Park (where the real Día celebrations take place!). I will make flyers for families to advertise and motivate them to attend.

5. What are you reading now?
LL: Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

A New Design

Today we've posted a new blog banner, the beginning of changes in my Site and Newsletter banner and format. I'll let you know when the other changes are complete and hope that you like the consistent design we'll be featuring.

I now have an Author Page on Facebook. I hope you'll visit for book news and reviews, or comment about a favorite book, share a lesson plan, or just click “like.”