Pat Mora's Blog, page 86

This Month's Día Dynamo!

This month Pat honors librarian Elva Garza for her faithful support of Día since its beginnings. Elva has advocated for Día on local, state and national levels, has planned celebrations, and has participated in conference programs that educate others and extend Día reach.

1. Tell us about your path to librarianship and your work in libraries .

"I had never thought about being a librarian until I got a job my sophomore year of college as a work-study student in the reference department at Southw...

Children as Creators

What are you reading these days? I've been savoring some mighty special books made for me by the third graders at Hoffer Elementary School in Banning, California. Last March, I had the honor and pleasure of speaking at the Charlotte S. Huck Literature Festival in Redlands. It felt grand to leave cold Santa Fe and thaw out in sunny California. The organizing committee was warm and welcoming, my fellow speakers interesting and informative, and my sweet "angel" for the weekend, student Sarah Fis...

A New Día Dynamo

When my web team and I honored what we first called Día Champions in March 2009, we wanted to recognize a woman who embraced spreading the Día concept throughout her state. Flo Trujillo is still cheerfully busy with that work in New Mexico. Today we honor Día's madrina, godmother in Spanish, a person traditionally chosen because of her commitment to the well-being of a child. In 1996, minutes after I was first zapped by the Día idea, the Tucson Reforma Chapter quickly volunteered to help. Soo...

Meet My Friend Father Murray Bodo

What a pleasure it is to introduce you to one of my dearest amigos, Franciscan priest and author of poetry, nonfiction and books on spirituality, a retreat leader here and in Assisi, the gifted story teller, Murray Bodo.

Years ago, I knew the poet Denise Levertov. I wrote her in 1989 to say that I was moving from El Paso for the first time and going to Cincinnati where my husband had begun to teach at the University. Denise suggested that I write to her good friend Father Murray who lived in ...

Creativity in the News

"Creativity in America: The Science of Innovation and How to Reignite Our Imaginations." Cover story NEWSWEEK, July 19, 2010. Authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman in their article "The Creativity Crisis: For the First Time, Research Shows That American Creativity Is Declining. What Went Wrong -- and How We Can Fix It" illustrate the national and international interest in creativity, its importance, and discuss the fostering of innovation in our educational system.
Are you creative? Magazine...

Sing and Dance with Criss Cross Mangosauce!

We're pleased to share information about a talented group. Criss Cross Mangosauce is a group of bi-cultural artists promoting bi-lingual (English/Spanish) storytelling and literacy programs in the US. They perform concerts and storytelling presentations as well as conduct educational workshops. They have a CD too! You can follow them on Facebook. And check out a promotional video on You Tube -- it's fun!

Día = Diversity in Action

I attended a fine program on Día at the ALA Annual conference last week. Originally, staff from the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County  were scheduled to present  Día  is Diversity in Action but unfortunately were unable to attend because of severe funding problems. Oralia Garza de Cortés and Jamie Naidoo Ph.D., both known as Día supporters and knowledgable presenters, stepped in to report on Charlotte's Mecklenburg's success in using Día as a tool in dually reaching the Spanish a...

Bookjoy and the World Cup

In celebration of the 2010 World Cup, my friend author Monica Brown created this short video about Pelé, the legend at the heart of Brazilian Soccer.


Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixf_dZjI9Mo
Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/12844817

PatMora.com is Now a Great Website for Kids!

We're thrilled that Pat's website has been selected as a Great Websites for Kids by the Association of Library Service to Children, (ALSC) a division of the Amerrican Library Association. As the press release notes, Pat's site was added to the recommended list of exceptional websites for children ages 14 and younger and joins a select group of author sites.

Voices of the Ancestors

Looking for an entrancing title for your book group or just a good summer read? Try Pat's family memoir, House of Houses, a rich blend of poetic language and elements of magical realism.


Questions for your personal reflection or to enjoy with your book group or class.

1. In what ways is House of Houses like and unlike other memoirs you've read?

2. Why do you think memoirs have become such a popular genre?

3. Name the person you connected to most in the book and describe the reasons why.

4. The...