Pat Mora
Author, Family Literacy Advocate, and Founder of
Día
Children's Day, Book Day / El día de los niños, El día de los libros
April 30th and every day of the year
Dear Journalist/Producer:
Interview Author and Día Founder Pat Mora about her being selected by the American Library Association to deliver the 2016 Arbuthnot Lecture on April 15, 2016 in Santa Barbara, CA and about her being founder of Día which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in April.
AVAILABILITY: Pat Mora is available in Santa Fe, NM and environs, by telephone and email, and travel by arrangement.
For further information:
The 2016 May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture Award is an honor awarded by the Association of Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. The award winner, selected by committee, represents the finest in children's literature and provides a forum for "new voices speaking with new insight and new emphasis in the field of children's lectures."
Pioneering author and literacy advocate Pat Mora has written more than three dozen books for young people that in part represent the Mexican American experience. “Mora’s commitment to literacy for all children of all backgrounds motivated her to found Children's Day, Book Day/El día de los niños, El día de los libros, a celebration of children, families and reading. This flourishing family literacy initiative culminates annually on April 30th,” stated 2016 Arbuthnot Committee Chair Julie Corsaro. http://www.patmora.com/whats-dia/
Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Mora grew up bilingual and bicultural. With degrees in English and speech, she was a teacher and university administrator before writing books. Known for her lyrical style, Mora’s poetry and prose have won numerous awards, including a 2005 Belpré Honor Medal for text for “Doña Flor: A Tall Tale of a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart,” published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, and illustrated by Raul Colón. Her generosity for sharing bookjoy, the phrase she coined for the power and pleasure of words, led Mora to launch “Día,” which will observe its 20th anniversary in 2016.
CONTACT: Susannah Greenberg, Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, 646-801-7477, publicity@bookbuzz.com
