Sept. 1, 2022     As a highlight to Hispanic Heritage Month, TCCL will present the inaugural Hummingbird Award in Literary Arts to Benjamin Alire Sáenz on Oct. 29 at 10:30 a.m. in Central Library’s Pocahontas Greadington Learning and Creativity Center,

Fifth Street and Denver Avenue. Sáenz will talk about his life and writings, and sign copies of his books.

   Sáenz, an award-winning American author of poetry and prose for adults and teens, and a writer of books for children, was the first Hispanic author to win the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction with his collection of stories Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club. He also was a recipient of the 1992 American Book Award for his first book of poems, Calendar of Dust. He is the author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which was a Printz Honor Book; and his first novel for teens, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His children’s books include the bilingual A Gift From Papa Diego and its sequel, The Dog Who Loved Tortillas.

   “The Hummingbird Award is all about representation. A lot of times careers in the arts or languages aren’t seen as real careers, and when students are interested in being a visual artist or writer, it’s not as valued,” said Amairani Perez Chamu, Hispanic Resource Center coordinator. “So, having somebody who is accomplished in their field and who has made a living out of their art is important, and being able to bring that to Tulsa is very special.”

   Given biennially by the Tulsa Library Trust and TCCL’s Hispanic Resource Center, The Hummingbird Award in Literary Arts, also known as the “Premio Colibrí en Arte Literaria,” honors and recognizes a nationally prominent author, poet, or artist whose work has elevated and affirmed the voice of the Latinx community. The award consists of an engraved plaque and a $10,000 cash prize.

   The Hispanic Resource Center, located at Martin Regional Library, 2601 S. Garnett Road, was established in 1999 to provide resources for Tulsa County’s growing Hispanic community. Throughout the year, the center provides cultural, informational and educational resources, as well as activities and services for both Spanish-and-English-speaking families.

   For more information on TCCL’s programming and services, call 918-549-7323, or visit www.tulsalibrary.org.

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