En Pocas Palabras. Javier J. Jaspe
Washington D.C.
“The 2023 National Book Festival was held in the
nation’s capital at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday,
August 12, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Several programs were livestreamed, and video
of all talks can be viewed online shortly after the Festival’s conclusion. Mark your
calendars now for next year’s National Book Festival, scheduled for Aug. 24,
2024.”
EN: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/about-this-event/
Una lista completa de los autores que participaron en
el Festival Nacional del Libro de 2023
(FNL2023) puede verse EN: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/authors/
La serie que continuamos hoy se refiere a escritores de origen
latino que participaron en el FNL2023. Su objeto no consiste en realizar un
análisis de su obra, sino el de publicar material encontrado en Internet
relacionado con la misma y sus autores, para lo cual nos servirá de guía el
propio Website del FNL2023 en
inglés: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/about-this-event/
Los textos de Internet se transcribirán en itálicas, en español o
inglés, según sea el caso, con indicación de su fuente. Esta quinta entrega se
refiere a la autora Claribel A. Ortega. Veamos:
Claribel
A. Ortega
Claribel A. Ortega is a New York Times bestselling and
award-winning author who writes middle grade and young adult fantasy novels
inspired by her Dominican heritage. She co-hosts the “Bad Author Book Club”
podcast and is a contributing author for Marvel. Ortega’s work has been
featured in BuzzFeed, Bustle and Deadline. Her debut middle grade novel, “Ghost
Squad,” is being adapted into a feature film. Ortega’s graphic novel “Frizzy,”
illustrated by Rose Bousamra, won the 2023 Pura Belpré Children’s Author Award.
Ortega’s new sequel to “Witchlings,” “The Golden Frog Games External,” will be featured at the 2023 National Book Festival.
EN: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/authors/item/no2020048585/claribel-a-ortega/
Conferencia/Entrevista
en el FNL 2023
PBS
Books 2023 National Book Festival Author Talk: Claribel A. Ortega
Videos EN:
https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/schedule/item/webcast-11033/
https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/schedule/item/webcast-10955/
Website de la autora:
https://www.claribelortega.com/
Biografía
corta en el website de la autora:
New
York Times Bestselling and award-winning author, Claribel A. Ortega is a former
reporter who writes middle-grade and young adult fantasy inspired by her
Dominican heritage. When she's not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop
culture, magic, and video games into books, she’s co-hosting her podcast Bad
Author Book Club. Claribel is a Marvel contributor and has been featured on
Buzzfeed, Bustle, Good Morning America and Deadline.
Claribel’s
NYT Bestselling debut middle grade novel Ghost Squad is being made into a
feature film. Her latest book Witchlings (Scholastic) was an Instant NYT and #1
Indie Bestseller. Her graphic novel Frizzy
with Rose Bousamra was winner of the 2023 Pura Belpré Award for Children's Text
and an Indie Bestseller. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram and
Tiktok @Claribel_Ortega, on Twitch as Radbunnie and on her website at
claribelortega.com.
Biografía larga en el website de la autora:
New York Times Bestselling and
award-winning author Claribel Ortega went from journalism student, editing her
classmates often times hilarious ads and ramblings on the back page of SUNY
Purchase’s Independent Newspaper, to a small town reporter, where she enjoyed
going to board of ed meetings and texting the town mayors about the line at
Starbucks.
Today when she’s not busy turning
her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic and video games into books,
she's co-hosting the hilarious and chaotic Bad Author Book Club podcast. She is a Marvel contributor and has been featured on Buzzfeed,
Bustle, Good Morning America and Deadline.
Claribel’s debut middle grade
novel Ghost Squad is a New York Times Bestseller and is being made into a
feature film. Ghost Squad won Best in Middle Grade at the 2021 Ignyte Awards,
was an NPR Best Book of 2020, a Good Morning America Summer Reading Squad
selection and a Barnes & Noble Young Reader Pick for October 2021.
Her latest book Witchlings
(Scholastic) was an Instant NYT and #1 Indie Bestseller. Her graphic novel Frizzy with
Rose Bousamra was winner of the 2023 Pura Belpré Award for Children's Text and
an Indie Bestseller. You can find her on
Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok @Claribel_Ortega, on Twitch as Radbunnie and on
her website at claribelortega.com.
Claribel lives in New York with
her motorcycle-riding poet boyfriend & her suspiciously intelligent yorkie,
Pancho.
Libros de la autora:
EN: https://www.claribelortega.com/books
Press Kit
and FAQ:
EN: https://www.claribelortega.com/press-kit
Reportajes/Entrevistas
Review of the Day: Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, ill. Rose Bousamra
Children’s books in which authority figures perpetuate hurtful
beauty standards are becoming increasingly common these days. From the colorism
of Genesis Begins Again to the fatphobia
of Starfish, it’s not just that parents don’t understand. It’s that
a kid can’t take comfort in a parental figure since it’s that very figure
that’s making them feel miserable all the time. And in this respect Frizzy may outshine
them all. It’s a collaboration of Claribel Ortega and Rose Bousamra and somehow
manages to be deeply realistic and magical all at once. You don’t just identify
with Marlene, the main character of this book. You are her. Balancing its
messaging with great storytelling, character development, and the magic trick
of making a mother character both the antagonist and loving, Frizzy is a roller
coaster ride of emotions in a single, simple, quick to read little package. I
like my moralizing not to feel like moralizing. As such, this is my new
favorite book.
Torture. Sheer unmitigated torture. That’s how Marlene feels
about going to the salon with her mother every Sunday to have her naturally
curly hair straightened and styled. It’s a battle she can never win, no matter
how much she begs. After her cousin’s quinceanera, this rebellion is matched
only by her mother’s determination to control her daughter’s hair. An incident
at school where Marlene releases her hair from braids and kids start sticking
things in her frizz causes the girl to reach her boiling point. Fortunately,
her Tia Ruby is there to help. With hair as curly as Marlene’s she explains why
their family have always equated straight hair with “good hair” and teaches her
niece how to take care of her own. But will they be able to convince Marlene’s
mom? Can curly hair truly be beautiful?....
Image…
I love books about process and they don’t get much process-ier
than Frizzy. There aren’t all
that many children’s books about attitudes about how “good hair” means white
hair, though there are a few. As I read Frizzy I was reminded
of the remarkable picture book by Cozbi A. Cabrera, My Hair is a Garden, which at the time took a incredibly deep dive into hair
love and hair recovery. In Cabrera’s case is focuses on precisely what it takes
to heal and grow beautiful Black hair. In Frizzy there’s a
similar sequence of self-care but with the extra added advantage of panels that
really show you the step-by-step process. In a way, Ortega and Bousamra have
taken all the best aspects of a Tiktok How To video on hair care and formatted
it into a highly readable book. A warning though: This book is about to make a
bunch of straight-haired kids very very jealous.
My husband’s an author of books that explain
how to engage audiences with your writing. When it comes to creating compelling
characters, there are a number of tips and tricks he offers. For example, when
we meet Marlene, Ms. Ortega does a number of things to get you on her side
right from the start. She’s insulted by the hair stylist, who continually tsks
and puts her down, while praising her mother’s hair. She’s in pain. She’s
hungry. And then, when she goes to her cousin’s quince, she’s continually
picked on by her relatives. This all happens within the first 42 pages and the
combination is hugely successful. You aren’t just in Marlene’s court now. You
would fight for her. You wanna grab that snotty blond cousin of hers and give
her a good strong shake. You want someone to snap some sense into Marlene’s
mom. Of course, the book runs the danger of heaping too much misery on poor
Marlene. Readers have a limit at which they’ll be able to take all this
depressing information and at times Ms. Ortega comes dangerously close to
overtipping the balance. Fortunately for all parties involved, there’s a good
ebb and flow of feelings. You’re never overwhelmed by her misery. Just pumped
up to see her situation change.
Identification in Frizzy isn’t reserved
for the main character alone, though. Sometimes I’ll read a comic with my
daughter and she’ll start decrying how “evil” one person or another is. We
haven’t read Frizzy together yet, but if I know her she’ll point a
finger at the mom early on and pin that same label to her. But what separates a
book of this sort from other, more simple, comics is how it treats its baddies.
Now admittedly Marlene’s cousin Diana is without so much as a hint of human feeling
or empathy. She’s fairly one-dimensional. Marlene’s mother, the arbitrator of
her woes, is a different story. While she’s the one primarily responsible for
her daughter’s misery, we see through Tia Ruby how, in a way, she’s also a
victim of bad attitudes towards curly hair, passed down through generations.
Ortega cleverly front-ends that right at the beginning of the book when Marlene
is expected to simply take the mean things her relatives say about her. Tia
Ruby is the saving grace here, and is able to humanize her own sister so that
while I’m sure there will be plenty of kids that have hardened their hearts to
the woman for her sins, others will see the part of her that simply chalks up
salon visits to being a good mom.
I guess if we can credit Smile by Raina Telgemeier
with anything at all, it may be that it popularized the idea that serious
realistic fiction stories about real life problems can not only be successful
in a graphic novel form, but alluring to kids in a whole different way than a
novel or memoir might be. Let us now raise a glass to the art of Rose Bousamra
then. Creating sequential art is a rough gig. In recent years (in part thanks
to the aforementioned Telgemeier) we’ve seen the publisher’s comic book output
for kids finally beginning to meet the demand. At the same time, though, that
means that there’s a lot of schlock getting produced. Nothing, and I mean
nothing, is more frustrating than reading a graphic novel, only to find that
you simply cannot follow the action. The artist has to be able to lead the eye
of the reader from panel to panel so seamlessly than you never stop and think,
“Wait. I think I missed something. I need to go back.” That reaction never once
came up with Bousamra’s art. On top of that, these characters come alive under
their pen. They take up space in the world. They sweat and breathe and move and
clunk about. They have weight and balance. More please.
FRIZZY
An exquisite excavation of hair politics, family dynamics, and
self-love.
EN: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/claribel-ortega/frizzy/
Marlene, a young Dominican American girl, seeks to embrace her
natural hair.
Sundays are the worst—they’re the day each week when Marlene’s
mom brings her to get her hair straightened at the salon. It’s a painful,
arduous process, but Mami insists it’s the only way to look your best in front
of others and be presentable at events like her cousin’s quinceañera. Marlene
is constantly bombarded with ideas about “good hair” and critical comments
about her looks. Thankfully, Tía Ruby, with her abundance of natural, bouncy
curls, reassures Marlene that straightening her hair isn’t a requirement for
looking beautiful, which sets a fire in Marlene’s heart. With the guidance and
support of Tía Ruby and best friend Camilla, Marlene embarks on a natural hair
journey with her head held high. Ortega masterfully navigates topics like anti-Blackness
and oppressive beauty standards passed down through generations. Bousamra’s
eye-catching color scheme, dominated by soft shades of pink and blue, and
expressive illustrations showing Marlene’s vibrant community are the perfect
vessel for this story. An especially tender scene in which Marlene finally
experiences a pain-free wash day speaks volumes about the healing themes
present throughout this graphic novel. Marlene’s journey of personal growth
will evoke catharsis and joy.
An exquisite excavation of hair politics,
family dynamics, and self-love. (Graphic
fiction. 8-12)
Rizos (Frizzy, Spanish language edition)
by Claribel A. Ortega
EN: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/280163
Description
Una novela gráfica de grado medio sobre Marlene, una
joven que deja de alisarse el pelo y acepta sus rizos naturales.
Marlene ama tres cosas: el arte, a su adorada tía Ruby y pasar el tiempo con
Camilla, su mejor amiga. Pero su mamá piensa que se debería enfocar solamente
en sus estudios y en madurar; y esto último implica alisarse el pelo todos los
fines de semana para que se vea “presentable” y “bueno”. Pero Marlene odia ir
al salón y no entiende por qué nadie a su alrededor piensa que sus rizos
naturales son bonitos. Después de algunos desafíos y momentos vergonzosos,
además de la ayuda imprescindible de Camilla y tía Ruby, poco a poco Marlene
emprende el camino de aprender a apreciar su pelo rizo y llevarlo con orgullo.
OPINIÓN DE RIZOS (FRIZZY, SPANISH LANGUAGE EDITION) BY CLARIBEL A.
ORTEGA
TRADUCCIÓN: JASMINE MENDEZ
EN: https://blog.paseandoamisscultura.com/2023/04/opinion-de-rizos-frizzy-spanish.html
Rizos de Claribel
A. Ortega e ilustrado por Rose Bousamra es
una novela gráfica de las que me gustan.
Me ha pellizcado el
corazón durante toda la historia y Marlene me ha conquistado. Una historia que
habla de reconciliarse con el pasado, que nos muestra cómo el pelo de Marlene,
que puede ser algo estético y banal, pues tenga que ver con las raices de las
protagonistas de la historia, con el pasado y con la identidad.
Claribel A. Ortega y
Rose Bousamra hacen de Marlene una chica
increíble. Las ilustraciones aportan a la trama luz y nos muestran a una
protagonista que se está haciendo preguntas, que está creciendo, que intenta
encontrar su lugar en el mundo. El texto resalta esa personalidad fascinante de
Marlene.
Creo que unir en la historia a dos generaciones (madre e hija) y en algunos momentos a varios familiares de Marlene hacen de Rizos (Frizzy) una novela gráfica redonda, ya que seremos testigos de los conflictos que se crean en torno a Marlene.
Se van a sentir
identificadas muchas personas y es triste como algo como el pelo, que forma
parte de nuestro ser, de nuestra persona y nos hace únicos, pueda ser un
problema enorme para muchas personas en el mundo.
También, creo que la
sociedad va a la deriva. Criticamos, insultamos y nos reímos sin conocer a la
otra persona, sin ponernos en su pellejo y no disfrutamos de la variedad
cultural que es el mundo.
Es una historia de mujeres fuertes, valientes, luchadoras y también es una historia de crecimiento, de aprender a hablar, expresar en voz alta como nos sentimos, lo que queremos, de buscar nuestro propio camino.
Es por eso que, me ha
gustado como nos muestra la autora a la madre de Marlene y a la tía. Son de la
misma familia, pero la forma de ser o de ver la vida serán parte del
aprendizaje de nuestra protagonista.
Además, que la tía y la
madre de Marlene son la noche y el día, así que será interesante conocerlas y
verlas.
Una lectura entrañable.
Review: Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
By Anuska
G
EN: https://thenerddaily.com/review-ghost-squad-by-claribel-a-ortega/
Ghost Squad is one of the most talked about middle grade
books of 2020 so far, so it’s likely crossed your social media feed at least
once or twice. While many hyped up books turn out to be disappointing, in this
particular case, I’d say you should believe the hype and give this book a try!
12-year-old Lucely Luna has always been able to see spirits.
When something unusually creepy and strange happens during one of her father’s
Ghost Tours, Lucely realises the ghosts of her dead family members (who live
with her as fireflies) are in danger, and she teams up with her best friend Syd
to find a spell that will help her fix the mess. However, the spell they cast
goes terribly wrong and plunges their whole town in danger. Now they must team
up with Syd’s witchy, leather jacket clad grandma and her grumpy cat to save
Lucely’s ghost family and the town.
Ghost Squad is the bookish equivalent of the sense of
comfort you feel when you bury yourself under a pile of cosy blankets. The book
is relatively short in length, and the plot moves along pretty quickly. Ortega
uses some much-beloved elements and tropes of a typical middle grade story in
clever and unexpected ways and there are epic battles, best friends teaming up
and going on a quest to find a magical object, and a band of misfits saving the
day! Her prose is quirky and atmospheric, her storytelling vivid as you can
clearly picture every frame in your head as you read. The story is rooted in
Dominican folklore, and whether you’re someone familiar with the tales that
influence the book or not, you’ll find it incredibly delightful.
The best thing about Ghost Squad is its characters. While Lucely and
Syd were great, what I especially loved was Ortega’s handling of the various
kind and supportive adults in Lucely’s life, who actually listen to what the
kids have to say and trust them instead of just being dismissive. My favourite
among the main characters was definitely Babette, the super-grandma who wears a
massive purple cape and vanquishes ghostly dragons with a wand. Also, Chunk the
cat deserves all the belly rubs and string cheese in the world!
Ghost Squad is first and foremost a book about family and
not just the kind bonded by blood. Despite there being magical adventures, the
story’s main focus always remains on Lucely’s various relationships, which
Ortega portrays with a lot of heart and aching sweetness. Lucely’s mother left
them a while ago, and while Lucely is still dealing with the grief of her
absence and trying to move on, she has a kind and loving father with her every
step of the way. Then there’s Syd, always ready to follow Lucely to the ends of
the earth; their unwavering loyalty to each other is the driving force behind
the plot. Lucely’s firefly family is fussy and affectionate and fiercely
protective of her, and the few scenes where we get to meet them are the ones I
enjoyed the most.
While I really liked this book, there were a few things I felt
could’ve been done better. The first half of the story is far less exciting
when compared to the second half, mostly because the setup took an unusually
long amount of time. And while the story concludes satisfactorily, I couldn’t
help feeling like the ending was too rushed.
However, the issues I pointed out didn’t really interfere with
my enjoyment of the story. If you’re a fan of Pixar’s Coco or
just really like spooky (but not too spooky) middle grade fiction, you’re bound
to love this book. I very much recommend trying the gorgeously narrated
audiobook, which has been made available for free on Spotify, by the way, so I
really don’t see why you shouldn’t go and give it a listen right now!
Interview
with Claribel Ortega
By
Carolina V.
Hi there, friends!
Today’s post is one that is very special to me because
I’m bringing you my first-ever interview on Santana Reads! *screams* And
the fact that it’s with an author I admire so greatly? *cries*
I had the great pleasure to interview THE Claribel
Ortega. You know, that super dope author with god-tier humor
and memes who wrote an incredible, super Dominican book full of ghosts and
flying chanclas. Yeah, that Twitter legend whomst I love with my entire being.
There are literally no words to describe how much I
adore this little book. 2020 has been a shit-show and the fact that Ghost Squad
is coming out during such a stressful time both breaks my heart, but also makes
me even more grateful for its existence, because I also believe it’s coming out
during the perfect time. It will be there to provide happiness and joy which is
what we all need right now. So yeah, I’m gonna champion this book until the day
I die!
If you’d like to read my full-length review of Ghost
Squad, click here!
Now, on to the interview!
What has been
your favorite part about Ghost Squad’s publishing journey?
I think seeing the book in print for the first time
was a really great moment but I also had a lot of fun while crafting the story
itself. I became really attached to the characters.
Who was the
character you found hardest to write?
I think Lucely was the hardest for me only because she
was the one whose journey had the most meat to it being the main character. I
wanted to be sure to show how vulnerable and scared she was while also showing
she was brave and strong all while making sure she felt like a real kid! Lots
of layers to tackle but I’m really happy with how she turned out.
In the book,
Lucely and Syd go on a ton of spooky adventures at night. Was there any
specific research you had to do to create the setting and atmosphere?
I wasn’t physically in Florida as I wrote so I spent a
lot of time on google maps and looking at walkthroughs of the cemeteries there.
There are tons of actual ghost tour companies where Ghost Squad is set as well
because St. Augustine is a really old city, so I read through all of those
websites, read reviews and tried to get a feel for all the tours. I also
researched urban legends and ghost stories of St. Augustine and made some of my
own up.
Ghost Squad is
perfect for fans of Coco and Ghostbusters. Are there any other pieces
of media you think represent the book?
Weirdly, I feel like if you were asking Babette, (Syd’s witchy
grandmother who is along for the ride) she might say Adventures in Babysitting,
but I also was always a huge fan of Goosebumps books so I think that definitely
influenced my writing.
I loved the
character of Tía Milagros. I think we all have a tía who is just as feisty as
her. Is she based on any of your family members?
I have an aunt named Tía Milagros in real life and she
also makes the best pasteles! But she’s a lot less feisty than the Ghost Squad
version, haha, she was mostly a combination of the collective sass of all of my
tías. I am also a tía, so I identify with her on a deep level, lol.
Who would
12-year old Claribel identify with the most: Lucely or Syd?
This is hard because I was definitely sassy like Syd
but I was suuuuper sensitive like Lucely but I suppose if I had to choose, it
would be Syd because I use humor as a coping mechanism to this day.
The public
needs to know. What is Chunk’s breed?
She’s half tabby, half witch.
What are you
most excited to see in the Ghost Squad movie adaptation?
Chunk in that one cemetery scene that I won’t spoil
but that is my favorite.
Is there any
chance we could get a sequel in the future?
Not sure! I would be up for it, especially writing a
Syd-centric book!
What is next
for Claribel Ortega?
I have a graphic novel, FRIZZY, coming
from First Second in 2022*, and hopefully will have more good news coming out
of this whole pandemic!
*Add Frizzy on Goodreads, about a Latina girl who stops
straightening her hair and embraces her natural curls!
Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters in this
action-packed supernatural fantasy.
For
Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business.
Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a
spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout
St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd’s witch grandmother,
Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse
the curse to save the town and Lucely’s firefly spirits before it’s too late.
With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of
Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and
delightfully sweet debut novel.
Get your own copy of Ghost Squad at BuyGhostSquad.com and
add it on Goodreads!
Claribel Ortega went
from journalism student, editing her classmates often times hilarious ads and
ramblings on the back page of SUNY Purchase’s Independent Newspaper, to a small
town reporter, where she enjoyed going to board of ed meetings and texting the
town mayors about the line at Starbucks.
Today she’s busy
turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic and video games into
books while traveling the world for her day job in marketing. She is the host
of the WRITE OR DIE podcast , owner of small graphic design business
GIFGRRL and the GIFGRRL SHOP which creates apparel for writers and creatives.
She lives in New York
with her motorcycle-riding poet boyfriend
& her suspiciously intelligent yorkie, Pancho Villa.
Claribel’s debut
middle grade novel GHOST SQUAD is coming from Scholastic April, 7th 2020.
Follow Claribel on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr!
If you’re a parent, teacher, or educator, check out Claribel’s GHOST SQUAD WEEK home-learning resources, which include fun activities such as: a discussion guide,
glossary, creative writing prompts, arts and crafts, and more! For more info, click here.
And that concludes this blog post!
Huge thank you to Claribel for taking the time to answer my
questions and granting me the opportunity to host her on my blog to celebrate
her debut’s birthday! It was an absolute honor! <33
I hope you all enjoyed, and I’ll see you on the next one!
Love,
Other reviews:
ARC Review: Ghost Squad by
Claribel Ortega
By Carolina V.
EN: https://santanareads.wordpress.com/2020/04/05/arc-review-ghost-squad-by-claribel-ortega/
Review: Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
EN: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-witchlings-by-claribel-a-ortega/
Review: Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega and illustrated by Rose Bousamra
También puede verse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F543T1hmiv0
https://www.pbs.org/video/author-talk-claribel-a-ortega-vztdkh/
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