The Contributing Authors to Latino Soul...

celebrate the resilience and creativity of the human spirit and at the same time present soulful stories about Latino experiences in the United States. I have the pleasure of introducing the Latino Soul authors whose stories were selected from among more than 3000 submissions, and who form the heart of this vibrant, groundbreaking book. Sample some of their stories on the site to get a glimpse of what awaits you in the pages of Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul. Many of the contributing authors have already published novels, as well as collections of short stories and poetry. Check out their many titles on these pages!
Maria Luisa Alaniz is a professor and chair of the Social Science department at San Jose State University. She received her B.A. and M.A. from San Jose State University and her Ed.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. Her current research, based in her hometown of Stockton, California, focuses on the effects of public policy on personal lives. Her hobbies are reading, hiking, and travel.
Maya Alvarez-Galván received her B.A. in Spanish, and M.A. from California State University, Los Angeles. She completed her Ph.D. at USC. She teaches ESL at Mt. San Antonio College. She enjoys traveling with her husband. She is working on a novel focusing on educated Latina women. Contact her at malvarez@mtsac.edu.
A first-generation Mexican-American, Irma Andrade was born in Texas. She is the daughter of migrant workers who settled in southwestern lower Michigan in 1967. She enjoys writing personal essays and memoirs. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, mountain biking and training in the martial arts.
Ellen Batt is Associate Professor of Modern Foreign Languages and Education at Albertson College of Idaho. She teaches English as a Second Language, German, linguistics and courses for teacher certification in ESL, bilingual education and foreign-language education. She enjoys presenting her research on issues surrounding bilingualism and diversity.
Cartoonist Robert Berardi was born in 1968 in New York. He was educated at University of the Arts, Philadelphia. In 1999, Robert created No Rodeo, the first comic strip to star a Latina. Today No Rodeo can be seen on PreteenPlanet.com, Chicken Soup for the Soul's website for kids ages 9-13.
Carlos R. Bermúdez, born and raised in Puerto Rico, graduated from La Salle University in Philadelphia with a B.A. in English and Communications. After writing for a number of television shows in Hollywood, most recently, he co-created and was executive producer of the hit comedy series Los Beltrán, produced by Columbia Tristar.
Juan Blea holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from the College of Santa Fe. He works as a system analyst in Santa Fe and is working on completion of a Master of Science degree, specializing in Cognitive Science. He is an avid reader and has written two books, Under the Same Sky and Butterfly Warrior. He can be reached at juanblea@sprintpcs.com.
Michele Capriotti received her Bachelor of Arts from California State University Long Beach, and her Master of Arts in TESOL from Azusa Pacific University. After teaching for over twenty years, she is now a Title 1 Reading Specialist and a writer of children's books. She is currenly finishing a new children's book, Rosalie's Great Big Enormously Huge Shoes. She loves to travel and spend time with family, especially with her nephew Max.
Michele Carlo, a native New Yorker, a Nuyorican and a natural redhead, is a writer/performer whose work appears in New York City as a soloist, as comic character Carmen Mofongo and as a storyteller with The MOTH. Her novella about growing up as a redheaded Latina will be completed in 2005.
Angela Cervantes received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Kansas. She credits her family and childhood in Kansas for most of her inspiration to write. Angela currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri, where she writes a monthly column for KC Hispanic News, sits on the board of The Writers' Place and pigs out on queso fundido every chance she gets.
Zulmara Cline is an inspirational writer for Latinas/os, publishing many articles dealing with voice, biculturalism and living in two worlds. As an associate professor at Cal State San Marcos, Dr. Cline is also a scholar practitioner, writing extensively in the areas of literacy, diversity and multicultural education. She lives in San Marcos with her family. She can be reached at zcline@csusm.edu.
Jose (Joe) Colón was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, of Puerto Rican descent and is proud of his island heritage. He has been involved in the arts for more than twenty-four years, acting, singing and writing for mostly community events and projects. This will be his first foray into publishing, and he is thrilled to be published among other Latinos who are sharing their own stories of struggle, love, culture and transition.
Randy Cordova, a third-generation Mexican-American, lives in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a features reporter at The Arizona Republic, where he covers stories connected to the entertainment industry. He's a graduate of Arizona State University and a member of the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. He lives five minutes away from his brother. E-mail Randy at rrc1230@aol.com.
Cristina Cornejo received her Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University in 2003. She currently works for a nonprofit organization specializing in the production of public service advertisements. Cristina is also working to attain her Master of Arts in Communication from Johns Hopkins University. Please e-mail her at cristina_cornejo@hotmail.com.