Diane Gonzales Bertrand is a writer who grabbed inspiration from her many roles as daughter, wife, mother, and teacher. Although she has written stories and poems since childhood, it was her decision to study writing in graduate school at Our Lady of the Lake University that created an avenue for publication. As she read and studied literature from international authors, she gained confidence to write about her own Mexican-American heritage. She also discovered the editors of Arte Publico Press, who welcomed the style of her familia-friendly novels Sweet Fifteen, Lessons of the Game, and Close to the Heart. Encouraged by Texas librarians and her own two kids, Diane wrote the children’s novel Alicia’s Treasure, and two award-winning novels for middle school students Trino’s Choice, and Trino’s Time. Her published picture books Sip, Slurp, Soup, Soup/ Caldo, Caldo, Caldo, Family, Familia, The Last Doll, Uncle Chente's Picnic, and The Empanadas that Abuela Made have all earned “Best Bilingual Book” recognition from the National Latino Literary Awards. Recently, her first book with Raven Tree Press, My Pal, Victor/Mi amigo Victor earned the 2005 Schneider Family Book Award given by the American Library Association. Her collection of bilingual short fiction, Upside Down and Backwards, earned Honorable Mention in the Paterson Prize for Young Adults and was a finalist for the Writers League of Texas Teddy Book Award for children’s books. New titles include a children’s biography, Ricardo’s Race and a bilingual book for preschoolers, We are Cousins/Somos Primos. Her new novel, The Ruiz Street Kids, (2006) is both bilingual and written for readers 8-11. Diane is Writer-in-Residence at St. Mary’s University where she teaches writing, works with new authors, and continues to develop her own writing projects. She is a native of San Antonio, Texas and grew up in the Woodlawn Lake area.
Dr. Norma Cantú will conduct the workshop Telling to Live: Writing Your Life Story on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 from 10 am – 1 pm. Dr. Cantú currently teaches at the University of Texas at San Antonio with teaching interests in Cultural Studies, Contemporary Literary Theory, Border Studies, Chicano/a and Latina/o Literature & Film, Folklore and Women’s Studies. Dr. Cantú has published articles on a number or academic subjects, as well as poetry and fiction. She has co-edited four books and edited a collection of testimonios by Chicana scientists, mathematicians and engineers. Her award winning Canícula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en la Frontera (University of New Mexico Press, 1997) chronicles her childhood experiences on the border. (LINK GEMINI INK on right)
Diane Gonzales Bertrand is a writer who grabbed inspiration from her many roles as daughter, wife, mother, and teacher. Although she has written stories and poems since childhood, it was her decision to study writing in graduate school at Our Lady of the Lake University that created an avenue for publication. As she read and studied literature from international authors, she gained confidence to write about her own Mexican-American heritage. She also discovered the editors of Arte Publico Press, who welcomed the style of her familia-friendly novels Sweet Fifteen, Lessons of the Game, and Close to the Heart. Encouraged by Texas librarians and her own two kids, Diane wrote the children’s novel Alicia’s Treasure, and two award-winning novels for middle school students Trino’s Choice, and Trino’s Time. Her published picture books Sip, Slurp, Soup, Soup/ Caldo, Caldo, Caldo, Family, Familia, The Last Doll, Uncle Chente's Picnic, and The Empanadas that Abuela Made have all earned “Best Bilingual Book” recognition from the National Latino Literary Awards. Recently, her first book with Raven Tree Press, My Pal, Victor/Mi amigo Victor earned the 2005 Schneider Family Book Award given by the American Library Association. Her collection of bilingual short fiction, Upside Down and Backwards, earned Honorable Mention in the Paterson Prize for Young Adults and was a finalist for the Writers League of Texas Teddy Book Award for children’s books. New titles include a children’s biography, Ricardo’s Race and a bilingual book for preschoolers, We are Cousins/Somos Primos. Her new novel, The Ruiz Street Kids, (2006) is both bilingual and written for readers 8-11. Diane is Writer-in-Residence at St. Mary’s University where she teaches writing, works with new authors, and continues to develop her own writing projects. She is a native of San Antonio, Texas and grew up in the Woodlawn Lake area. 
Dr. Norma Cantú will conduct the workshop Telling to Live: Writing Your Life Story on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 from 10 am – 1 pm. Dr. Cantú currently teaches at the University of Texas at San Antonio with teaching interests in Cultural Studies, Contemporary Literary Theory, Border Studies, Chicano/a and Latina/o Literature & Film, Folklore and Women’s Studies. Dr. Cantú has published articles on a number or academic subjects, as well as poetry and fiction. She has co-edited four books and edited a collection of testimonios by Chicana scientists, mathematicians and engineers. Her award winning Canícula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en la Frontera (University of New Mexico Press, 1997) chronicles her childhood experiences on the border. (LINK GEMINI INK on right)
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