Winners of the 2018 Troncoso Reading Prizes

Thank you Derek Najera, branch manager, and the entire staff of the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library for your work on behalf of the annual Troncoso Reading Prizes. On February 20th, we held the ceremony to present the winners with certificates of achievement and gift cards from Barnes and Noble. I also gave each student a signed copy of one of my books.

This year we held the event at the Pavo Real Recreation Center next door, because the branch library is undergoing renovations, including tripling the size of their parking space, new carpeting, new circulation desk, and even a new paint job for the exterior. These changes are so exciting, and the renovated Troncoso Branch Library will reopen in May of 2019.

The 2018 winners of the Troncoso Reading Prizes are: Leo Rivera and Brianna Moreno (1st place), Marisol Ramirez and Judy Aguirre (2nd place), and Adrian Vizcarra (not in photo) and Daniel Owen (3rd place).

What impressed me about this year's winners was how friendly and outgoing and engaging all the students were. I talked about how important reading was for me, as a kid from Ysleta, and how essential public libraries were to improve my concentration, to apply the good family values I learned from my parents about working hard and pushing myself to get better. The El Paso Public Library was where I learned to satisfy that intellectual hunger for ideas and stories, and I could see that hunger and focus in all of these students. Each of them reminded me of who I was many years ago. I love this community, and I will keep returning to Ysleta to award these prizes every year and to talk to these families about how they can educate themselves and their children to gain a voice, to reach their goals, and to return and help others.

Every year, we award prizes for students who read the most books between September 15-November 15. (This was our regular schedule before the library renovation, and we will probably go back to it in 2019.) The prizes are awarded only to students within the geographical area covered by the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library.

First Place receives a $125.00 gift card.
Second Place receives a $100.00 gift card.
Third Place receives a $75.00 gift card.

All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded.

Librarians at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library register readers during the eligible period of the prizes. The library staff administers the prizes and makes final decisions on all the prizewinners.

If you have any questions or to register for the 2019 prizes, please contact the library staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library, 9321 Alameda Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79907. Telephone: 915-858-0905.

Pen Parentis Reading, February 12, 7 PM

I will be reading with Sonja Curry Johnson and Viktoria Peitchev at Pen Parentis in New York City: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 7 PM, The Hideout at Killarney Rose (80 Beaver Street). 

What does it mean to be displaced? How do the children of displaced persons feel about their national identity?

In continued celebration of their Tenth Anniversary of Literary Salons in Lower Manhattan, Pen Parentis presents three authors, who will read on the theme of displacement. Q&A will follow, centering around work-life balance. All authors presented at Pen Parentis are also parents - the series aims to shatter the stereotype of what parents write by presenting the creative diversity of high quality work by professional writers who have kids.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Three-Notable-Authors-Discuss-Displacement-During-Happy-Hour-In-FiDi-20190117

Texas Institute of Letters: Literary Contests

The Texas Institute of Letters literary contests are now open with prizes totaling more than $22,000. Deadline is January 15, 2019.

Twelve categories:

• Jesse H. Jones Award for Fiction

• Carr P. Collins Award for Nonfiction

• Sergio Troncoso Award for Best Work of First Fiction

• Ramirez Scholarly Book Award

• Helen C. Smith Award for Poetry

• John A. Robertson Award For Best First Book Of Poetry

• Edwin "Bud" Shrake Award for Short Nonfiction

• Kay Cattarulla Short Story Award

• Fred Whitehead Award for Design of a Trade Book

• Jean Flynn Best Middle-Grade Book Award

• Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult Book Award

• Texas Institute of Letters Best Children's Picture Book Award

Eligibility for the awards requires that the author be born in Texas or have lived in Texas for at least five consecutive years at some time. A work whose subject matter substantially concerns Texas is also eligible. Download the PDF below to fill out form for contest entry and to send work to judges.

http://www.texasinstituteofletters.org/awards/2018-contest-details.pdf

San Antonio, April 7, 2018

I'll be in San Antonio this weekend (4/6-4/7) for the Texas Institute of Letters' annual meeting and the San Antonio Book Festival. See you there!

SATURDAY APRIL 7, 9-10:30 am
Breakfast / New Member Readings
@ The Menger Hotel Ballroom. TIL Secretary Sergio Troncoso will be our emcee and he’ll also recognize the winners of our children’s book awards.

SATURDAY APRIL 7, 11:15 AM-12:15 PM
San Antonio Book Festival, Latino Collection Resource Center (in Central Library, 600 Soledad), Sergio Troncoso, Moderator, for Texas Institute of Letters: New Member Readings, with Daniel Chacón, Sasha Pimentel, José Antonio Rodríguez.

www.TexasInstituteofLetters.org

Winners of the 2017 Troncoso Reading Prizes

Thank you Maria Manigbas, branch manager, and the staff of the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library for administering the annual Troncoso Reading Prizes. Yesterday we presented the winners with certificates of achievement and gift cards from Barnes and Noble. The winners also received two signed copies of my books.

Below are photos with the winners, library staff, parents, and teachers who attended the event. I am so excited to do it again next year and to keep encouraging students in our community to read. We also discussed college preparation, strategies for applying, different colleges to consider, and how to prepare students to be thinking and getting ready for higher education. I loved all the questions the audience had, and I hope we can continue these conversations in the future with more community events.

Winners of 2017 Troncoso Reading Prizes:

5-8th grade category:
1st Place: Aaron Avila, LeBarron Elementary School
2nd Place: Savannah Vega, LeBarron Elementary School
3rd Place: Edgar Aragon, LeBarron Elementary

9-12th grade category:
1st Place: Amber Esperanza Madrid, Valle Verde Early College High School
2nd Place: Katya Neida Compian, Del Valle High School
3rd Place: Amy Ruby Diaz, Ysleta Middle School

Every year, we award prizes for students who read the most books between September 15-November 15. The prizes are awarded only to students within the geographical area covered by the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library.

First Place receives a $125.00 gift card.
Second Place receives a $100.00 gift card.
Third Place receives a $75.00 gift card.

All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded in the two categories every year.

Runners-up and students who read at least ten books also receive certificates of participation. Individual schools also receive certificates of appreciation. This year: LeBarron Elementary School, Lancaster Elementary School, Ysleta Middle School, Del Valle High School, Valle Verde Early College High School, and El Paso Academy East.

Librarians at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library register readers during the eligible period of the prizes. The library staff administers the prizes and makes final decisions on all the prizewinners.

If you have any questions or to register next year, please contact the library staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library, 9321 Alameda Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79907. Telephone: 915-858-0905.