“I feel fortunate to do work that is fun and creative and that serves as a conduit of communication enabling me to share with others the celebration of our imagination and the creative spirit.”

In 1973 artist and writer Nicholasa Mohr published her first award winning novel, Nilda, a work that reflects details of her early life growing up in Bronx tenements during the Second World War. She began her career as an artist, taught art in the public schools, but in the 1970s became enthralled with the written word. Concerned that the American dream was not represented from a Puerto Rican perspective, Mohr proceeded to publish several books for young readers with that focus. In Nueva York (1977) delves into stories about the Lower East Side. Felita, Mohr’s 1979 novel of a young Puerto Rican girl, received the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation in 1981. It describes encounters with discrimination and the value of a diverse society. The novel’s sequel, Going Home, was published in 1986. Considered among the influential Latina writers today, Mohr has continued to explore diversity, gender, multiculturalism, and survival in her work. Her literary contributions were recognized when she received the prestigious Hispanic Heritage Award in 1997.

LINKS
VG University of Minnesota Houghton Mifflin Images