Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! This year, celebrations for Hispanic Heritage Month take place from September 15th through October 15th. To celebrate and appreciate all of the beautiful culture, tradition, and history that comes from Hispanic heritage, we at Her Campus Gustavus would like to highlight a few of our favorite Latina/o authors!
1. Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz, who was born in the Dominican Republic, is the author of many well-known works such as Drown, This is How You Lose Her, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. His words and storytelling skills have earned him awards and praise including the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award for Oscar Wao. If you pick up any of his books, you can see why he’s so well loved—his stories are raw, relatable, and eloquently told.
2. Pam Muñoz Ryan
Muñoz Ryan is a Mexican American children’s author. Some of her most popular works include Esperanza Rising and Becoming Naomi León. Not only has her writing earned her many literary awards, but her authorship has also led her to receive the National Education Association’s Civil and Human Rights Award, which is absolutely incredible!
3. Sandra Cisneros
Cisneros is a Mexican author whose work The House on Mango Street is read as part of school curricula all across the United States. Her laundry list of accomplishments is nothing short of impressive and her beautiful poetry, short stories, and novels have earned her countless awards and praise, such as the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 1995.
There are so many other Latino/a writers beyond just these that are worth exploring. Meg Medina, Esmeralda Santiago, Jorge Luis Borges, Julia Alvarez, Cristina Garcia, Isabel Allende, and Ernesto Quiñonez are just a few more authors that have truly made a mark on literature through their beautifully crafted works. Be sure to check out one or all of these authors to take part in the celebration this month!