Elizabeth Acevedo

Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths is a collection of folkloric poems centered on the historical, mythological, gendered and geographic experiences of a first generation American woman. From the border in the Dominican Republic, to the bustling streets of New York City, Acevedo considers how some bodies must walk through the world as beastly beings. How these forgotten myths be both blessing and birthright. Finalist, Vinyl 45 Chapbook Contest, 2015 Honorable Mention, The Eric Hoffer Chapbook Award, 2017

In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives. Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people… In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

Quando a vida te dá amor e canela, a magia não tarda a acontecer. Desde que engravidou aos 14 anos, a vida de Emoni Santiago tem sido baseada em tomar decisões difíceis — uma delas foi pôr de lado o seu sonho — e fazer o que tem que ser feito para melhorar as vidas da sua filha e da sua abuela. O único lugar onde se permite ser livre é na cozinha. Lá, desliga o cérebro, ouvindo a sua intuição e acrescentando algo mágico a cada prato. Nas suas mãos, os sabores e as especiarias transformam-se em iguarias incomparáveis. Emoni sempre sonhou em tornar-se uma grande chef de cozinha, mas sabe que não vale a pena perder tempo a perseguir o impossível. No entanto, apesar das regras que fez para a sua vida — e as regras de todos os outros, que se recusa a seguir —, quando a sua escola começa a oferecer aulas de Arte Culinária, Emoni vê uma oportunidade de pôr em prática o talento que possui e, quem sabe, encontrar a força de que precisa para realizar o seu sonho. Da vencedora do National Book Award, chega uma história emocionante de uma rapariga com talento, orgulho e com uma voz que não se deixará ficar silenciada.

Camino vit en République dominicaine, Yahaira à New York. Elles n'ont jamais entendu parler l'une de l'autre. Quand un avion reliant New York à la République dominicaine s'abîme en mer, leurs mondes entrent en collision. Mais en endeuillant leurs familles, le crash expose au grand jour un terrible secret. Alors que leurs vies volent en éclats, Camino et Yahaira découvrent l'existence l'une de l'autre. Et si elles avaient bien plus que ce drame en commun ?

Una de las primeras cosas que le preguntas a alguien es dónde vive. El lugar del que provenimos deja su huella en nosotros, y si sabes leer las señales de un lugar, sabes un poco más de una persona.» Desde que Emoni Santiago se quedó embarazada durante el segundo año de instituto, su vida se ha reducido a tomar decisiones difíciles y hacer lo mejor posible para su hija y para su abuela. Pero el único lugar en el que puede olvidarse de todo es en la cocina: allí permite que sus manos le digan qué cocinar, sigue su intuición y agrega una pequeña pizca de magia en cada receta, lo que convierte su comida en una maravilla absoluta. Aunque siempre ha soñado con trabajar en una cocina después de su graduación, Emoni sabe que no vale la pena perseguir lo inalcanzable. Y aunque ha creado muchas reglas para su vida —y para la de los demás, aunque se niegue a seguirlas—, una vez que empieza a cocinar, la única opción es dejar fluir su talento. De la autora de Poet X, novela ganadora del National Book Award, llega una deslumbrante historia sobre una chica talentosa, orgullosa, y un viaje que hará que su magia continúe brillando.

Aos 17 anos, no último ano escolar, Emoni Santiago não sabe bem o que fazer depois que se formar. Com uma filha bebê para criar, acredita que sua vida não tenha muito espaço para sonhos. Por isso, Emoni segue uma rotina com regras rígidas, fazendo o que quer que precise ser feito pelo bem de sua abuela e de Nenezinha. A cozinha é o único lugar em que Emoni se permite ser livre. Em suas receitas, ela coloca um toque especial de seus sentimentos, e quem prova seus pratos garante que são mágicos. Quando sua escola passa a oferecer aulas de culinária, Emoni se vê balançada quanto aos planos para o futuro. E, embora saiba que não vale a pena perder tempo perseguindo o impossível, ela se rende à cozinha e entende que sua única escolha é deixar o talento fluir.

From bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes her first novel for adults, the story of one Dominican-American family told through the voices of its women as they await a gathering that will forever change their lives. Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake--a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she's led--her sisters are surprised. Has Flor forseen her own death, or someone else's? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila. But Flor isn't the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband's infidelity, but she must now confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor's wake motivates this driven woman to solve her sibling's problems. Camila is the youngest sibling, and often the forgotten one, but she's decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own: Yadi is reuniting with her first love, who was imprisoned when they were both still kids; Ona is married for years and attempting to conceive. Ona must decide whether it's worth it to keep trying--to have a child, and the anthropology research that's begun to feel lackluster. Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo's inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces--one family's journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come.

They tell me to “fix” my hair. And by fix, they mean straighten, they mean whiten; but how do you fix this shipwrecked history of hair? In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad—the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance. Paired with full-color illustrations by artist Andrea Pippins in a format that will appeal to fans of Mahogany L. Browne’s Black Girl Magic or Jason Reynolds’s For Everyone, this poem can now be read in a vibrant package, making it the ideal gift, treasure, or inspiration for readers of any age.

They tell me to "fix" my hair. And by fix, they mean straighten, they mean whiten; but how do you fix this shipwrecked history of hair? In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpr-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad--the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance. Paired with full-color illustrations by artist Andrea Pippins in a format that will appeal to fans of Mahogany L. Browne's Black Girl Magic or Jason Reynolds's For Everyone, this poem can now be read in a vibrant package, making it the ideal gift, treasure, or inspiration for readers of any age.

Xiomara Batista se siente ignorada e incapaz de ocultarse en Harlem. Desde que su cuerpo se volvió curvilíneo, aprendió a dejar que sus puños y su rudeza hablaran por ella. Pero X tiene mucho para decir, por eso descarga su frustración en las páginas de un cuaderno y recita las palabras para sí misma como si fueran plegarias, especialmente después de verse invadida por fuertes sentimientos hacia un chico de la clase de Biología. Ante la determinación de «mami» de forzarla a obedecer las leyes de la iglesia, X comprende que es mejor guardarse sus pensamientos. Cuando la invitan a unirse al club de poesía slam de su escuela, sabe que no podrá hacerlo y mucho menos decir sus palabras en voz alta, a no ser que logre evadir las reglas de mami. Pero aun así no puede dejar de pensar en interpretar sus poemas frente a un público. En alzar su voz. Porque, a pesar de que el mundo no quiera escucharla, Xiomara se niega a permanecer en silencio.

Dans un monde qui ne veut pas l'entendre, elle refuse de rester silencieuse. Harlem. Xiomara a 15 ans et un corps qui prend plus de place que sa voix : bonnet D et hanches chaloupées. Contre la rumeur, les insultes ou les gestes déplacés, elle laisse parler ses poings. Étouffée par les préceptes de sa mère (pas de petit ami, pas de sorties, pas de vagues), elle se révolte en silence. Personne n'est là pour entendre sa colère et ses désirs. La seule chose qui l'apaise, c'est écrire, écrire et encore écrire. Tout ce qu'elle aimerait dire. Transformer en poèmes-lames toutes ses pensées coupantes. Jusqu'au jour où un club de slam se crée dans son lycée. L'occasion pour Xiomara, enfin, de trouver sa voix.

Emoni a de l'or au bout des doigts. Entre ses mains, saveurs et épices composent des plats incomparables. Mais Emoni a aussi une petite fille de 2 ans, et elle jongle entre son rôle de jeune mère, les cours au lycée et le travail le soir pour aider sa grand-mère à payer les factures. Emoni a 17 ans, et elle ne pense pas qu'elle pourra continuer ses études, ni devenir cheffe dans un restaurant. Dans sa vie faite de responsabilités, il n'y a pas de place pour rêver. L'ouverture dans son lycée d'un nouveau cours d'arts culinaires pourrait bien lui permettre de déployer son talent et de trouver la force en elle d'accomplir son rêve...

Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth. Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award longlist title The Poet X comes a dazzling novel in prose about a girl with talent, pride, and a drive to feed the soul that keeps her fire burning bright. Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

This journal is for the dreamers. The poets. The writers who don’t yet know that they are writers, but know that they have plenty to say. Featuring lines from Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X among its lined pages, this full-color, beautifully designed journal is perfect for readers, long-time writers, those trying their hand at poetry, or anyone with a voice all their own. Let Xiomara’s verses spark your own inspiration, as you pour your own thoughts and feelings onto the pages—and write the words you need most.