Latinx Writers' Weekend 2023: Closing Address featuring Rio Cortez

Come celebrate the conclusion of GrubStreet's Latinx Writers' Weekend 2023 with a free closing address featuring acclaimed poet and bestselling picture book author Rio Cortez, joined in conversation by author Camille Gomera-Tavarez.

This moderated conversation will address Cortez's work as a writer in multiple genres, and her experience preserving, transforming, and passing down Black and Afrolatinx historical experiences for youth and adult audiences. In her debut poetry collection, Golden Ax, longlisted for the National Book Award, Cortez explores the legacy of her ancestors, some of the earliest Black pioneers to settle in the western United States after Reconstruction, interspersed with contemporary cultural commentary and visions of liberatory future Afropioneerism. Her bestselling picture book The ABCs of Black History introduces young readers to key names, moments, and places in Black history. 

An audience Q&A and book signing will follow.

Come join the fun! Please make sure to pre-register!

Virtual viewers can register for the Crowdcast livestream here!

About the Authors

Rio Cortez is the New York Times bestselling author of picture books The ABCs of Black History (Workman, 2020) and The River Is My Sea (S&S, 2024). Her debut poetry collection, Golden Ax, was longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award for Poetry and the Pen America Open Book Award, and was a finalist for Poetry Society of America's Norma Farber First Book Award. It is available now from Penguin Books.

Camille Gomez-Tavera is an Afro-Dominican writer, designer, and creative from New Jersey. She has a BFA in Graphic Design & Creative Writing from the Maryland Institute College of Art and is currently based in Philadelphia, PA. High Spirits is her debut book.

About Writers' Weekends

Twice this year, GrubStreet will host Writers' Weekends to celebrate and highlight the work of diverse communities within the writing world. Each Writers' Weekend will feature special events — readings, craft sessions, keynotes, parties, and more — to explore how writing intersects with identity, culture, and society. Our inaugural Latinx Writers' Weekend is taking place June 2-4, and we're thrilled to have a weekend of programming open to the whole community that amplifies and celebrates the voices of Latinx writers.  

Event Format

This event will take place in-person at our Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport neighborhood. 

Covid-19 Update:

GrubStreet's space will be mask optional when Boston's Covid-19 Community Level is low or medium. When the Covid-19 Community Level is high, our space will require masks. Please check GrubStreet's Covid-19 page for the latest info on masking and Community Levels before visiting in-person.