The Department of English is excited to announce that Professor Paloma Martinez-Cruz was awarded a silver medal in the Best Biography category at the International Latino Book Awards on October 19. 
 
Martinez-Cruz's biography, Trust the Circle: The Resistance and Resilience of Rubén Castilla Herrera, documents the life of the Columbus activist, who died in 2019. Herrera led key social justice campaigns in Ohio, advocating for immigrants, refugees, farmworkers, and the displaced. Trust the Circle highlights pivotal moments in Herrera's life, from working in agriculture to coming out as queer, and describes his efforts to provide sanctuary for undocumented migrants. 

The International Latino Book Awards are awarded by Empowering Latino Futures, which recognizes excellence in literature through The Latino Book & Family Festivals and The International Latino Book Awards. Each year the ILBA recognizes gold, silver, and bronze awards (as well as honorable mentions) in over 100 categories, honoring books written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese to recognize “the greatness in both Latino writers and in non-Latinos who are writing on Latino topics.”

"Knowing that Rubén's story as a queer Columbus activist with farmworker roots resonates on the national level encourages me to keep writing about Latinx community voices that are often unwelcome in mainstream outlets," stated Martinez-Cruz. “It was challenging in some ways to write about an activist whose deepest skill was listening to others, but I was inspired to share his story and celebrate his circle as a model of resilience and service. As a queer Latino, he represented a new masculinity; a new kind of leadership that was wholly grounded in living his truth while advocating for underserved Ohioans of all colors, creeds, and nationalities. Everyone belonged in his circle, and he had the gift of invoking our most courageous aspects.”

In addition to Professor Martinez-Cruz's award, at the 2024 ILBA ceremony English alum Carlos Kelly (PhD ‘22) was awarded a gold medal for best academic book for Ready Player Juan: Latinx Masculinities and Stereotypes in Video Games (U Arizona P 2023).

Congratulations to Professors Paloma Martinez-Cruz and Carlos Kelly!