WEBVTT

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Here to introduce
Margarita today

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is one of our teachers from
the matinee program who

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has been working
with some of you

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in your classrooms over
the past few months.

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Please help me to
welcome Rachel Francher

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[APPLAUSE]

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Hello.

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So when I first started
reading Margarita Engle's work,

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I was struck by how well the
personal narratives empowered

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the history behind the stories.

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As a student of
history, I am always

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really excited to see fiction
and poetry take on narratives

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from history, narratives that
let you live through history,

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experience it, not just
read it like we usually

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do in classrooms,
and I think that is

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what Engle's work does so well.

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She lets us live the history
she's presenting to us.

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And that's what history,
fiction, poetry,

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that's what it's all about.

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That's what writing
is all about.

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It's about creating a
dialogue between the reader

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and the writer and
the writing itself.

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So what I enjoyed the
most was the descriptions,

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the little lines that
would get stuck in my head

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when I was reading.

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One of my favorites is from
The Poet Slave of Cuba.

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It's "you'd think we're the
clay of Earth's daylight,

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while they're distant
nights filled with stars."

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These words get stuck
under your skin.

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They make you think, and
they make you wonder.

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And of Engle's 12 books, they've
been awarded lots of honors

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and medals and things like that,
more than I can really ever

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list, but they include
the Newbery Medal,

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which she's the first Latino
American writer to receive,

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the Sidney Taylor Award, and
several, Pura Belpré awards.

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So, please help me to
welcome Margarita Engle.