 |
| Dr. Emily Aguiló-Pérez. Image: Strong National Museum of Play |
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2020
PHILADELPHIA, PA—
Anansesem, the online magazine and leading publication devoted to covering English-language Caribbean children's and young adult literature, is proud to announce Emily Aguiló-Pérez, Ph.D. as our new Managing Editor. We're very happy to welcome her to the role! Dr. Aguiló-Pérez's appointment as head of the editorial team is a part of our
recently-announced transition from a submission-based publication model to a citizen journalism model.
Anansesem's staff, including its advisory board members, are excited about her expertise and commitment to bringing fresh perspectives to the magazine at this moment of evolution in our 10-year history.
"I’m beyond excited to bring my passion and enthusiasm about children’s and young adult literature to my role as Managing Editor. While my duties are to review and edit submissions from our Country Correspondents, I also hope to contribute some writing from time to time. I cannot wait to start working with an amazing team and to learn from them," stated Dr. Aguiló-Pérez. Read her full introductory message below.
 Emily Aguiló-Perez
Starting in childhood, children’s books have always been such a big part of my life; it’s hard to remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated with them, but I remember the moment I decided to study them. I was finishing up my coursework for my M.A. in English at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez and intended to write my thesis on linguistics, which I absolutely loved, but one day I realized I wanted to study adaptations of one of my favorite books: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Having made this decision, I enrolled in a children’s literature course, and the rest is history.
After completing my M.A., I taught elementary school English in Puerto Rico for a year before moving to the USA in 2012 to pursue my Ph.D. at the Pennsylvania State University. There, I studied children’s literature and children’s and youth cultures and minored in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. My dissertation, titled Tracing Puerto Rican Girlhoods: An Intergenerational Study of Interactions with Barbie and Her Influence on Female Identities, examined the social and cultural impact of experiences with Barbie on women and girls. Currently, I’m finishing my book manuscript on this work.
At present, I’m an assistant professor of English at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where I teach courses on children’s literature, children’s culture, and writing. I’m very passionate about this work, not only in the classroom but in my daily life. I love reading children’s books, especially #OwnVoices titles, and I enjoy making recommendations to anyone who asks. Most of what I share on social media is about children’s literature! My teaching, research, and service work center on identity and representation in children’s books. I've presented research on Puerto Rican and Latinx children’s books at various conferences regionally and internationally, including the Annual International Conference of the Children’s Literature Association (ChLA) and the Biennial Congress of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature (IRSCL). I’ve served on committees for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the Pura Belpré Award, and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book’s “A Baker’s Dozen” initiative. I’m currently a member of the Association for Library Service to Children's (ALSC) Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers Committee and a manuscript reviewer for Research on Diversity and Youth Literature journal.
I’m beyond excited to bring my passion and enthusiasm about children’s and young adult literature to my role as Managing Editor of Anansesem. While my duties are to review and edit submissions from our Country Correspondents, I also hope to contribute some writing from time to time. I cannot wait to start working with an amazing team and to learn from them.
If you want to read some of my work, you can find my essays, book reviews and articles published in Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures journal, Oxford Bibliographies in Childhood Studies, The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children's Books journal, Global Studies of Childhood journal, Children & Society journal, and on the Latinxs in Kid Lit blog. You can listen to me talk about Barbie on this episode of the Knowledge@Wharton podcast and about my experience serving on the Pura Belpré Award committee on this episode of the KidLit These Days podcast.
Education: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State University (Class of 2016)
Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania, but originally from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Favorite Caribbean children’s/YA books: So many! But some of my favorites are My Name is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada, Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise and illustrated by Paola Escobar, Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender, and Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar.
|
# # #
Anansesem is an online magazine of Caribbean children's and young adult literature by adults and children. We strive to bring you the best in news, reviews and creative content from the world of Caribbean children's publishing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment