Esmeralda Santiago

Esmeralda Santiago is the eldest of eleven children. She came to the United States from rural Puerto Rico at age thirteen. Her family settled in Brooklyn, where she had to learn English and brave her way through an oppressive urban environment, a cold climate, and a challenging new culture. Her transcultural experiences growing up poor and disenfranchised inspires her writing and forms the backbone of three memoirs, three novels, two anthologies, numerous essays, and the children’s book “A Doll for Navidades.”

Upon publication of the ground-breaking memoir “When I was Puerto Rican,” Esmeralda was hailed as “...a welcome new voice, full of passion and authority.” (Washington Post). Her second memoir, “Almost a Woman,” received numerous “Best of Year” mentions and an Alex Award from the American Library Association. Her adaptation of the memoir into a film for PBS Masterpiece Theatre was critically acclaimed and received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. Her third memoir “The Turkish Lover” is about the struggle to leave home and forge an authentic bi-lingual and bi-cultural identity which was described as “an earthy, heartfelt tale of liberation, desperation, and the crippling grip of love” (Booklist). Esmeralda’s first novel, “América's Dream” is described by the Chicago Tribune as “Thrilling and page-turning, the fabulous story of América Gonzalez…is laid out masterfully.” Her epic historical novel “Conquistadora” became a national best seller. Publishers Weekly said that “Santiago brings passion, color, and historical detail to this Puerto Rican Gone With The Wind.”

Esmeralda Santiago graduated Magna cum Laude from Harvard University, earned an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College, and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from four universities. She has served on the boards of The Jacob Burns Film Center, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the PEN American Center, and The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. Esmeralda is passionate about media literacy and encourages her readers to value their experience and tell their own unique stories. She is spokesperson on behalf of public libraries and has traveled the world as a cultural ambassador for the State Department.