I’ve always been a writer, but a published author, of children’s books? That was something other folks did. It means that a dream that I never let myself dream as a young person became a reality. I strongly believe that reading and writing poetry makes stronger prose writers. Even Gabi, a Girl in Pieces was a novel in verse at first. cummings and his work did the same thing for me-it opened up my mind to the possibilities of language and white space. Laing, my teacher, had us write a Halloween story and I remember how my imagination just took off and how good that felt. In fifth grade, though, is when I really began to know what it meant to write a story. My mom and dad still have poems I wrote for them when I was in first or second grade saved. I think I probably started writing around this time. Amelia Bedelia stands out because my mom and I enjoyed the silliness and would laugh so hard. She’d get home and we’d shower, put on our pajamas, then sit on our couch to read.

As a little girl, my mom would read to me on her nights off from working in a convalescent hospital kitchen. Words and stories have always been a part of my life, whether oral or written. LA Libros Fest will take place at the Los Angeles Central Library on September 28, 2019, from 11 a.m. Celebrating oral traditions, the festival will feature stories and music from Latin America-including México, Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia-and the United States. Isabel will be one of the featured authors at the Los Angeles Libros Festival, a free bilingual book festival for the whole family. My Papi Has a Motorcycleis her first picture book for children. Morris Award for Debut YA, the California Book Award Gold Medal, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. The book has received several awards, including the William C. Her first novel Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, is an honest exploration of contemporary Latina identity. She lives and writes in the Inland Empire of Southern California. Isabel Quintero is a writer and the daughter of Mexican immigrants.

Photographic by Isabel Quintero