May 20, 2004 2003 Americas Awards for Children's and Young Adult Literature to Be Presented at the Library on June 11

The Hispanic Division and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will host the 11th annual Américas Awards for Children's and Young Adult Literature at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 11, in the second floor Southeast Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., in Washington, D.C.

The event, co-sponsored by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs/(CLASP) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and can be made through the Library's Hispanic Division, (202) 707-3702.

The two award winners, author Judith Ortiz Cofer and illustrator Yuyi Morales, will make brief presentations and sign books after the program.

The Américas Award recognizes outstanding U.S. works of fiction, poetry, folklore or selected nonfiction (from picture books to works for young adults) published in the previous year "that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean or Latinos in the United States."

Judith Ortiz Cofer will be honored for her book "The Meaning of Consuelo" (N.Y.: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003). A native of Puerto Rico, she is a poet, novelist and essayist and the recipient of several awards, particularly for her nonfiction. She was among the 80 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets who participated in the 2003 National Book Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Illustrator Yuyi Morales, who lives in San Francisco, will be honored for her book "Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book" (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2003). She was born and raised in Veracruz, Mexico, and is an artist, puppet master and folk dancer. Her first book, "Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez," with text by Kathleen Krull, was a Junior Literary Guild selection.

More information about the Américas Award and CLASP can be found on its Web site at www.uwm.edu/Dept/CLACS.

The Hispanic Division, established in 1939, is the Library's center for the study of the cultures and societies of Latin America, the Caribbean, the Iberian Peninsula and other areas where Spanish and Portuguese influence have been significant.

The Center for the Book, established in 1977 as a public-private partnership, uses the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. For information about its projects and publications and the activities of its affiliates in 50 states and the District of Columbia, consult its Web site at www.loc.gov.