User:Hpalmerh/Hpalmerh/Bertrand

Diane Gonzales Bertrand is a noted author of bilingual (English/Spanish)children's books, most of which have been published by Arte Publico Press in Houston, Texas.

Early Life
Born Diane Gonzalez to Gilbert and Consuelo Gonzales of San Antonio, Texas, on March 12, 1956 in San Antonio, Texas. Bertrand attended Ursuline Academy and graduated in 1972.

College and Early Adulthood
Diane Gonzales Bertrand received her bachelor's degree in English at The University of Texas at San Antonio  in 1979. While attending the university she won the Battle of Flowers Oratorical Contest, a part of Fiesta San Antonio. after earning her degree she taught for two years at St. Paul's School and then at Holy Cross High School, both in San Antonio, Texas. While a student in graduate school at Our Lady of the Lake University  in San Antonio, Bertrand  published two novels aimed at Mexican American teens:   Touchdown for Love and  Close to the Heart , later reprinted by her primary publisher, Arte Publico Press. She graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University with a masters degree in English-Communication Arts in 1992. Since 1992 she has been and instructor in composition, creative writing, and communications at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. She also serves as faculty adviser for the student/faculty/staff literary magazine, Pecan Grove Review. Bertrand is "Writer-in-Residence" at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.

List of Publications

 * Novels
 * The F Factor. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2010
 * The Ruiz Street Kids. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2006
 * Close to the Heart. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2002
 * Trino's Time. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2001
 * Trino's Choice. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1999
 * Lessons of the Game. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1998
 * Alicia's Treasure. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1996
 * Sweet Fifteen. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1995
 * Carousel of Dreams. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1992
 * Close to the Heart. Avalon Books, 1991
 * Touchdown for Love. Avalon Books, 1990


 * Bilingual Picture Books
 * The Party for Papa Luis. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2010
 * We Are Cousins / Somos Primos. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2007
 * Ricardo's Race. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2007
 * Upside Down and Backwards. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2005
 * My Pal, Victor. Raven Tree Press, 2004
 * The Empenadas that Abuela Made. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2003
 * The Last Doll. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2001
 * Uncle Chente's Picnic. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2001
 * Family, Familia. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1999
 * Sip, Slurp, Soup, Soup/Caldo, Caldo, Caldo. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1997

Bertrand's poems have been published in various magazines, including VIA Poetry on the Move, Palo Alto Review, C oncho River Review, English in Texas, and Texas Poetry Calendar (2007). Bertrand's essays have been published in Oblates Magazine, Today's Catholic, Chocolate for a Teen's Heart, and The Ultimate Teacher.
 * Poetry
 * Essays

Awards

 * The Party for Papa Luis/la fiesta para Papa Luis was named to the 2010 Tejas Star Reading List
 * We are Cousins/Somos Primos was Named to 2009 Tejas Star Reading List and awarded second place for Best Bilingual Children’s Book at the Latino Book Awards 2008
 * The Ruiz Street Kids/Los Muchachos de la calle Ruiz won the Best Bilingual Children’s Book Skipping Stones Award for 2007 and the Best Children’s Novel (Bilingual) National Latino Book Awards for 2007, plus was named to 2007 Tejas Star Reading List
 * Upside Down and Backwards won an Honorable Mention in the Paterson Book Award for Young People of 2005 and was a finalist for the Teddy Book Award of the Texas Writers League
 * My Pal Victor (Raven Tree Press 2004) was the winner of the American Library Association's Schneider Family Book Award 2005
 * ''The Empandas that Abuela Made" was the winner of the National Latino Literary Awards' Best Bilingual Children’s Book prize for 2003
 * Uncle Chente’s Picnic was the winner of the 2001 “Reading with Energy” Hispanic Children’s Award El Paso Energy Corporation award and of the 2002 Best Bilingual Children’s Book from National Latino Literary Hall of Fame.
 * Trino’s Time won the Best Young Adult Book (English) award from the National Latino Literary Hall of Fame 2002, was a Finalist for the 2002 Tomas Rivera Book Award for Mexican-American Children’s Literature, a finalist for the 2002 Young Adult Book Award from the Texas Institute of Letters and for the Teddy Award, 2002, from the Texas Writers League
 * Trino’s Choicewas the Book of the Year for the 1999 ForeWord Magazine prize for Young Adult Literature, was winner of the Best Young Adult Book (English) for National Latino Literary Hall of Fame 2000, won the Austin Writer’s League [now the Texas Writers' League] Teddy Award 2000, was selected as a finalist for 2000 Tomas Rivera Book Award for Mexican-American Children’s Literature and was also selected for the Texas Librarians Association 2000-2001 Lone Star Reading List.
 * ''Family, Familia" was winner of the Best Children’s Book (Bilingual) for National Latino Literary Hall of Fame 2000.
 * Lessons of the Gamewas selected for the 2000 New York Public Library Books for Teen Age List.