Jorge Argueta

Jorge Argueta (born in El Salvador and a Pipil Nahua) is a Salvadoran award-winning poet and author of many highly acclaimed bilingual children's books and short stories, covering themes related to Latino culture and traditions, nature, and the immigrant experience. He immigrated to the United States in the 1980s during the Salvadoran Civil War. He spent time in the city helping his parents run a small restaurant as well as in the countryside, helping his grandparents tend to their farm. He left El Salvador when he was 19 years old due to the ongoing Salvadoran Civil War. He has written numerous children's books, short stories as well as poems that have been included in textbooks and anthologies. His children's books are written in poetry form, in two languages (English and Spanish), and reflect the Latino experience and heritage; he also writes about the Nahuat Pipil and their deep appreciation and respect for nature. His adult poems cover themes of the hardships of growing up in El Salvador during wartime and the difficulties experienced by immigrants in the United States. 2002 Skipping Stones Honor Award for Multicultural Literature, A Movie In My Pillow 2003 Américas Award for Children & Young Adult Literature – Commendation, Xochitl and the Flowers/Xochitl, la niña de las flores 2004 Independent Publisher Book Award Multicultural Fiction Juvenile/Young Adult – Finalist, Xochitl and the Flowers/Xochitl, la niña de las flores 2005 NAPPA Gold Award – Preschool/Kindergarten, Moony Luna/Luna, Lunita, Lunera Tiki Bob Publishing (San Francisco, CA), 1991.

Corazón del barrio/Heart of the neighborhood: poems, Manic D Press (San Francisco, CA), 1994.

En carne propia / Flesh Wounds, Arte Público Press (Houston, TX), 2017.