/ Modified oct 13, 2021 7:22 p.m.

Sonia Manzano created a neighborhood of her own for "Alma's Way".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Tucson literary pioneers Alva B. Torres and Lydia Otero share stories and friendship; and author Larry Dane Brimner

alma's way main hero Set in the Bronx, Alma and her friends help kids recognize their own power to think things through.

Arizona Spotlight

September 30, 2021

NPR
(Download MP3)

Featured on the September 30th, 2021 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, listen to this great lineup of interviews:

  • From 1984 until 1993, Alva B. Torres was a columnist for the Tucson Citizen, specializing in local flavor. The best from these 400+ features are collected in a newly published book called Notitas: Select Columns from the Tucson Citizen, now available in many local bookstores. It was edited by Torres' longtime friend, historian and author Lydia Otero. Otero is currently receiving critical acclaim for their book, In the Shadows of the Freeway: Growing Up Brown & Queer. It received a 2021 Southwest Book Award from the Pima County Public Library. On a recent rainy Saturday, the two writers came together at the Carillo House for a book release party, attended by more than a hundred readers & fans. Producer Andrew Brown spoke with these Tucson literary pioneers.

The Pima County Public Library's LGBTQ+ Services Committee the Nuestras Raíces team present “A Conversation with Lydia Otero”. It’s online Saturday, October 16th.

alva torres and lydia otero unsized VIEW LARGER Former Tucson Citizen columnist Alva B. Torres (left) and author & historian Lydia Otero address the audience at a book release party at the Sosa–Carrillo–Fremont House in downtown Tucson.
Andrew Brown / AZPM
carillo house book release party spotlight Readers and fans gather at the book release party for “Notitas: Select Columns from the Tucson Citizen”, a collection of features written by Alva B. Torres, edited by Lydia Otero.
Andrew Brown / AZPM

Adiba Nelson interviews Sonia Manzano:

  • If you are older than age 6 - and you grew up with a TV - chances are good you remember Sonia Manzano, famous for playing Maria on Sesame Street. For a remarkable 44 years, Manzano was an integral part of Children’s Television Workshop. This fall, she is returning to PBS KIds with her own creation, a new animated series called Alma’s Way. Guest interviewer Adiba Nelson talks with Sonia Manzano about this new adventure.

sonia manzano hero Sonia Manzano has created her own neighborhood to play and learn in, with the new animated series "Alma's Way".
David Gonzalez, courtesy of Fred Rogers Productions

almas way mofungo hero Alma has to use her critical thinking skills to solve problems on "Alma's Way", in this case learning how to make the traditional Puerto Rican dish mofungo without her mom's supervision.
courtesy Fred Rogers Productions

Twelve Days in May Larry Brimner Larry Dane Brimner's 2017 book for young readers about the civil rights movement, "Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961."
Roxyanne Young

without separation book jacket VIEW LARGER Larry Dane Brimner’s newest picture book is “Without Separation: Prejudice, Segregation, and the Case of Roberto Alvarez”, illustrated by Maya Gonzalez and published by Calkins Creek.

without separation pages 11 and 12 hero From “Without Separation: Prejudice, Segregation, and the Case of Roberto Alvarez”, written by Larry Dane Brimner & illustrated by Maya Gonzalez and published by Calkins Creek.

without separation pages 1 and 2 hero From “Without Separation: Prejudice, Segregation, and the Case of Roberto Alvarez”, written by Larry Dane Brimner & illustrated by Maya Gonzalez and published by Calkins Creek.

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