Writing My Bilingual Story: An Interview with Author and Illustrator Eric Velasquez

Author and illustrator, Eric Velasquez earned his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and has illustrated over 30 children’s books. The many awards he has won include the NAACP Image Award and the Coretta-Scott King/John Steptoe Award. Eric has also authored and illustrated “Grandma’s Records”, inspired by his remembrances of Cortijo y Su Combo, a once-popular Latino music orchestra. Its follow-up title, Grandma’s Gift, won the 2011 Pura Belpre Award for illustration. His latest work, Octopus Soup, has been translated and is now available in Spanish. The son of Afro-Puerto Rican parents, Eric was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in Harlem. His heritage and dual cultural experiences have given him a rich and unique cultural perspective that comes through in his work, and in how he lives his life. Listen in...