Olga Loya
Nationally known Latina storyteller, performance artist, teacher and author, Olga Loya dramatically mixes Spanish and English in books and performances for adult, children and family audiences. Her repertoire demonstrates how diversity embraces the richness of cultures in the commonality and individuality of lives. Loya's stories explore the struggles, complexities, and joys of being bicultural— Mexican American in the United States.
In Loya's August House book Momentos Magicos, or magic moments, sixteen Latino stories are presented in equally vibrant English and Spanish. They include stories of the supernatural, of animals and tricksters, of strong women and myths.
Momentos Magicos won a 1998 Aesop Accolade, the International Reading Association award for young adults. Four trickster tales from Momentos Magicos/Magic Moments will be available on the August House CD, Tio Conejo/Uncle Rabbit coming in the Fall of 2005.
In 2000, Olga's story called "Te Belly Button Monster" was part of a collection called More Ready to Tell Tales from Around the World.
In 2003, her story "Growing up in East Los Angeles" was included in the collection "The Healing Heart-Communities" published by New Society Publishers. In June of 2005, a historical story on California Juana Briones will be published in the Latina Encyclopedia.
Loya has been the recipient of various grants such as California Arts Grant on Tour, California Arts Education Grant, California Council for the Humanities, Artist Council Silicon Valley, Lucille Pachard Foundation and the Brimstone Foundation.
Olga Loya has been a featured teller at the First Latin-American Storytelling Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough. She has appeared at the Ghost Tales in 2001 at the National Storytelling Festival.
She is on the roster of many arts councils, some of which include Los Angeles Music Center Education Division, Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo Children's Creative Project, the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz.
See all titles by Olga Loya.
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