 Grab your cafecito and join us for a conversation with Newbery Honor and Pura Belpré Medal Winner Margarita Engle and New York Times Bestselling illustrator Jaqueline Alcántara about their beautiful book Wifredo's Jungle. Margarita and Jaqueline, welcome to this interview with Las Musas! We are eager to learn about your project. Tell us more! Wifredo's Jungle brings to light the life of Cuban artist Wifredo Lam, who portrayed the enduring Afro-Cuban spirit culture through his art.
In a village on the tropical island of Cuba, a boy named Wifredo Lam loved to draw his surroundings—hot blue air, cool green leaves, and brilliant flowers. As he grew older, Lam paid tribute to his Cuban, West African, and Chinese heritage through his art, which brought dignity and respect to Cuba's rich mix of cultures. Inspired by and in contact with some of the most renowned artists of the early 20th century, such as Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and André Breton, Lam blended European cubism and surrealism with multicultural influences to create his own unique style, culminating in the creation of his masterpiece La Jungla (The Jungle). From Margarita Engle, a Newbery Honor Winner and a former Young People’s Poet Laureate, and Jacqueline Alcántara, a New York Times bestselling illustrator, Wifredo’s Jungle introduces young readers to the trailblazing life and work of Wifredo Lam. Back matter includes: more information about the life of Lam and where to see his works; a glossary; and a bibliography.
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 Cover of Flowers For Tia Luz Maria by Cynthia De La Torre Grab your cafecito and join us for a conversation with Cynthia De La Torre about her beautiful book Flowers for Tia Luz María Cynthia, welcome to this interview with Las Musas! We are eager to learn about your project. Tell us more! This beautiful and thoughtful cut-art picture book from debut author-illustrator Cynthia De La Torre, draws on imagery from Dia de los Muertos to gently introduce readers to grieving a relative—with the reminder that memories formed with love are never lost. Cynthia, what inspired you to become a writer? When I was in the 1st grade, our teacher gave us an assignment to write and illustrate our very own books. That experience was life changing. I fell in love with story telling, and, right then and there, I decided that I wanted to be an author illustrator. I was derailed from that goal for a few years, because it seemed unrealistic, but I came back to it after I became a mom. I wrote and illustrated a book for my first baby, after he was born. I became obsessed and knew I couldn’t do anything else. So that’s when I decided to seriously pursue this journey.
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