Elizabeth Acevedo
Elizabeth Acevedo is a Dominican-American poet and author. She is the author of the young adult novels "The Poet X", "With the Fire on High", and "Clap When You Land". "The Poet X" is a "New York Times" Bestseller, National Book Award Winner, and Carnegie Medal winner. She is also the winner of the 2019 Michael L. Printz Award, the 2018 Pura Belpre Award, and the Boston-Globe Hornbook Award Prize for Best Children’s Fiction of 2018. She lives in Washington, DC. Early life and education. Acevedo was born of Dominican immigrants and raised in Harlem , New York. She is the youngest child and only daughter. By the age of 12, Acevedo decided she wanted to be a rapper, but then realized what she really wanted to do was perform poetry. She then attended the Beacon School, where she met English teacher Abby Lublin. Lublin recruited Acevedo to join her after-school poetry club to further improve her work. At the age of 14, Acevedo competed in her first poetry slam at the Nuyorican Poets Café, and then participated in open mics around the city, in venues including Bowery Poetry Club and Urban Word NYC. She  earned a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts at George Washington University by designing her own degree using courses in performing arts, English, and Sociology. She then earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at the University of Maryland and served as an adjunct professor for bachelor level creative writing courses. Acevedo taught eighth grade in Prince George's County, Maryland. While coaxing a student to student read more, the student said she wasn't reading because "These books aren't about us.’’ Acevedo realized her students were affected by the lack of diversity in their books and not by their  capabilities. She then bought books that her students could relate to, and realized that she had the power to write such books too. Personal life. Acevedo identifies as Afro-Latina. Although raised Catholic, she no longer practices the religion. Currently, she lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Shakir Cannon-Moye. Acevedo grew up in a conservative and devout household of Catholicism. She went to church every Sunday with her mother and participated in every sacrament. Acevedo does not practice Catholicism anymore, but still considers her relationship with her religion to be developing. She questions the teaching of religion; her  book "With the Fire on High" is influenced by the fact that religion is empowering but "sometimes makes women and young girls question their selves." Career. Following graduation from George Washington University, Acevedo went into the classroom as a 2010 Teach for America Corps participant. She continued on to teach eighth grade English in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Although the school's population was 78% Latino and 20% black, she was the first Latino teacher to teach a core subject. She is a previous National Slam Champion, as well as former head coach for the D.C. Youth Slam Team . She has performed at Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts, South Africa’s State Theatre, Bozar in Brussels, and the National Library of Kosovo. She has also delivered several TED Talks, and her masterful poetry videos have been featured in "Latina Magazine, Cosmopolitan,"the "Huffington Post", and "Upworthy". She is also the author of three young adult novels. "Beastgirl and Other Origin Myths" was published in 2016 and was a finalist for YesYes Chapbook Prize. Her first novel, "The Poet X," was published in 2018. "With the Fire on High" is Acevedo's third novel , released in May 2019. Her fourth, "Clap When You Land", was published in May 2020. It is about two sisters who grow up unaware of each other while living in different countries, but learn of each other after their father dies. The book was a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book. Acevedo is both a CantoMundo fellow and Cave Canem fellow. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming from "Poetry", "Puerto Del Sol", "Callaloo", and "The Notre Dame Review," among others. She also works as a visiting instructor at an adjudicated youth center in Washington, DC, where she works with  incarcerated women and with teenagers. Critical response. The Poet X. "The Poet X" is a "New York Times" Bestseller. The book highlights the struggles of growing up as a Latina girl dealing with her sexuality and religion, and finding her own voice. "Kirkus Reviews" describes "Poet X" as “Poignant and real; beautiful & intense.” Cleyvis Natera's review of "Poet X" for "Aster(ix) Journal" relates to the main character, Xiomara. Natera writes that "Poet X" is relatable to teenage girls dealing with their first love and strict parents that just don't understand, and who are finding themselves or growing into  the person that they’re meant to be. She urges its readers to buy the book. "The Poet X" received the following accolades: With the Fire on High. "With the Fire on High" received the following accolades: Clap When You Land. "Clap When You Land" is a "New York Times" and Indiebound bestseller. It also received "a standing ovation" from Kirkus Reviews. "Clap When You Land" received the following accolades: