David Bowles is a Mexican American author and translator from south Texas, where he teaches at the University of Texas Río Grande Valley. He has written over two dozen award-winning titles, most notably They Call Me Güero and My Two Border Towns. In 2017, David was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. He now serves as its vice president. In 2019, he co-founded the hashtag and activist movement #DignidadLiteraria, which has negotiated greater Latinx representation in publishing. In 2021, he helped launch Chispa, the Latinx imprint of Scout Comics, for which he serves as co-publisher.
David will be one of the featured authors at the Los Angeles Libros Festival, a free bilingual book festival for the whole family. L.A. Libros Fest will be streamed live on YouTube on Friday, September 23, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The Festival will be in-person at Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, September 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with select Saturday programs streamed live on YouTube.
Our tagline this year is Read, Dream and Celebrate en dos idiomas. How do you think your books and stories help us accomplish this? / El tema del festival este año es Read, Dream and Celebrate (lee, sueña y celebra) en dos idiomas. ¿Cómo crees que tus libros e historias nos ayudan a lograr esto?
What stories inspired you as a young reader? / ¿Cuáles historias te inspiraron cuando eras niño/a?
"I include Spanish in most of my English work and insist that Spanish versions of my books be published alongside the English ones whenever possible. That way, everyone in our community can read these stories and hopefully be inspired to both celebrate who we are and dream of a better future for us all."
"Incluyo español en casi todo lo que escribo en inglés e insisto en que versiones en español de mis libros se publiquen junto con las originales siempre que sea posible. Así toda la gente de nuestra comunidad puede leer estas historias y ojalá sentirse inspirada a no solo celebrar quienes somos sino también soñar con un mejor futuro para todos."
What advice would you give to young writers? / ¿Qué consejo le darías a alguien que aspira a ser escritor?
Books by David Bowles
Una emocionante novela gráfica que sigue las aventuras de un niño mágico de la mitología maya, El ascenso del rey enano es el primer tomo de una serie basada en mitos y leyendas mesoamericanas.