Latinas & Libros Event | March 17, 2020

In collaboration with the SJSU Chicanx/Latinx Student Success Center, we are so excited to bring together local Latina authors, students, and the community at the third Latinas & Libros event on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at San Jose State University. Join us for an evening to celebrate contributions of Latinas in literature and our Latino heritage. This complimentary event will feature Latina authors sharing their inspirational stories, book signing, Mexican hot chocolate, and pan dulce.

Latinas & Libros Virtual Event

• Date: Tuesday, March 17
• Event Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
• Location: Diaz Compean Student Union Meeting Room 3, San Jose State University, 1 Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192
• Click here to register for event

Meet the panelists:

Featured Author: Linda González

Linda González is the author of the award-winning memoir The Cost of Our Lives. She has published essays in literary journals and books, served as a judge for Latino Books awards, is a contributing editor for aaduna, an online literary magazine, and received her MFA from Goddard College. You can read more of her writing at www.lindagonzalez.net and learn about her thriving practice as a life coach, assisting writers and others to discover and reach their precious goals.

Linda firmly believes in the ‘danger of a single story’ about any group of people. She works tirelessly to write and support writing that enriches the current canon of literature. She constantly challenges the narrative that she cannot include Spanish in her work without explaining it or italicizing it.

Born in Los Angeles, Linda has called the San Francisco Bay Area her home for 30+ years and lives and plays tennis in Marin County. She is still raising and being raised by her beloved millennial twins Teotli and Gina.

Featured Author: Graciela Tiscareño-Sato 

Graciela Tiscareño-Sato served in the active duty Air Force for over 9 years, as military navigator and instructor onboard KC-135 aerial refueling tankers. She’s a graduate of U.C. Berkeley where she attended as an Air Force ROTC scholarship cadet. On her first deployment to Saudi Arabia to patrol the hostile skies over Iraq, Tiscareño and her crew were awarded the Air Medal for meritorious service during combat air operations.

Graciela completed her Master degree in International Business Management during her aviation service, before transitioning into civilian life. She continued to work globally from Silicon Valley as a global marketing manager in two technology industries: telecommunications and solar photovoltaic electronics, for companies headquartered in Germany and Israel.

Today she’s the founder of Gracefully Global Group, a multicultural content creation and publishing company celebrating 10 years in business in 2020. A social entrepreneur and sought-after keynote speaker, she travels the nation teaching AUTHENTIC Personal Branding workshops to military veterans, college students, Latinx community groups, and corporate professionals, teaching attendees how to powerfully communicate their unique value to their target audiences.

A bedtime conversation with Graciela’s youngest child inspired the creation of the now six-time, award-winning, bilingual Good Night Captain Mama: Buenas Noches Capitan Mamá (Spanish Edition) picture book series in which she shares her unusual daughter-of-immigrants-to-military-aviation-service story with children coast-to-coast. A highly-decorated military veteran, Graciela serves veteran organizations, school districts, professional associations and corporate ERGs as a bilingual storyteller.

Recipient of numerous literary and community awards, Graciela is most proud of being honored by The White House as a Champion of Change, Woman Veteran Leader and LatinaStyle Magazine national Entrepreneur of the Year. Latinnovating, her inspirational, award-winning book for young adults, showcases the positive contributions of green economy Latino American entrepreneurs in the USA. She’s completing volume 2 of Latinnovating for publication next year.

Graciela and her fellow trombone-playing Cal Band husband Genro live in Hayward with their three musical teens, one who is blind, hearing impaired and a mariachi guitarron player, and a one year-old Siberian Husky named Yuki.

Featured Author: Martha Hernández 

Martha Hernández is the founder and CEO of madeBOS, Inc., an innovative AI-powered platform designed to provide smart talent development solutions. Martha made a bold move and quit her job as an executive of Talent to invest all her time into madeBOS.com. The idea was to create a technology asset that enables companies to implement highly effective organizational change and performance by inspiring, motivating and empowering employees to stay longer and be more productive through clear and realistic career paths. Martha was one of the first founders to set up a crowdfunding campaign. The campaign quickly surpassed her fundraising goal by more than 200%. A total of 291 investors stood behind madeBOS.com. Currently, madeBOS is backed by Camelback Ventures and is post-revenue.

Martha is an Oakland native and her educational background starts with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Spanish Literature from Occidental College. She later became a graduate of Mills College Institute for Civic Leadership Program, as well as Management Leadership for Tomorrow, and the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. Most recently, Martha completed an AI Business Strategy certification from MIT.

Martha became a best selling co-author. Her book “I Have What it Takes” now at Target, Amazon and Barns & Noble is a combination of stories and principles aimed at igniting underrepresented and underresourced talent’s natural leadership. Martha is a boxing trainee and a talented singer and songwriter. Known as Martha Soledad, she released her first album “Prefiero Mandar en Falda” featuring her own corrido to inspire political action on gender equity and inclusion.