In conversation with Elisabeth Perez-Luna, contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer and former Executive Producer of Audio Content at WHYY  

The inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress, Marie Arana is the author of the National Book Award finalist American Chica, a memoir about her childhood in Peru and the United States that was praised for its “spareness, clarity, and passion for allegory” (The New York Times Book Review). Her other work includes the novels Cellophane and Lima Nights; a biography of Simon Bolivar that won the 2014 Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Silver, Sword, and Stone, a narrative history of Latin America; and The Writing Life, a collection of her articles for The Washington Post. In Latinoland, Arana employs hundreds of interviews, a prolific body of research, and her own experiences as a Latina to present an encompassing portrait of America’s fastest-growing minority group.

Because you love Author Events, please make a donation to keep our podcasts free for everyone. THANK YOU!

The views expressed by the authors and moderators are strictly their own and do not represent the opinions of the Free Library of Philadelphia or its employees.