Xelena is a sought-after speaker on topics such as radical self love, creative early literacy strategies, inhabiting story through music and movement, and reclaiming indigenous identity in Latinx communities. She is the author of All Around Us/Por Todo Nuestro Alrededor, winner of multiple accolades, including the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, an American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award, and an International Latino Book Award. Other books include her work of visionary fiction Lotería Remedios and the forthcoming titles Where Wonder Grows (Cinco Puntos Press, 2021) and Remembering (Simon & Schuster, 2022).

Presentation Categories

Diversity / Diversity of Thought
Radical Self Love
Latinx/Mexican/Indigenous Culture

“Our schools teach our children how to think, how to behave, how to control their emotions, and move in society. They learn a colonialist version of history and standards of success, in addition to a plethora of subject matters…But no one teaches our children how to love themselves for who they are, for the skin that they’re in. I consider every school visit and every program an opportunity to make amendments for this severe oversight.”

More about Xelena
https://cincopuntos.com/authors/xelena-gonzalez/