The award-winning author and Afro-Latina mother works to transform the way Latin American culture is portrayed in the literary world

HOUSTON, TX (KTRK) — A young Afro-Latina mother who is a writer and poet is changing the way Latin American culture is represented in the literary world.

Jasmine Mendez is a Dominican-American poet, playwright, and award-winning author of several books for children and adults.

She was discovered by Arte Publico Press at a reading in the library. She has since published hybrid memoirs and a collection of poetry.

She also wrote a picture book for children called Josefina y Sus Habichuelas, a sweet story about family, culture and Dominican traditions. The idea came to her as a young mother and teacher.

“As a teacher, I’ve worked in bilingual classrooms, struggling to find appropriate representation for the students I teach – who looked like them – to find characters and books that represent their lived experiences, and so I wanted a part of change is that,” she said.

Jasmine’s latest YA memoir, Islands Apart: Becoming Dominican American, came out this summer. She also has a collection of poetry entitled City without Alter. It definitely paves the way and opens doors for others.

Jasmine has several projects and other books coming out, but she can’t announce them at the moment.

If you want to know more about her or her books, you can visit her website.

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