Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 43 (2022) Winner
Javier Zamora
ハビエル・サモラ
Javier Zamora
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1990-01-01 （San Luis La Herradura, El Salvador）
- Nationality
- Salvadoran
- Languages
- English, Spanish, Salvadoran Spanish (Caliche)
- Residence History
- San Luis La Herradura, El Salvador → Berkeley, California, USA → New York City, New York, USA → Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (Radcliffe Institute fellow)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Memoirist, Activist, Educator
- Active Years
- 2011-
- Affiliations
- Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (Harvard University), Wallace Stegner Fellowship (Stanford University), CantoMundo, Undocupoets (co-founder)
- Influenced By
- June Jordan (educational influence)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Branson School | — | — | — | — | United States |
| University of California, Berkeley | — | History | BA | — | United States |
| New York University | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | — | United States |
The Branson School
Country:
United States
High school (alma mater)
University of California, Berkeley
History
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Taught in June Jordan's Poetry for the People program
New York University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Earned an MFA in creative writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Whiting Fellowship | — | — | Whiting Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2022 | LA Times–Christopher Isherwood Prize | Solito: A Memoir | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
| 2023 | PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award | Solito: A Memoir | — | PEN Oakland | 受賞 |
| — | Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship | — | — | Poetry Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Narrative Prize | Sonoran Song (and related poems) | — | Narrative Magazine | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Wallace Stegner Fellowship | — | — | Stanford University | フェローシップ |
| 2016 | Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award | — | — | Barnes & Noble | 受賞 |
Whiting Fellowship
2024
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
受賞
LA Times–Christopher Isherwood Prize
2022
Work:
Solito: A Memoir
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
2023
Work:
Solito: A Memoir
Organization:
PEN Oakland
Result:
受賞
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship
Organization:
Poetry Foundation
Result:
受賞
Narrative Prize
2017
Work:
Sonoran Song (and related poems)
Organization:
Narrative Magazine
Result:
受賞
Wallace Stegner Fellowship
2016
Organization:
Stanford University
Result:
フェローシップ
Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award
2016
Organization:
Barnes & Noble
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 44 (2023) Winner
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 33 (2023) Winner
Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 39 (2024) Winner
Works
Major Works
Nueve Años Inmigrantes / Nine Immigrant Years
2012 Poetry (chapbook)A chapbook of poems reflecting on childhood migration and separation from family.
MigrationFamilyChildhood
Unaccompanied
2017 PoetryA poetry collection addressing solitary migration, border crossings, and family separation and recovery.
BorderSolitudeMemory
Solito: A Memoir
2022 Memoir / NonfictionA memoir recounting a nine-week journey across Guatemala, Mexico, and the Sonoran Desert, telling the story of a child's solitary migration and survival.
Immigrant journeySurvivalChildhood perspective
Bibliography
- Nueve Años Inmigrantes / Nine Immigrant Years
- Unaccompanied
- Solito: A Memoir
- Contributions to anthologies (e.g., Ghost Fishing)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Lyrical realism rooted in immigrant experienceBilingual expression weaving English and Spanish (and regional dialect)
- Recurring Motifs
- Borders and the desertFamily separation and reunionBirds and nature as motifs of healing
Legacy
Highly regarded for poetry and memoirs about immigrant experiences, recipient of multiple fellowships and major awards. Solito became a New York Times bestseller and Zamora is recognized as an important voice in contemporary immigrant literature.
Academic Societies
- CantoMundo
Archives
- Works and profiles archived at Poetry Foundation and similar online archives
In Popular Culture
- Solito listed as a New York Times bestseller
Quotes
-
"You're really forced into the MFA program, after which you go out and try to find a fellowship and, ideally, a book... It's been a trend, and numerous pieces have been written about how the MFA route is problematic since it excludes many individuals of color."
Source: Poets & Writers (interview) (2015)
Trivia
- Married writer Jo Blair Cipriano in 2022.
- Migrated alone to the United States at age nine to join family.
- Recipient of multiple fellowships, including Stegner, Radcliffe, and Ruth Lilly.