American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (1988) Winner
Jimmy Santiago Baca
ジミー・サンティアゴ・バカ
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1952-01-02 （Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Memoirist, Screenwriter
- Active Years
- 1979-
- Affiliations
- Cedar Tree, Inc.
- Influenced By
- Denise Levertov, Will Inman
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | American Book Award (Poetry) | Martin & Meditations on the South Valley | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1989 | Hispanic Heritage Award (Literature) | — | — | Hispanic Heritage Foundation | 受賞 |
| — | Pushcart Prize | — | — | Pushcart Press | 受賞 |
American Book Award (Poetry)
1987
Work:
Martin & Meditations on the South Valley
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
Hispanic Heritage Award (Literature)
1989
Organization:
Hispanic Heritage Foundation
Result:
受賞
Pushcart Prize
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Immigrants in Our Own Land
1979 PoetryAn early collection of poems reflecting youthful experience and community; contains autobiographical elements.
IdentityCommunity
Martin & Meditations on the South Valley
1987 Epic poem / Semi-autobiographical poetryA semi-autobiographical long poem set in the South Valley, dealing with family, violence, and redemption.
RedemptionFamilyPoverty
A Place to Stand
2001 MemoirA memoir chronicling his troubled youth and five-year imprisonment that led to personal transformation through writing.
Personal transformationEducationPrison experience
Adaptations
- [Film] A Place to Stand / Daniel Glick (2014)
Bibliography
- Immigrants in Our Own Land (1979)
- Poems Taken from My Yard (1986)
- Martin & Meditations on the South Valley (1987)
- Working in the Dark: Reflections of a Poet of the Barrio (1992)
- A Place to Stand (2001)
- C-Train and Thirteen Mexicans: Dream Boy's Story (2002)
- A Glass of Water (2009)
Adaptations
- Blood In Blood Out (screenplay) / Blood In Blood Out (film, 1993)
- A Place to Stand (film, 2014, dir. Daniel Glick)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Colloquial, direct dictionAutobiographical, conversational voice
- Recurring Motifs
- Prison and its memoriesMexican-American communityRedemption and rebirth
Legacy
Regarded as a symbol of self-education and artistic redemption, Baca has influenced Hispanic-American literature and prison-education initiatives; his poetry and memoirs have received international recognition.
Archives
- Library of Congress — Hispanic Division recording archive (recorded November 21, 2004)
In Popular Culture
- Influenced popular culture through his screenplay for the film Blood In Blood Out, in which he also appeared and helped produce.
Quotes
-
I am offering this poem to you.
Source: Poem "I Am Offering This Poem" (1979)
Trivia
- Abandoned by his parents as a child; spent time in orphanages and on the streets.
- Convicted at 21 for drug possession; learned to read and write in prison and began writing poetry there.
- Sold poems to fellow inmates in exchange for cigarettes.
- Founded Cedar Tree, Inc. in 2004 to support literary workshops for inmates and at-risk youth.
- Wrote the screenplay for the film Blood In Blood Out (1993) and appeared in/produced the film.