American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 38 (2017) Lifetime Achievement Award
Nancy Mercado
ナンシー・メルカド
Nanshī Merukādo
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1959-12-01 （Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States）
- Nationality
- Puerto Rican
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- Atlantic City (born/early life) → New York City (long-term residence and base of activity) → Binghamton, New York (academic residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Poet, Editor, Educator, Activist
- Active Years
- 1979-
- Memberships
- PEN American Center member
- Influenced By
- Beat Generation poets, Nuyorican movement poets
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | — | Art/Art History and Puerto Rican Studies (double major) | B.A. | 1978–1982 | United States |
| New York University | — | Liberal Studies (concentration in script writing and Cinema Studies) | M.A. | 1987–1989 | United States |
| Binghamton University (State University of New York) | — | English Literature (concentration in creative writing) | Ph.D. | 2000–2004 | United States |
| Yale University School of Drama (left during first semester for financial reasons) | — | Drama | — | 1989 (在籍途中退学) | United States |
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Art/Art History and Puerto Rican Studies (double major)
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1978–1982
Year of Graduation:
1982
Country:
United States
Graduated with a double major
New York University
Liberal Studies (concentration in script writing and Cinema Studies)
Degree:
M.A.
Period:
1987–1989
Year of Graduation:
1989
Country:
United States
Concentration in script writing and cinema studies
Binghamton University (State University of New York)
English Literature (concentration in creative writing)
Degree:
Ph.D.
Period:
2000–2004
Year of Graduation:
2004
Country:
United States
Dissertation: Rooms for the Living: New York Poems
Yale University School of Drama (left during first semester for financial reasons)
Drama
Period:
1989 (在籍途中退学)
Country:
United States
Left toward the end of the first semester due to financial reasons
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | American Book Award (Lifetime Achievement) | — | 生涯功労 | Before Columbus Foundation (organizer of the American Book Award) | 受賞 |
| 2019 | The Frederick Douglass 200 | — | — | The Guardian (associated project) | 選出 / 表彰 |
American Book Award (Lifetime Achievement)
2017
Category:
生涯功労
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation (organizer of the American Book Award)
Result:
受賞
The Frederick Douglass 200
2019
Organization:
The Guardian (associated project)
Result:
選出 / 表彰
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
It Concerns the Madness
2000 PoetryA collection of poems addressing urban life, family history, and social injustice, marked by testimony from a Puerto Rican-American perspective.
family historyimmigrant experiencesocial justicememory
Las Tres Hermanas
2017 Children's coloring bookA children's coloring book intended to celebrate community and cultural heritage.
communitycultural heritage
Nuyorican Writers Anthology (editor)
2015 Anthology (editor)An edited anthology collecting works by Nuyorican writers.
NuyoricanLatinx American literaturecommunity expression
Bibliography
- It Concerns the Madness (2000)
- if the world were mine (editor, 2003)
- Nuyorican Writers Anthology (editor, 2015)
- Las Tres Hermanas (children's coloring book, 2017)
Adaptations
- Poetry Spots (video series participation)
- Yari, Yari Pamberi (documentary film appearance)
- PBS NewsHour special (America Remembers 9/11)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- testimonial/political poetic voiceurban realismNuyorican colloquial expressionpost-Beat/postmodern elements
- Recurring Motifs
- migration and diasporaPuerto Rican family historysocial injustice and laborconcern for environment and land
Legacy
Nancy Mercado is regarded as an important second-wave Nuyorican writer whose poetry, editorial and educational work addressing urban experience, family memory, social justice and the environment has been widely recognized. Honored with awards such as the American Book Award (Lifetime Achievement, 2017), she has helped raise visibility for Puerto Rican-American literature.
Academic Societies
- PEN American Center (member)
Quotes
-
"He was forgotten/before he could be remembered/by the heads of state/he provided sugar for"
Source: Marilyn Kiss, in The Encyclopedia of Hispanic American Literature (2009) (2009)
Trivia
- Began her literary career in 1979.
- Received the American Book Award (Lifetime Achievement) in 2017.
- Accepted into Yale School of Drama in 1989 but left due to financial reasons.
- Earned a Ph.D. in English literature from Binghamton University in 2004.
- Has worked across genres including poetry, one-act plays, essays and children's books.