Hispanic Heritage Month: A Conversation on Writing, Identity, and Celebration

Update: 2025-08-21

Description

As Season 1 of Book Lounge by Libby comes to a close, we’re getting you ready to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with thoughtful conversations featuring Ann Dávila Cardinal, Isabel Cañas, Cleyvis Natera, Isabel Ibañez, and Tamara Yajía. 🌎 Together, they explore how heritage and identity shape their writing and the stories they share with the world.

In Segment 2, Bre, Carmen, and Cece return with their top book recommendations to keep your shelves stacked with incredible Hispanic voices. 📚✨

✨ Season 2 of Book Lounge by Libby arrives at the end of September!

Want to watch the show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel.

Articles Mentioned and referenced in the Intro & Episode:

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/hispanic-heritage-month.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAbout%20National%20Hispanic%20Heritage%20Month,and%20Central%20and%20South%20America.

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/why-fiction-from-latin-america-is-growing-in-popularity

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/english/community/blog/posts/the-obscured-roots-of-magical-realism/#:~:text=Magical%20Realism%20is%20a%20genre,those%20that%20were%20not%20literate.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/what-is-magical-realism

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/english/community/blog/posts/the-obscured-roots-of-magical-realism/

https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2022/10/latin-american-literary-traditions-through-time

https://www.fountaindale.org/magical-realism-and-the-latin-american-boom/

https://bookriot.com/new-latino-boom/

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/why-fiction-from-latin-america-is-growing-in-popularity

https://coughtibridge.medium.com/alejo-carpentier-surrealism-and-the-birth-of-magical-realism-ca87f029040c

Guest Host Recommendations:

Bre

The Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas

The Spy - Paulo Coelho

Vampires of El Norte - Isabel Cañas

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina - Zoraida Cordova

Carmen

Saints of the Household - Ari Tison

Children of the Land - Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

Magical/Realism - Vanessa Angelica Villarreal

The Bewitching - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Cece

The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo

Cantoras - Caro de Robertis

Wild Beauty - Anna-Marie McLemore

Fever Dream - Samanta Schweblin

Follow the Guests & Guest Hosts:

Segment 1:

Ann Dávila Cardinal - Website

Isabel Cañas - Website

Cleyvis Natera - Website

Isabel Ibañez - Website

Tamara Yajía - Instagram

Segment 2:

Bre - Links

Carmen – Links

Cece – Links

Time Stamps:

00:00:00 Title

00:00:16 Intro

00:12:29 Segment 1- Part 1: Ann Dávila Cardinal & Isabel Cañas

00:48:31 Segment 1 – Part 2: Cleyvis Natera, Isabel Ibañez & Tamara Yajía

01:33:18 BREAK – Libby Tip: Creating & Using Tags!

01:39:05 Segment 2 – Book Recs with Bre, Carmen & Cece!

02:32:08 Outro

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode in Libby. Library friends can add these titles to their digital collections for free in OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy. Check out our Cumulative List for the whole season, or this list for today’s episode!

Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!

We hope you enjoy this episode of Book Lounge by Libby. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! You can watch the video version of our show on the Libby App YouTube channel. Keep up with us on social media by following the Libby App on Instagram!

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