Georgina Lázaro

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Georgina Lázaro-Leon is one of Puerto Rico's best known children's poets.

Early years

Lázaro was one of eight siblings born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and raised in the Miramar neighborhood of the city. She was enrolled in the "Colegio de la Inmaculada" school at the age of three, school in which she received both her primary and secondary education. After high school she was accepted in the University of Puerto Rico where she earned her Bachelors of Science degree with a concentration on education. [http://www.hitn.tv/noticia_es.php?id=605 Georgina Lázaro-Leon] , Retrieved November 7, 2007]

Lázaro worked as a school teacher for various years and retired after she was married to take care of her children and her household. That is when she started to write stories and poems for and about her children.

First works

In 1987, Tony Croatto, a popular Puerto Rican folksinger, discovered one of her children poems and converted it into a musical hit. In 1995, one of her poems was recorded and presented in Puerto Rico's "Centro de Bellas Artes", by Puerto Rican musician and singer Roy Brown.

Her poem "Mi Flamboyan amarillo", or "My Yellow Royal Poinciana", originally published in 1996 by Ediciones Huracan, which issued two more editions by 2001, was reissued in 2005 by Lectorum Publications, a subsidiary of Scholastic, Inc. [ [http://www.periodicolaperla.com/06_08_02/gente/gente03.html La Perla del Sur newspaper] , Retrieved November 7, 2007]

She has also written poems that introduce children to Pablo Neruda, Miguel Cervantes' Don Quijote de la Mancha and other mainstays of Hispanic culture, as well as "Ya llegan los Reyes Magos!", published by Lectorum in 2001, geared to promote Puerto Rico's tradition and culture. That same year Tony Croatto included nine of her poems which he recorded in his CD (compact disc). Her poem "Nuestro Capitolio", about Puerto Rico's Capitol building, was published in 2006 by the Legislative Assembly and, with over 25,000 copies in print for free distribution, is probably her most-printed poem. [ [http://www.elnuevoherald.com/galeria/en_familia/v-print/story/110502.html The New Herald] , Retrieved November 7, 2007]

Recognitions

In 1997 and 1998, she was awarded a "Best Idea of Year" award by the Museum of Art of Ponce. She was the recipient of a special tribute on behalf of the Ateneo de Ponce during their third poetry contest held in 2000. Her poem "Ya Llegaron los Reyes Magos" received a recognition from the Pen Club of Puerto Rico and in 2002, the Ponce Chamber of Commerce honored her with an "Educator of the Year" award. In January 2007, she was the recipient of a $5,000 award in recognition of her written work by the Institute of Puerto Rico. [http://www.hitn.tv/noticia_es.php?id=605 Georgina Lázaro-Leon] , Retrieved November 7, 2007]

Currently

Lázaro works as a volunteer in a program called "Cuéntame un Cuento" (Tell me a story) in the Museum of Art of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Lázaro lives in Ponce with her husband, attorney Cesar Hernandez Colon, and her sons Jorge and Jose Alberto.

Books by Lázaro

* Brilla, Brilla, Linda Estrella (Shiny, shiny, pretty star)
* Mi Flamboyán Amarillo (My Red Poinciana Tree)
* El Mejor Es Mi Papa (My Father is the Best)
* ¡Viva la tortuga! (Long live the turtle)
* La Nina y La Estrella (Nina and the Star)
* Ya Llegan los Reyes Magos! (The Three Kings Are Here!)
* Nuestro Capitolio (Our Capitol)

ee also

*List of Puerto Rican writers
*List of famous Puerto Ricans
*Puerto Rican literature

References

Main sources: Bio appearing in "Ya llegan los Reyes Magos!", Lectorum Publications, 2001, remarks by the President of the Senate in 2005 to Capitol tour guides about the commissioning of a poem about the Capitol for visiting children.

External links

* [http://www.vocero.com/noticia.asp?n=63671&d=12/31/2005 El Vocero]