Maybe because I struggle with Imposter Syndrome; or because I am always striving to accomplish more, I don’t take the time to recognize and share my achievements. Whatever the reason, it took me almost two weeks to write about my recent awards at the National Association of Hispanic Publications’ (NAHP) annual convention.
NAHP is made up of English, Spanish and bilingual digital and print publications distributed across the United States. Some, like El Diario out of New York have been in publication for over 100 years. Others, have been around less than a decade. The association has hundreds of members and the readership among those members surpasses 38 million. Since their inception in 1982, they have hosted an annual convention where the members come together to learn from one another, share information, and celebrate. The biggest part of the celebration is in the form of the José Martí Publishing Awards, honoring an influential writer who focused on liberation. It is the most recognized award in Latine media. I was there with Hola America Media, the parent company of Hola Iowa, Hola Nebraska, Hola America News, and JEFAS Latinas in Business Magazine, publications I have been writing for the last few years.
When NAHP called for nominations, my writing didn’t come to mind (Imposter Syndrome, remember?), but my publisher, Tar Macias was sure some of the articles I wrote were good enough to compete. Thank God for his optimism and nominations.
You can imagine my surprise when three of my articles won.
I won 2 bronze awards for Outstanding Immigration Article for my articles about the 15-Year Anniversary of the Postville Raids, and Raíces del Sur. My article about Laryssa Leone earned a silver award for Outstanding Entertainment Article.
Although they’re just pieces of paper, I smile when I look at the awards because while I’ve always loved reading and writing, it took decades for me to envision being a writer. When I did finally think of myself as a writer, I thought I would be a published author through the traditional book route. However, fate had other plans. Writing for community publications is not the path to publication I pictured, but it is perfect for me. I absolutely love learning about the resilience, talent, and heart of the people I interview. I feel incredibly lucky to be constantly inspired by their stories. I am grateful to all the people who not only made this profession possible, but for all who trust me to tell their story, and those who read my work. It humbles me to be on this journey and I will always strive to do the most good I can with the words I know.
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