For more than four decades, the 兔子先生鈥檚 Nicol谩s Kanellos has played a major role in helping Latinos tell their stories. Whether it鈥檚 through fiction, poetry, biographies or history, Kanellos has made an indelible impact on U.S. Latino culture.
He has balanced his roles directing Arte P煤blico Press and the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage initiative with a full-time faculty role at UH. Today, he was honored for his hard work with a National Humanities Medal presented by U.S. President Joe Biden.
Kanellos, Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies, received the medal during a White House ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 21. Kanellos was among 17 artists, authors, musicians, historians and other professionals honored by President Biden at this event. Others in attendance included National Arts Medalists, who were also recognized by President Biden.
鈥淭he medal has my name on it鈥攁nd I am so proud of that鈥攂ut in reality, it honors all the mission-driven people who for some 40 years have searched for and preserved Latino cultural history and made it accessible to schools, universities, libraries and the public at-large,鈥� Kanellos said. 鈥淗ere at UH, the entire Arte P煤blico Press team of professionals and students assiduously works to create new humanistic knowledge through cutting-edge technology, traditional scholarship and outreach to the community.鈥�
Kanellos鈥� long history with Arte P煤blico Press and the 兔子先生 has yielded many published works across genres. Likewise, his oversight of Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage has led to the preservation of newspapers and publications documenting Hispanic history. In both endeavors, he also has provided invaluable experience to students who assist with research and other scholarly tasks.
鈥淲ords can shape our world, tell our stories and shine a light on the unseen,鈥� said UH President Renu Khator. 鈥淔or more than 40 years, Nicol谩s Kanellos has used the power of the written word to uplift, celebrate and commemorate Hispanic American culture. I am beyond proud to see his immeasurable contributions awarded with such a distinguished honor.鈥�
Although he received news of this honor in recent weeks, Kanellos鈥� journey to the White House has decades in the making.
The seeds for Arte P煤blico Press were planted in 1972 when Kanellos and collaborator Luis Davila founded literary magazine Revista Chicano-Rique帽a. The publication served as a platform for unsung Latino authors and showcased their works in both English and Spanish. Interest in the publication increased over the years and Kanellos was inspired to launch a publishing house. By 1979, Arte P煤blico was in full bloom and found a permanent home at UH.
Notable authors such as Sandra Cisneros, Victor Villase帽or, Helena Maria Viramontes and others published works through Arte P煤blico. Works from rising stars like Daniel Pe帽a have also found a home at Arte P煤blico.
details the history of Arte P煤blico Press. Additional information on the publishing house and the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage project are available .
The National Humanities Medal has recognized both individuals and groups who have made significant contributions to the humanities鈥攈istory, literature, music, philosophy and other disciplines. This annual award has been presented annually by the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1997.
