Aunt Carmen's Book of Practical Saints

The Northern New Mexico tradition of saint carving began in the 1700s as an expression of worship among Catholics in isolated villages. In Aunt Carmen's Book of Practical Saints, Pat Mora extends the tradition to poetry. Through Mora's poems, some written in traditional Spanish forms, we hear the private speech of Aunt Carmen's devotion. From a prayer for a suitable husband to a prayer that the Good Shepherdess guide her to unexpected beauty, Aunt Carmen's poems, each paired with a reproduction of a traditional saint carving, inspire and illuminate.

Like Sonia Sanchez and Sandra Cisneros, Pat Mora draws on oral and lyrical traditions; she reclaims the history and culture of her Mexican roots, especially real and imagined Mexican women of the past, from a tribute to Frida Kahlo to an interview with an Aztec goddess.

Pat Mora, a poet of Mexican-American heritage, is the recipient of a 1994 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in poetry. Her published work includes poetry and nonfiction for adults as well as children. She is the author of several bilingual picture books, including two on the Clarion list. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For more information visit www.patmora.com.