Nury Castillo Crawford on Bilingual Books and How They Empower Bicultural Communities | Ep. 11

Latina South

“I still hold myself accountable for sitting at the table and having a voice at the table when others don’t. For me that’s a huge responsibility but it’s also a huge honor to be able to be a voice for people who perhaps feel unheard or unseen.” – Nury Castillo Crawford

In 2016, Nury Castillo Crawford was driven to write her own book based upon her own personal journey from Peru to the US in order to counter the negative immigrant narratives being circulated on the time. While doing the research in publishing her book, she decided to create her own publishing house, 1010 Publishing which focuses on bilingual stories. Her book, 3585 Miles to Be an American Girl, is the first in her Sofia series.

Nury talks about how being Latina has always been a big part of who she is and how it helped her to thrive in a new and changing world. Education and giving back to the community is very important to her. Nury shares her experience of living in the South and speaking up, even when others may not like it. She has some tips for both children and adults on how to speak your voice – it’s not always what you have to say, but how you say it.

Nury talks about another book, Soy Mexicana, Soy Me, a story of a young girl moving between two countries and two cultures. Her publishing company is also expanding offerings in multiple languages.

We can best support Nury and her work by visiting 1010Publishing.com and by sharing on social media @1010Publishing to help increase awareness of biliteracy which helps to empower bicultural communities.

Nury offers words of wisdom: you can make a difference, even if you help one person. She encourages everyone to think about elevating others in their daily lives, even just one person at time.

Thank you for listening! You can support Latina South on Patreon and by sharing this episode with a friend.