Dorktales Podcast: Episode 42
Hidden Heroes of History
Pura Belpré
A tale of storytelling magic and handmade puppets from the Bronx to the Lower East Side! Pura Belpré was the very first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library. She was an advocate for Spanish-speaking communities and was responsible for introducing bilingual story hours, authoring children’s stories in Spanish, and releasing the first book of translated Puerto Rican folktales in the U.S. Ms. Belpré was a visionary whose literary programs kept new generations connected to their Hispanic culture and showed all children that their stories matter!
¡Una historia de magia narrativa y marionetas hechas a mano desde el Bronx hasta el Lower East Side! Pura Belpré fue la primera bibliotecaria puertorriqueña contratada por la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York. Fue una defensora de las comunidades de habla hispana y fue responsable de introducir horas de cuentos bilingües, escribir cuentos infantiles en español y publicar el primer libro de cuentos populares puertorriqueños traducido en los EE. UU. La Sra. Belpré fue una visionaria cuyos programas literarios mantuvieron conectadas a las nuevas generaciones con su cultura hispana y mostró a todos los niños que sus historias importan!
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Podcast Episode Credits
Narration, Voice Over and Podcast Host: Jonathan Cormur
Scriptwriter and Show Producer: Molly Murphy
Sound Production, Audio Editing and Mastering: Jermaine Hamilton
Podcast Episode Illustration: Arthur Lin
Title Design and Layout: Jeri DeMartini
Special Guest Voice Actor
Erika Ludwig is a Spanish-American voice actor with over fifteen years of acting experience, ranging from theater and improv to voice over. Friendly, bright, and charismatic, Erika is known to light up any room (or booth!) she steps into and takes direction without hesitation. For VO specifically, Erika has had the pleasure of working with clients such as Amazon Web Services, Smartick, Global Kids Preschool, and others.
Did You Know?
Pura Belpré was a magnificent librarian, storyteller, writer, and puppeteer, and the very first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library.
Ms. Belpré was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico. The date of her birth is not exactly known…People have said she was born on February 2, 1899, December 2, 1901 and February 2, 1903. She grew up loving and telling stories. It was an important part of her life from a very young age.
When she went to college, she originally planned to become a teacher, but her path completely changed when she decided to stay in New York City after visiting for her sister’s wedding.
Ms. Belpré was recruited by the New York Public Library – a public library system in New York City that is home to 53 million items and has 92 official locations (which are called library branches). It’s the second largest public library in the United States and the fourth largest in the world.
Ms. Belpré was living in Harlem, and the city had a growing Puerto Rican population. She was recruited as part of an initiative to connect the local community with the library. She began as an assistant at the 135th Street branch in Harlem. In 1925, she studied at the Library School of the New York Public Library, and was transferred to the 115th Street branch to continue her outreach in the growing Puerto Rican community.
Ms. Belpré traveled all over the city, from the Bronx to the Lower East Side, telling stories using handmade puppets, and speaking in Spanish and in English. Nobody else was doing bilingual storytelling at the time. Additionally during her story hours, she would place a lit candle next to her. At the end of her time reading aloud, she allowed the children to make wishes on the candle before it was blown out.
Beyond her time telling stories, she became an advocate for the Spanish-speaking community by 1) establishing more bilingual story hours; 2) buying Spanish language books for the library; and, 3) putting together programs that allowed her community to celebrate their traditional holidays.
When Pura Belpré found there were no books for children in the Spanish language or that depicted Puerto Rican culture, she decided to write them herself. The first story she wrote and published was Pérez and Martina, a love story between a cockroach and a mouse, to show children two characters coming together across different cultures. She wanted to help children who immigrated to the United States feel welcome and see themselves reflected in stories. Ms. Belpré also translated many Puerto Rican folktales for exactly this purpose. In fact, her book of Puerto Rican folktales was the first of its kind to be published in the United States.
Ms. Belpré’s work turned the 115th Street branch into a very important cultural center for Latino, Latina, and Hispanic New Yorkers. She used her role in the library to show her community that their stories matter. Her story hours were groundbreaking, and the programs she created are still being offered today.
Her legacy is also carried on in new generations of authors with the establishment of The Pura Belpré Award. The award is especially important because it recognizes and gives opportunities to Latino and Latina writers. Its purpose is to make sure more diverse authors and stories are represented in children’s literature.