NEW from MARIA E. MARTIN
“Fearless.” “Relentless.” “Courageous.” “Caring.” These are but some of the qualities that describe the pioneering award-winning journalist Maria Martin, and her coverage of U.S. Latinos and Latin Americans in the new book, Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: A Journalist’s Heart in Latin America. Kindle and Paperback Editions Available!
Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: A Journalist’s Heart in Latin America
Published September, 2020
Paperback, 126 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1735121024
From Maria E. Martin’s start as one of the first Latina news directors at the first bilingual public radio station in the U.S., and later as the founder of the national program LATINO USA, she has been an innovator and leading creative voice documenting the Latino movement for justice and inclusion. Though many of her efforts were met with resistance in “‘traditional newsrooms ‘ she always gets the story out.”
Martin documents Latino life in the U.S starting in the 1970’s, then travels to Latin America to cover the civil wars in Central America and their aftermath, including the migration story on all sides of the borders through to the present. With her narrative, you’ll follow Martin’s trajectory as she reports on the everyday lives of those about whom she writes—from survivors of torture to politicians to families separated along the border.
Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: A Journalist’s Heart in Latin America is both an inspirational journey about a life well-lived despite obstacles, and a guide to young journalists and social activists trying to create change—in whatever arena. Take this journey with Maria Martin, and you will learn much about Latinos in the United States and Latin Americans in the American continent.
Praise for Crossing Borders, Building Bridges by Maria E. Martin
“María Martin has given us the great gift of her story—a riveting account of her pioneering work for decades as a Latina radio journalist working across cultures, languages, and borders. The book is full of fascinating accounts of the invisible labors of reporting, producing, training, and institution-building, and the formidable challenges faced by Latina journalists—and how she met those challenges. The pages shimmer with her spirit and abiding love.”
—Dana Frank
Research Professor of History, University of California, Santa Cruz
“The wonderful Maria Martin has been an inspiration for generations to follow her lead. There are so many of us working in public radio today who can testify how influential she’s been. Her remarkable career includes groundbreaking efforts to change the sound of audio journalism for the better by promoting Latino and Latin American culture and news, and giving voice to many whose stories have needed to be heard. I’ve watched Maria work her magic as a mentor to Indigenous and rural journalists in Latin America. She is an inspiration to us all.”
—Mandalit del Barco
Arts and Culture Correspondent, National Public Radio
“Maria Martin’s remarkable career features decades of groundbreaking efforts to promote change in radio journalism to address unmet needs in this country and in Latin America, including Bolivia, Nicaragua, and especially Guatemala. Her courageous and caring work as a reporter, producer, and journalism trainer gives voice, enlightens listeners, promotes democracy, and builds bridges of cultural understanding. She is among the finest, most insightful, and courageous journalists of her generation.”
—Armando Valdez
Communications scholar and researcher, Los Altos, CA
About the Author
Maria E. Martin
Born in Mexico, and raised in the U.S., public radio pioneer Maria E. Martin lives and works in Antigua, Guatemala.
An award-winning public radio journalist, Martin has developed groundbreaking series and programs for U.S. public radio, including NPR’s Latino USA and Después de las Guerras: Central America After the Wars. In September of 2015, Martin was inducted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame.
For more than a decade, Martin has directed the GraciasVida Center for Media based Guatemala and Texas—a media advocacy, production and training entity dedicated to the practice of independent journalism in the public interest in the Americas (www.graciasvida.org). Maria Emilia Martin has trained thousands of journalists in the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Nicaragua.