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More About Rio Cortez (She/Her)
Languages: English
Rio Cortez is a poet and the New York Times bestselling author of picture books The ABCs of Black History, The River Is My Ocean, and The Blue Velvet Chair. Her debut poetry collection, Golden Ax, was longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award for Poetry, the Pen America Open Book Award, and the Norma Farber First Book Award. Her writing has been Pushcart-nominated and published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Miami Rail, and various other publications.
Born and raised in Salt Lake City, she now lives, writes, and works in Harlem.
You can find Rio online at:
Storytime with Rio Cortez: The ABC's of Black History
Rio Cortez Reads “Ars Poetica with Mother and Dogs” and explaining her poetic process
Rio’s strengths include…
Poetry
Making “quiet” books powerful
Read aloud ability
Lyrical language
Creating nonfiction and informational stories that feel expansive, creative, and artful rather than rigid or formulaic
Centering imagination and interiority
Writing with intention and integrity
What Rio is looking for…
Rio is looking to connect with a mentee who is excited and passionate about picture books.
She is open-minded and ready to connect with a creator she can help over the summer.
A Note from Rio:
“(Poetry is) everywhere I think. Like Rita Dove says, it is language at its most distilled and most powerful; that, but it’s also in the everyday. Any moment that feels charged with rage, or beauty, unnameable meaning, yearning, whatever, we’re alive: it’s all poetry.”
Rio’s Picture Books
Please note that Rio creates in other markets. To see her full body of work, please visit her website.
The ABCs of Black History, written by Rio Cortez, illustrated by Lauren Semmer
The ABCs of Women’s History, written by Rio Cortez, illustrated by Lauren Semmer
The River Is My Ocean, written by Rio Cortez, illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin
El río es mi mar, written by Rio Cortez, illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin
The Blue Velvet Chair, written by Rio Cortez, illustrated by Aaron Marin
Rio is a good fit for:
Fiction
Nonfiction
Prose
Cultural stories
Slice of life stories
Informational stories with heart
Creators who are drawn to poetic or lyrical writing, even if they’re still figuring out how to control it on the page.
Stories sitting at the intersection of history, culture, and storytelling
Creators who have strong ideas but want support shaping structure, focus, and cohesion without losing the soul of the work
All picture book stories
Who can apply to Rio?
Unagented Text-Only Authors