Rio Cortez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rio Cortez is an American poet, children's book author, and essayist, best known for her children's book The ABCs of Black History (2020),[1] and her poetry collection Golden Ax (2022),[2] which was shortlisted for the 2022 National Book Award for Poetry, the PEN America Open Book Award, and the Norma Farber First Book Award.[3]
Rio Cortez was raised in Salt Lake City.[4] Her experience growing up black, Hispanic, and non-Mormon in Utah informs much of her poetry and writing, especially Golden Ax, which explores Cortez's personal history in Salt Lake, as well as the history of African Americans in Utah.[2]
Cortez holds an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University, and lives in Harlem, New York.[4]
