For more than four decades, the University of Houston’s Nicolás Kanellos has played a major role in helping Latinos tell their stories. Whether it’s through fiction, poetry, biographies or history, Kanellos has made an indelible impact on U.S. Latino culture.
He has balanced his roles directing Arte Público Press and the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage initiative with a full-time faculty role at UH. Today, he was honored for his hard work with a National Humanities Medal presented by U.S. President Joe Biden.
Kanellos, Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies, received the medal during a White House ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 21. Kanellos was among 17 artists, authors, musicians, historians and other professionals honored by President Biden at this event. Others in attendance included National Arts Medalists, who were also recognized by President Biden.
“The medal has my name on it—and I am so proud of that—but in reality, it honors all the mission-driven people who for some 40 years have searched for and preserved Latino cultural history and made it accessible to schools, universities, libraries and the public at-large,” Kanellos said. “Here at UH, the entire Arte Público Press team of professionals and students assiduously works to create new humanistic knowledge through cutting-edge technology, traditional scholarship and outreach to the community.”
Kanellos’ long history with Arte Público Press and the University of Houston has yielded many published works across genres. Likewise, his oversight of Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage has led to the preservation of newspapers and publications documenting Hispanic history. In both endeavors, he also has provided invaluable experience to students who assist with research and other scholarly tasks.
“Words can shape our world, tell our stories and shine a light on the unseen,” said UH President Renu Khator. “For more than 40 years, Nicolás Kanellos has used the power of the written word to uplift, celebrate and commemorate Hispanic American culture. I am beyond proud to see his immeasurable contributions awarded with such a distinguished honor.”
Although he received news of this honor in recent weeks, Kanellos’ journey to the White House has decades in the making.
The seeds for Arte Público Press were planted in 1972 when Kanellos and collaborator Luis Davila founded literary magazine Revista Chicano-Riqueña. The publication served as a platform for unsung Latino authors and showcased their works in both English and Spanish. Interest in the publication increased over the years and Kanellos was inspired to launch a publishing house. By 1979, Arte Público was in full bloom and found a permanent home at UH.
Notable authors such as Sandra Cisneros, Victor Villaseñor, Helena Maria Viramontes and others published works through Arte Público. Works from rising stars like Daniel Peña have also found a home at Arte Público.
A 2022 UH article details the history of Arte Público Press. Additional information on the publishing house and the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage project are available online.
The National Humanities Medal has recognized both individuals and groups who have made significant contributions to the humanities—history, literature, music, philosophy and other disciplines. This annual award has been presented annually by the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1997.
