CHICAGO — For Ana Castillo, a Chicagoan known for her work as an author, educator, poet and activist, home is where her books are. Which, given the pandemic, means a home in the most southern point of New Mexico. Castillo was back in her hometown Thursday night to receive the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Fuller Award at the American Writers Museum.
Inspired by the works of author Henry Blake Fuller, the award is given to a Chicago author who has made an outstanding lifetime contribution to literature. An honor bestowed on Chicago’s greatest living writers, Castillo rounds out the list of awardees at an even dozen.
“Chicago has informed me in so many ways,” Castillo said. “I grew up at a time before and during the civil rights movement. So, I have a very clear view of what my hometown has been, what it is and where it is now. I love the grounded sense in the Midwest. You can win the Nobel Prize and people (here) will say ‘that’s wonderful, you got this award, how are you paying your rent?’ All of that has made me who I am. No matter what, I have no hesitation and no grand errors about rolling up my sleeves and getting the work done and all that has to do with Chicago and the Midwest.”
