Joaquín Ramón Herrera facts for kids

Joaquín Ramón Herrera was born on March 6, 1969, in Los Angeles, California. He is an American author, illustrator, and photographer. He is also an award-winning filmmaker who makes documentaries. Joaquín is the son of Juan Felipe Herrera, a well-known writer and former U.S. Poet Laureate.

Life and career

Writing and blogging

From 2006 to 2016, Herrera wrote and published a blog called The Unapologetic Mexican. He used the pen name, or pseudonym, Nezua for his writing. This blog focused on topics important to Latino people. It also talked about race and immigration from a Mexican American point of view.

The Unapologetic Mexican became very popular. Many people praised it. José Merino, a writer from Mexico, called Herrera "a brilliant and incisive writer." Journalist Glenn Greenwald said Herrera's site offered "passionate, insightful, and provocative commentary."

Public speaking and events

Because of his blog, Herrera was asked to join many important events. In 2008, he took part in a survey about the upcoming presidential election. He successfully guessed the outcome in 19 out of 20 states. This was a better score than many famous journalists!

Herrera was also chosen as a speaker at different events. He spoke about his blogging style and topics related to Latino people and immigration. For example, he was a panelist at an international meeting about immigration in the media. This event was held in Miami in 2009. In 2008, he even attended the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. He went as an official blogger.

News With Nezua

Joaquín Ramón Herrera also created News With Nezua. This was a webisode series that ran from 2008 to 2016. He was the writer, host, and producer for the show. Different groups sponsored News With Nezua over time.

The show was an important voice online. It discussed immigration, race, and Chicano issues. Many websites and blogs about immigration and Latino topics often shared his episodes.

Honors and awards

• In 2009, Herrera was one of the first editors of a group blog called The Sanctuary. This group won the New America Media award for Best Blogger on Ethnic Perspectives. Hillary Rodham Clinton once called this award the "Pulitzer Prize" for ethnic media.
• His book, Scary: A Book of Horrible Things for Kids, was a finalist for an award in 2005. It was nominated for Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award in the Juvenile Non-Fiction category.
• In 2008, Herrera won a competition in Oregon. He was chosen to represent the state as a Citizen Journalist for MTV News.
• Herrera worked as the cinematographer for the 2005 film Kiss and Run. This movie won Best Comedy at a film festival in Harlem.
• In 2009, America's Voice gave Herrera a scholarship. He was one of eight immigration bloggers chosen to attend Netroots Nation.
• In 2019, Herrera directed his first full-length documentary film, called Pipetown, USA.

Published works

• Scary: A Book of Horrible Things for Kids (September 2005, Hylas Publishing)
• Espeluznante: Un Libro De Cosas Horribles Para Niños (This is the Spanish version of Scary) (January 2006, Selector)
• Gods, Gachupines and Gringos: A People's History of Mexico (January 2009, Editorial Mazatlán)

Forthcoming works

• Secret Visions in the Valley of Night (The DreamFever Chronicles, Book 1) (Self-published, December 2016)
• Lucy, Lightbringer, a short film that is currently being planned.