IRANIA MACIAS

Irania Macias Patterson is a dynamic speaker, storyteller, author and educator who specialize in the subjects of arts integration in multicultural- bilingual populations, and the connections with literacy, expressive arts and emotional learning. For the past 22 years she has worked as an outreach program specialist for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. As an ardent supporter of schools, libraries, and cultural organizations, she has spoken in many arts, education and humanity base organizations promoting “out of the box” intercultural exchanges for social transformation.

In April 2019 she finished her accreditation as a Certified Applied Poetry Therapy Facilitator (CAPF) She is also a trained teaching artist from Wolf Trap and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She has written several publications for families, librarians and educators in the subjects of creative outreach strategies to reach marginalized communities.

Her book Chipi Chipis, Small Shells of the Sea/Chipi Chipi Caracolitos del Mar (CPCC Press 2006) was an International Reading Association Children’s Choice Award for 2006. She is the author of Wings and Dreams: The Legend of Angel Falls. (Novello Press 2010). Co author of The Fragrance of Water, La Fragancia del Agua, and 27 Views of Charlotte published by Eno Publishing, 2014. She also co wrote the play Mama Goose, for IDEA Theater in Education, Paris. In January 2020 she became the recipient of an ASC grant assigned to write a poetry therapy play called Save the Tatas 2020 .

She holds a Master of Literature from La Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain, and a BA in Communication (UCAB) and Education (UNCC)

She was a Road Scholar for the North Carolina Humanity Council and the co- founder of Criss Cross Mangosauce, an edutainment company for families.

She was nominated recently as the Diversity Chair for the National Association of Poetry Therapy.