Nina Serrano

Serrano was born in 1934 in Weehawken, New Jersey to Ida and Joseph Serrano.{{cite news |title=Joseph Serrano |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/67994032/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20%22ida%20serrano%22&match=1 |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=Santa Cruz Sentinel |date=28 August 1987}} She grew up in Latino and other immigrant communities in New York City.{{Cite web|url=https://ninaserrano.com/about-nina-serrano-2/|title=About Nina -|access-date=30 April 2019}} She trained in theater,{{cite news |last1=Wahls |first1=Robert |title=Nina's Cross |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/447667111 |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=New York Daily News |date=12 December 1948}}{{cite news |last1=Leeds |first1=Claire |title=Creative Drama Class for the Restless Teens |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/458280753/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20&match=1 |access-date=21 July 2021 |agency=The San Francisco Examiner |date=12 February 1963}} studied anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and traveled with student peace groups to Soviet Russia and revolutionary China in the 1950s.{{cite news |title=Red China's Trip Light Fantastic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/397170261/?terms=nina%20serrano%20landau&match=1 |access-date=20 July 2021 |agency=Wisconsin State Journal |date=8 Nov 1957}}{{cite news |title=Ex-UW Student Edits Newsletter |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/401060673/?terms=nina%20serrano%20landau&match=1 |access-date=20 July 2021 |agency=Wisconsin State Journal |date=1 December 1960}}{{cite news |last1=Hunter |first1=John Patrick |title=Castro Backers Reveal Tour Plan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/519676492/?terms=nina%20serrano%20landau&match=1 |access-date=20 July 2021 |agency=The Capital Times |date=1 December 1960}}{{cite news |last1=Moe |first1=Doug |title=Following activist parents footsteps |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/525963886/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20greg%20landau&match=1 |access-date=20 July 2021 |agency=The Capital Times |date=1 July 2003}}

While raising her family and teaching, Nina has worked in theater, radio, and film. She helped make movies about Fidel Castro's Cuba,{{cite journal |last1=Landau |first1=Saul |title=Filming Fidel: A Cuban Diary, 1968 |journal=Monthly Review |date=1 July 2007 |volume=59 |issue=3 |page=120 |doi=10.14452/MR-059-03-2007-07_10 |url=https://monthlyreview.org/2007/07/01/filming-fidel-a-cuban-diary-1968/ |access-date=23 July 2021}} about Salvador Allende's Chile and Sandinista Nicaragua. In Cuba, in 1968, she met Salvadorean exiled poet Roque Dalton and they co-authored a TV drama about the folkloric Dalton Gang and saw it produced on Cuban television.{{cite news |last1=Atwood |first1=Roger |title=Gringo Iracundo, Roque Dalton y su padre |url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Felfaro.net%2Fes%2F201407%2Facademico%2F15763%2FGringo-Iracundo-Roque-Dalton-y-su-padre.htm |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=Elfaro |date=28 July 2014}} This instantly made her a writer.{{Cite news|url=https://ninaserrano.com/author/|title=Author: Novel, Non Fiction, Scripts and more-|newspaper=Estuary Press |date=February 2013 |access-date=30 April 2019}}

Returning to San Francisco, journalism, playwriting and poetry filled the early years of her development as an activist writer. She wrote a series of articles on the Los Siete trial and wrote poetry published in the San Francisco Good Times. In 1969, she joined Editorial Pocho Che, an activist publishing group of Latino poets. She wrote her first book of poetry, Heart Songs, during this period, and it was published in 1980. During the next three decades, she published her next books, Heart's Journey: Selected Poems, 1980-1999 and Heart Strong: Selected Poems 2000-2012, as well as appeared in many poetry anthologies. Through her friendships with Cuban poets, Nina began translating poetry, including her translations of Peruvian poet Adrian Arias. In 1982, she helped translate the Nicaraguan economic program of 1980, available as a bilingual edition from Estuary Press.

In 1972, she joined Communicacion Aztlan, writing and producing radio programs for KPFA. Over the next 20 years, in addition to her on-going radio work, she wrote and produced several stage plays, including The Story of the Chicken Made of Rags,{{cite news |title=Musical for Children |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/462469436/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20%22philip%20serrano%22&match=1 |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=The San Francisco Examiner |date=13 January 1977}}{{cite news |title=On the Town |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/460681837/?terms=%22chicken%20made%20of%20rags%22%20serrano&match=1 |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=The San Francisco Examiner |date=1 September 1974}} The Story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg{{cite news |last1=Fraiman |first1=Michael |title=Ethel and Julius Rosenberg find vindication on stage |url=https://www.cjnews.com/culture/entertainment/ethel-and-julius-rosenberg-find-vindication-onstage |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=Canadian Jewish News |date=24 October 2018}}{{cite news |title=Drama of Rosenbergs |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/460530990/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20%22rosenberg%22&match=1 |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=San Francisco Examiner |date=18 September 1976}}{{cite news |title=Coming Right Up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/608810910/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20%22rosenberg%22&match=1 |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=The Berkeley Gazette |date=6 August 1976}} and Weavings.{{cite news |title=Theatre |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/609258121/?terms=%22weavings%22%20nina%20serrano&match=1 |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=The Berkeley Gazette |date=14 December 1978}} She also wrote and produced film scripts, including Que Hacer? (What is to Be Done?), Después del terremoto (After the Earthquake), and Back from Nicaragua.{{cite news |title=Anti-war films to debut |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/297280862/?terms=%22back%20from%20nicaragua%22%20seeger&match=1 |access-date=21 July 2021 |agency=The Santa Rosa Press Democrat |date=22 September 1985}}

• The Heart Suite Series
• [https://ninaserrano.com/heart-songs-collected-poems/ Heart Songs: The Collected Poems of Nina Serrano (1969–1979)]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/menopause-and-the-juicy-red-bloody-mess/ Heart's Journey: Selected Poems (1980–1999)]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/heart-strong-selected-poems-2000-2012/ Heart Strong: Selected Poems (2000–2012)]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/stop-monsanto-a-poem-by-nina-serrano/ Stop Monsanto!]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/dance-poetry-to-die-of-joy-in-the-river/ To Die of Joy in the River]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/poem-learning-to-see-in-darkness/ A Poem for You: Learning to See in Darkness]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/poem-new-years-day-unicorns-fly/ On New Years Day Unicorns Fly]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/poem-sudden-warm-day-in-winter/ A Poem for You: A Sudden Warm Day in Winter]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/nina-serrano-short-poem-video-love-passed-us-like-cloud/ Love Passed Over Us Like a Cloud]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/nina-serrano-short-poem-video-traces-of-love/ Traces of Love]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/poems-in-the-redwoods/ Poems in the Redwoods]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/poems-in-balmy-alley/ Poems in Balmy Alley]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/welcome-immigrant-children-bienvenidos/ Welcome Immigrant Children, Bienvenidos]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/nina-serrano-tribute-ralph-maradiaga/ Tribute to Ralph Maradiaga]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/winter-solstice-poem/ A Winter Solstice Poem for You]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/poems-celebrating-international-womens-month/ Women I Know]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/poems-celebrating-international-womens-month/ I am So Visible]

• Que Hacer: What is to Be Done?{{cite news |title=Film festival awards given |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/377405904/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20%22que%20hacer%22&match=1 |agency=The Baltimore Sun |date=11 December 1972}}{{cite news |last1=McDonald |first1=Country Joe |title=The movie is one thing, the soundtrack another |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/460978111/?terms=%22saul%20landau%22%20%22nina%20serrano%22&match=1 |access-date=23 July 2021 |agency=The San Francisco Examiner |date=9 July 1972}}
• Después del terremoto{{cite news |last1=Silverman |first1=Jason |title=Impassioned voice for an unsung few |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/583698675/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20film&match=1 |access-date=21 July 2021 |agency=The Santa Fe New Mexican |date=13 February 2004}}
• Back from Nicaragua
• La Cantata de Santa Marie de Iquique

• [https://ninaserrano.com/publications/storytelling/ Education for Storytelling]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/assassination-of-a-poet-roque-dalto/ Assassinations of a Poet: Memories of Roque Dalton]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/ethel-and-julius-rosenberg/ The Story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/chicken-made-of-rags/ The Story of the Chicken Made of Rags]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/nicaraguas-program-end-economic-inequality/ Program of Economic Reactivation for the Benefit of the People: 1980]
• [https://ninaserrano.com/nicaragua-way-a-novel-by-nina-serrano/ Nicaragua Way]

Serrano has won several international film awards, including the XXXIII Mostra internazionale D'Arte Cinematografica award for Que Hacer: What is to Be Done?; and the Kraków, Poland International Film Festival award for After the Earthquake: Despues del terremoto.

Nina Serrano was awarded Oakland Magazine's "Best Local Poet" award in 2010.{{cite news|title=Best of Oakland 2010|url=http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/media/Oakland-Magazine/July-August-2010/Best-of-Oakland/|accessdate=April 2, 2012|newspaper=Oakland Magazine|date=July–August 2010|archive-date=March 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306111426/http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/media/Oakland-Magazine/July-August-2010/Best-of-Oakland/|url-status=dead}}

In 2024 she received an Adelle Foley Award from PEN Oakland for her work as an author, radio host, and political activist.

Serrano served as an Alameda County Arts Commissioner, and is a former director of San Francisco's Poetry in the Schools program.{{cite news |title=Music, Dancing, and Films Celebrate Women's Day |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/461022966/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20%22poetry%20in%20the%20schools%22&match=1 |access-date=21 July 2021 |agency=San Francisco Examiner |date=3 March 1974}} She was a co-founder{{cite news |last1=Vasilyuk |first1=Sasha |title=Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts turns 30 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/566407815/?terms=%22nina%20serrano%22%20poet&match=1 |access-date=21 July 2021 |agency=The San Francisco Examiner |date=18 August 2007}} of the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco's Mission District, where she is still actively involved. In addition, she is a long-time producer of radio programs on Pacifica Radio station KPFA (94.1 FM) in Berkeley, California, currently hosting La Raza Chronicles on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. PT{{Cite web|url=https://kpfa.org/program/la-raza-chronicles/|title = La Raza Chronicles Archives| date=July 10, 2023 }} and Open Book the first and second Wednesday of each month at 3:30 pm PT.{{Cite web|url=https://kpfa.org/program/cover-to-cover-open-book/|title = Cover to Cover Open Book Archives| date=July 9, 2023 }} Her programs also air on KZCT in Vallejo.{{cite news |last1=Zimmermann |first1=Gretchen |title=Grassroots Vallejo radio station promotes local talent |url=https://www.vallejosun.com/grassroots-vallejo-radio-station-promotes-local-talent/ |access-date=26 January 2023 |agency=The Vallejo Sun |date=24 January 2023}}

Nina Serrano appears in the video "Frida en El Espejo/Frida in the Mirror" by Adrian Arias and music by Greg Landau{{YouTube|4Z1nGtb6YWI}} which screened at the SF Film Festival in April 2009. She is a great fan of the band Carne Cruda and their song “Oakland's Tight.” She is consultant for Round World Media and Fig Leaf Technologies.

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Category:Activists from the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:American activists

Category:American radio producers

Category:American anti–Vietnam War activists

Category:Hispanic and Latino American writers

Category:Writers from Oakland, California

Category:Radio personalities from San Francisco

Category:1934 births

Category:Living people

Category:American women poets

Category:Writers from Vallejo, California

Category:20th-century American women

Category:21st-century American women

Category:American women radio producers