Reading "Tara and the Towering Wave" and talking to students about writing, research, military life, and author life at World Read Aloud Day at Salem Hills Elementary.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Cristina Oxtra is a Filipino American author living in Minnesota. She earned an MFA in creative writing for children and young adults at Hamline University and a BA in journalism. She writes fiction and nonfiction, from picture books and chapter books to middle grade and graphic novels. She received the Loft Literary Center 2019-2020 Mirrors & Windows Fellowship for indigenous writers and writers of color and is a teaching artist at the Loft. A former journalist and middle grade-high school educator, Cristina is also a military veteran and public relations professional. Besides writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, baking, training and teaching Tae Kwon Do, supernatural and paranormal TV shows, and comic cons. She hopes to one day write for DC, Marvel, Disney, and Pixar.
Social media
* Twitter:@Cristinawriteon
* Facebook: In Her Write Mind
* Instagram: @kickbuttwriter
In the media
* Middle grade craft: An interview with "From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors"
* An interview with Minnesota's KFAI - Filipino American National News
Reading "Tae Kwon Do Test" and teaching basic Tae Kwon Do punching, kicking, and board breaking techniques during storytime at the public libraries in St. Paul.
Sharing her immigrant experience with English Learner high school students in Wisconsin and teaching them how they can tell their personal stories with creative writing strategies in their scholarship and college applications.
Having fun visiting classrooms at an elementary school after talking about "Stephen Hawking: Get to Know the Man Behind the Theory" and answering students' questions.