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Spanish Teacher’s Essay Collection Honored
The Bronx Council on the Arts recently honored Newark Academy Spanish teacher Aaron Weiss with a Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) award for non-fiction writing.
Aaron, whose collection of personal essays about his time in the Peace Corps in Moldova was chosen for the award, was one of seven individuals recognized in the category of Literary Arts.
Through his essays, Aaron uses his own travels to open readers up to different experiences. One of the stories recognized by the Council shares an account of the day one of his students in Moldova brought a gun to school.
“Receiving a BRIO is encouraging because it gives me a small sense of validation,” says Aaron, who has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. “Recognition of this type is a great motivator to continue writing.”
BRIO provides direct support to individual Bronx artists who create literary, media, visual, and performing works of art. Each year, 25 BRIO grants are awarded to Bronx artists. All BRIO award winners also complete a one-time public service activity. The awards are based solely on artistic excellence and winners are selected by a panel of arts professionals.
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