Charlene Garcia Simms | Colorado State University-Pueblo Library

Charlene Garcia Simms is a teacher-librarian from the San Luis Valley, specifically from the village of Garcia on the Colorado-New Mexico state line. She and her late husband, Ed, established El Escritorio Publishing in 1989, producing 15 books and magazines focusing on Southwest history, genealogy, Hispano culture, and Chicano art. Charlene is an author and poet, with various publications on genealogy and Southwest history. She contributed to an anthology called "Genealogy and the Librarian" and co-authored "Images of America, Pueblo." She edited and facilitated the publication of "Spanish/Mexican Legacy of Latinos in Pueblo County" and was involved in commissioning a mural, "Corazon del Pueblo," at the Rawlings Library in Pueblo.

In addition to her literary work, Charlene authored a memoir titled "The Orphan Stalk" and has written poems about her Manito Culture and identity. In 2019, Charlene was inducted as a Corn Mother, a project led by Renee Fajardo from Metro State University of Denver.