Jacqueline Costales de Torres, born Lourdes Jacqueline Costales Terán (Riobamba, 1964) is an Ecuadorian poet, writer, columnist, and former university professor. She has published 5 poetry books, a book of short stories, and a nonfiction book. She has also written for the regional magazine Panorama and the Riobamba newspaper La Prensa as a columnist. She is a member of the House of Ecuadorian Culture of Chimborazo, the “Grupo América” Cultural Corporation, and the Association of Contemporary Writers of Ecuador, where she serves as vice president. The National Assembly of Ecuador honored Jacqueline Costales for her contributions to Ecuadorian culture and education by bestowing upon her the “Doctora Matilde Hidalgo de Prócel” Award in 2020. She’s the founder and director of the Casa Cultural Somos Arte Foundation, a non-profit organization with the mission of making art accessible to people of all social classes.
Background
Jacqueline Costales was born in 1964 in Riobamba, Chimborazo province, Ecuador. She is the daughter of the poet Luis Alberto Costales from Ambato. She has a Doctorate in Educationial Sciences and a Master’s Degree in Distance Learning from the Private Technical University of Loja. Later she completed a Master’s degree in Latin-American and Ecuadorian Literature at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador.
Costales has worked as a professor at the University of San Francisco, Quito (USFQ) as well as the National University of Chimborazo. She has also been an editorial writer for magazines and newspapers. She is currently the director of the Casa Cultural Somos Arte Foundation of the city of Riobamba.
She’s the founder and director of the Casa Cultural Somos Arte Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of art. She has been awarded two honorary doctorates for her career in letters and education: Honorary Doctorate from IMELE and Doctorate Honoris Causa by the American Cultural Institute of Higher Studies.
Her husband is Dr. Herbarth Torres Célleri, an internal medicine specialist in Riobamba, Ecuador. Their son, Pablo Torres Costales, is a pianist.
Awards and recognitions
- 2015: Paul Harris Fellow Award by Rotary International.
- 2018: Luz Elisa Borja Award by the House of Ecuadorian Culture in Chimborazo.
- 2020: Doctora Matilde Hidalgo de Prócel Award by the National Assembly of Ecuador.
Memberships
- House of Ecuadorian Culture of Chimborazo.
- Member of the “Grupo América” Cultural Corporation
- Member of the Association of Contemporary Writers of Ecuador.
Videos
Jacqueline Costales Terán videos
Works
Poetry
- De mis huellas (2007)
- A espaldas de la luna (2010)
- Por mi antigua vereda (2013)
- Arcilla Literaria (2015)
- Cómplice del Silencio (2019)
Anthologies
- Poesía en Paralelo 0 (2015)
- Poetas de la Mitad del Mundo (2015)
- Lugares que habito – Ecuador en una antología (2022)
- Chuquirahua II
- Quereres (Pétalos)
- Farol de Ensueños
- Sueños Compartidos
Nonfiction
- Punto de Vista (2010)
Stories
- Desde su oficina de ilusiones (2006)
Name variations
- Dra. Jacqueline Costales de Torres
- Jacqueline Costales de Torres
- Jacqueline Costales
- Jacqueline Costales Terán