The Fine Artist
More than 100 of L.C. Atencio’s stories, poems, and fine art have been featured in print in a myriad of forms, such as in magazines, anthologies, college journals, poetry collections, mainstream journals and underground journals, including, but not limited to: Space and Time: The Magazine of Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction, Issue 123 (founded in 1966), Nota Bene: Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Anthology, Literary Excellence (brought to publication in association with Yale University, the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the American Association of Community Colleges), 2012, Aries: A Journal of Art and Literature, 2012 and Spring, 2013 (published by the Southeastern Community College in North Carolina), Westview: A Journal of Western Oklahoma (Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction and Artwork), Volume 31, Issue 1 (published by the Language Arts department of Southwestern Oklahoma State University), The Mythic Circle: Fantasy Fiction, Poetry and Artwork (founded in 1987 and published by the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit, international organization incorporated in California, celebrating traditional mythic authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, H.G. Wells, Homer, and contemporary fantasy authors who have carried on the torch, like J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Ursula K. Le Guin, Rick Riordan, Philip Pullman, Christopher Paolini, and Stephen King, while providing a platform to showcase the modern myths of new artists, whose original works of art and literature shine in the fantasy genre), Issues No. 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 46, and 47, Grey Sparrow Journal (Fiction and Poetry), Fall, 2012, WestWard Quarterly: The Magazine of Family Reading (Poetry), Fall, 2012, The Storyteller: A Writer’s Magazine (Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction), Volume 18, Issue 1 (published by Fossil Creek Publishing in Arkansas), Indiana Horror Review: 2012 (Fiction & Poetry), and many others.
His artistic works are available in anthologies and literary journals in over 1,280 bookstores, and in more than 1,700 libraries, in the United States, encompassing college libraries (including Harvard University, the Beinecke Library at Yale University, University at Buffalo Libraries in New York, the Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the Bancroft Library in the University of California), public libraries (especially in South Carolina, Florida, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Tennessee), the largest library in the world (the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.) and internationally, in countries such as India, Canada, England and 15 other countries. Atencio, too, is a former editor, debater, judge, marketer, reviewer, proofreader, and copyeditor of three college journals: Phoenix (Art & Literary Magazine published by Valencia College), The Cypress Dome (founded in 1989 and published by the University of Central Florida), and The Florida Review (founded in 1972 and published by the University of Central Florida), whose primary focus is the celebration and publication of talented artists, both established and previously unpublished, featuring literature and artworks. His scholarly essays, literary criticism, and book reviews have been awarded prestigious recognition in academia in The Hall of Fame. Additionally, he frequently earned a place on the Dean’s List in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida and was accepted into the University of Central Florida’s President John C. Hitt’s Honor Roll. Atencio accepted invitations and became an official member of prestigious honor societies, including the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the Golden Key International Honor Society, the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, PSI CHI, The National Society of Leadership and Success, and the Tau Sigma National Honor Society among others. Atencio holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida in the Arts and Humanities field, specializing in creative writing and art, having graduated Magna Cum Laude with honors. Additionally, in the early 2010s, he was an official member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Atencio received accolades for academic merit from the office of Multicultural Academic and Support Services as a distinction by the Department of Higher Education & Policy Studies at the University of Central Florida, as well as the 1st Place General Excellence Plaque, and collected honorary recognitions by Delta Epsilon Iota: Academic Honor Society and by the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Furthermore, he received an Honorary mention in the OMICRON DELTA KAPPA Member Today Centennial Edition: Campus Leaders Today, Community Leaders Tomorrow, published by Harris Connect, LLC. Atencio’s works have been featured and shared with the public at literary festivals, including the Druskininkai Poetic Fall, the International Literary Festival in Oslo, Norway, the Ahmedabad Book Fair, the New Delhi World Book Fair, and others. His artistic contributions have also been supported by the Embassy of Israel, the National Centre for Writing, and the British Council among others.
Atencio was told by many people how making it in the real world as an artist was next to impossible, but he never listened to them. Despite the discouragement and pessimism, he was at times surrounded by, he believed in himself as an artist, worked painstakingly on his craft, and took his creative education very seriously. He was an apprentice to Susan Hubbard (an accomplished novelist whose novels are published by Simon & Schuster), Darlin’ Neal (PhD, professor and author of Elegant Punk, Rattlesnakes & The Moon), Terry Ann Thaxton (author of The Terrible Wife and Getaway Girl, and program director of The Literary Arts Partnership at the University of Central Florida), Jocelyn Bartkevicius (her artistic works have appeared in The Missouri Review, The Hudson Review and The Iowa Review), Laurie Rachkus Uttich (professor and author of Somewhere, a Woman Lowers the Hem of Her Skirt) and Pedro León Zapata (solo artist of “Todo el Museo Para Zapata” exhibition at the Sofía Ímber Museum of Contemporary Art in 1975). Although Atencio’s primary higher education stemmed from the University of Central Florida, he also received a lot of support, guidance, and encouragement from multiple universities that he ended up reaching out to and interacting with, such as The University of Pennsylvania, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, DeVry University, Westmont College, University of Southern Maine and the Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, North Carolina. Time and time again, for each one of his published works, he found himself competing with as many as 800 other artists when the press house would usually publish no more than 25 artists per anthology, magazine, or literary journal. Despite the odds pinned against him, Atencio kept getting acceptance letters, which far surpassed the number of rejection letters that he also received. The acceptance letters were a surprise to his haters, who did not understand how a man who is into metal and doesn’t follow any trends could be getting accepted by publishers in academia and the mainstream. Atencio continued to rebel against all the people who told him that his dream was impossible by writing more and faster, painting more and quicker, and raking up so many publications that one day his haters’ voices resumed to a low whisper.
Currently, Atencio has over 32 years of education and experience in a fine arts environment. He speaks English, Spanish, and is learning Portuguese. When he’s not writing, he’s making fine art paintings. He cares deeply about the experience of his audience and works tirelessly to provide the best quality art possible, whether in the form of a book or a painting. He is open to criticism and considers the opinions of his critics. Atencio appreciates his audience’s time and is grateful for the opportunity to delight and entertain. He believes deeply in bringing joy into the world, but that does not hinder him from exploring themes, questions, and topics that are as real as they are sensitive. Ultimately, Atencio cares about eliciting an emotional response from the audience and providing a satisfying experience for his audience above all else.