Her published work includes poetry, plays, novels, reference books, and a cookbook about Latin American cuisine.
She began her writing career as a teenager, when Nobel Prize laureate Camilo José Cela published her poems in his literary journal, Papeles de son Armadans.
Later, she worked as a journalist, magazine editor and publicist for Vanidades, The New York Times, The Connoisseur, The Christian Science Monitor, and other publications.
Among eight other 2011 recipients included Representative Nancy Pelosi, past Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman and Ambassador Mary Olmsted.
[1] Archived 2011-07-26 at archive.today As a public speaker and visiting professor at educational institutions such as Wellesley College, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Clark University, Novas has specialized in a wide range of topics, including her own fiction and non-fiction works, Latino culture, feminism, and Gay and Lesbian history and culture.