Reyna Grande

Reyna Grande grew up in poverty in Iguala for the first eight years of her life. Her parents went to the United States to pursue greater financial opportunities, leaving her and her siblings in the care of an abusive grandmother. When she was eight years old, her father brought her and her siblings Mago and Carlos to live with him in Los Angeles, subjecting them to a harrowing and illegal border crossing. In Los Angeles, Reyna and her siblings adjusted to life in America, all the while fearing their controlling, alcoholic father’s punishments for the slightest transgression. Reyna found creative writing as an outlet both for self-expression and as a means of proving to her father that she was taking advantage of the precious opportunity of a life in America. Reyna went on to attain degrees from Pasadena City College, UC Santa Cruz, and Antioch College. The author of two novels and two memoirs, Grande is the winner of an American Book Award and an International Book Award, and she currently teaches creative writing at UCLA and several writing conferences around the country.