Reyna Grande

Author & Speaker

"Reyna Grande’s personal experiences resonate with those of our students who find her presentations interesting, inspirational, and heartwarming.  She is an incredible role model not only for Latinos whose culture and language she affirms, but also for  non-Latino students whose hardships and journeys have been similar to hers.  Her books make excellent course texts because of their universal themes and accessibility; and when students have an opportunity to meet and hear this author, they become even  more significant and appealing.  She is a powerful presenter."

Professor Virginia Escalante, Director, Fifth Annual San Diego City College International Book Fair
San Diego City College
 

"Reyna Grande is a talented writer who writes from her cultural self. As a guest speaker in university settings she easily flows between English and Spanish to meet the needs of the target audience. She provides teachers of writing a lens into her writer’s life. She candidly responds to students’ queries ranging from her most intimate personal connections with her characters to details of her writer’s craft. She inspires others to write and illustrates ways on how to integrate elements of personal stories into works of fiction."

Lilia E. Sarmiento, Ph.D. Associate Professor
CSU Dominguez Hills

"Reyna stressed how even with her difficult childhood, getting an education made a difference for her.  Because we have so many students who are immigrants or come from immigrant families, Reyna served as a great role model for achievement."

Shelley Savren, English Professor
Faculty Coordinator of the Literature, Arts & Culture Series
Oxnard College

"Reyna was a highlight at our literary festival.  She was very engaging in her presentation and captured the audience so much that guests flocked to the book tables afterwords to purchase her books. I am still getting comments from friends who say they have loved reading her books.  Reyna was delight to have at our literary festival!"

Susan Long, Co-Chair of the Pasadena Literary Festival of Women Authors

Contact Reyna

"Reyna Grande is the kind of writer and speaker that stays with audiences even after they have read her novels or attended one of her readings. Many of the students had never met a real author before, most had never met a writer with whom they could also identify on multiple levels. Their encounter was truly memorable for all of who attended [her] reading and discussion! Three years after that summer [2007], my former students still check-in with me and ask about Reyna. It's clear to me that Reyna's stories, both written and shared in person, linger in our minds because they are about ideas, feelings and situations we can all identity with at one point or another in our lives."

Victor Garcia, Former Director of the SummerTIME Writing Program
University of Southern California