Internationally acclaimed author Reyna Grande will give a Community Book Lecture on October 15, 2022, as part of a communitywide celebration of Latinx Heritage Month.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be from 6-8 p.m. in the Miller Park Pavilion, 1020 S. Morris Ave. in Bloomington. The evening will begin with a musical performance, followed by Grande’s talk titled “A Ballad of Love and Glory,” based on her newest book. A Q&A session will follow. Those with questions, or who need accommodation to attend the event, can call Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the City of Bloomington Michael Hurt at (309) 434-2468.
Grande will also hold a book signing earlier in the day from 1-2 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble, 1701 E. Empire St. in Bloomington.
“Reyna Grande is a star. She is one of the most interesting voices in a growing body of Latino/a/x writers,” said Professor Maura Toro-Morn, director of the University’s Latin American and Latino/a Studies (LALS). “This is a significant event for LALS, an honor collaborating with so many for the City of Bloomington’s first celebration of Latinx Heritage Month as a community.”
The event is a collaboration between Illinois State University’s Latin American and Latino/a Studies (LALS), the City of Bloomington, Conexiones Latinas de McLean County, Latinos en BloNo, and the Illinois Art Station.
“It is truly an honor to have someone of Ms. Grande’s caliber share her life’s journey with Central Illinois,” said Communications and External Affairs Manager for the City of Bloomington Katherine (Kelly) Murphy ’92. “That journey will touch and inspire those who have the opportunity to see her.”
Another Illinois State alumna, and member of the Alumni Association Board, also helped to bring Grande to campus. “I believe that her story of perseverance, authenticity, and advocacy will resonate with many. Her rhetorical work educates, provokes thought, and will hopefully lead to action,” said Nikita Richards ’06.
Other events to help celebrate the month that runs from September 15-October 15 will include talks by scholars, a national museum director, and panels with alumni, faculty, and community members discussing topics surrounding identity. Find out more about Illinois State University Latinx Month Heritage events.
Reyna Grande biography:
Reyna Grande is the author of the bestselling memoir, The Distance Between Us, where she writes about her life before and after she arrived in the United States from Mexico as an undocumented child immigrant.
One of her most recent works, A Ballad of Love and Glory, is set during the Mexican American War in the 1840s. Her books have been adopted as the common reading selection by schools, colleges, and cities across the country.
Grande has been honored with an American Book Award, the El Premio Aztlán Literary Award, and the International Latino Book Award. In 2012, she was a finalist for the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Awards. In 2015 she was honored with a Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature and a Latino Spirit Award in 2021. The young reader’s version of The Distance Between Us received a 2017 Honor Book Award for the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature and a 2016 Eureka! Honor Award from the California Reading Association, and an International Literacy Association Children’s Book Award 2017.
Writing about immigration, family separation, language trauma, the price of the American Dream, and her writing journey, Grande’s work has appeared in The New York Times, the Dallas Morning News, CNN, The Lily at The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, among others.
Born in Iguala, Mexico Guerrero, Mexico, Grande was two years old when her father left for the U.S. to find work. Her mother followed her father north two years later, leaving Grande and her siblings behind in Mexico. In 1985, when Grande was nine, she left Iguala to make her own journey north. After attending Pasadena City College for two years, Grande became the first person in her family to set foot in a university. She went on to obtain a B.A. in creative writing and film and video from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University.
