Reyna GrandeSpeaker and Booking Agent Information

Across a Hundred Mountains, her debut novel, won a Latino Books Into Movies Award in 2010, an American Book Award in 2007, and the 2006 El Premio Aztlan Literary Award. It was also picked as Eastern Connecticut's "One Book/One Region" option in 2007, and Watsonville, California's "On the Same Page" community readings program in 2010.

Dancing with Butterflies, Reyna's second novel, was similarly well-received and won an International Latino Book Award in 2010. Both books are still frequently read in schools across the country and are perennial book club favorites. Reyna is also a strong advocate for Latino literature, serving as the program supervisor for the Latino Book and Family Festival in 2009 and 2010.

Reyna spends her free time judging literary competitions such as the Pen USA Literary Awards and the El Premio Aztlán, as well as teaching creative writing classes in her neighborhood. Reyna likes speaking at libraries, festivals, conferences, high schools, and colleges around the country when she is not writing or teaching.

Reyna graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a B.A. in creative writing and film & video, and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University. Her widely awaited memoir, The Distance Between Us: A Memoir, was published in August 2012 and tells the tale of her youth in both Mexico and the United States.