Luis Alberto Urrea is a prolific and award-winning writer, a master storyteller who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph. In all of his work, Luis encourages empathy and compassion for our shared humanity.  Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and an American mother, Luis grew up in San Diego. Like so many great writers, Luis got his start in literature writing poems to impress girls in junior high. His early heroes were all rock stars, but not being especially musically gifted Luis chose to follow in the steps of his literary role models. “What I really wanted to be was Jim Morrison,” he has said “however, if I weren’t a writer, I’d be dead.”  

The author of 17 books, he has published extensively in various genres and has received many prestigious awards. The Devil’s Highway, his non-fiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert, won the Lannan Literary Award, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and was called, “the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of U.S. border policy” by The Atlantic. His highly acclaimed historical novels; The Hummingbird’s Daughter and Queen of America together tell the epic story of Teresita Urrea, a great aunt who was a healer and Mexican folk hero. Luis is also the author of Into the Beautiful North, The House of Broken Angels, and his latest, Good Night, Irene, which takes as inspiration his mother’s own Red Cross service. With its affecting and uplifting portrait of friendship and valor in harrowing circumstances, Good Night, Irene powerfully demonstrates yet again that Urrea’s “gifts as a storyteller are prodigious” (NPR).  

Throughout his career, Luis has established himself as a passionate and prolific voice urging readers to break down borders instead of putting up walls.  

Verónica Reyes-Escudero serves as the Katheryne B. Willock Head of Special Collections, at the University of Arizona Libraries. She is a passionate advocate for inclusivity and diversity in libraries and archives. Verónica is co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) of the Mellon Foundation Funded Digital Borderlands in the Classroom project and co-PI of the Ford Foundation Funded Reclaiming the Border Narrative Archival Partner grant. Previously, she held the position of Borderlands Curator, where she contributed to curatorial efforts focused on centering diverse narratives. She has been a steadfast contributor to and supports archival literacy for students. She has enjoyed working with faculty to incorporate archival literacy principles into the curriculum. Reyes-Escudero received her B.A. in English & Creative Writing from the University of Arizona and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She previously served as Chair for the Rare Books & Manuscript Section of the Association of College & Research Libraries, the national professional organization for Special Collections professionals and is co-authored Latinos in Libraries, Museums, and Archives: Cultural Competence in Action! An Asset-Based Approach.

MizSkoden hails from Tucson (Chukson) Az. Percusionista of nearly 25 years, DJ and producer. Pulling inspiration from her Yaqui (yoeme) Mayo (yoreme) roots. Honoring the rhythms that were created through black and indigenous struggles of survival, to decolonize the dance floor.