I am humbled and honored beyond belief to be this year’s recipient of the Texas Writer Award, presented by the Texas Book Festival “to an esteemed writer in recognition of outstanding contributions to Texas literature.”
On the inside, I’m still that light-skinned Chicano living in Section 8 housing in Pharr, Texas, seeking refuge in libraries from the darkness around me, never ever dreaming that someone like me could be a conduit for the stories of my family, community, ancestors. So you’ll forgive me if I sit here gobsmacked at this recognition, given in the past to so many folks I admire and who paved the way for me: Sandra Cisneros, Rolando Hinojosa-Smith, Bejamin Alire Sáenz, Naomi Shihab Nye, Don Tate, and all the rest!
Learn more and read my interview with the Texas Book Festival here: https://texasbookfestival.org/announcing-the-2026-texas-writer-awardee/
