Writing is my activism for the migrant community: Reyna Grande

Ximena Torres

Finding herself unrecognized in literature, Reyna Grande wrote her own story. By the time she published her first book, A través de cien montañas (2006)—which will be republished by Editorial Trillas in September 2026—she was already convinced that her story and that of her community needed to be told. But it wasn't always that way. For a long time, she was made to feel ashamed for having migrated to the United States at the age of nine, in search of a life that had become impossible in her hometown of Iguala, Guerrero.

Twenty years into her writing career, Reyna describes herself as a literary activist and memoirist . She has captured her memories in autobiographical works such as *The Distance Between Us * (2013) and *The Search for a Dream * (2018), which was included on Kirkus Reviews' list of the best nonfiction books of the 21st century.

She is also the author and editor of other publications that address the search for the American dream and identity, for which she has been recognized with the American Book Award, the Aztlán Prize for Literature and the International Latino Book Award.

She currently dedicates herself to sharing her knowledge about crossing borders—geopolitical, linguistic, racial, and professional—as a professor at Antioch University. She will also be sharing her expertise at ITESO as a special guest of the exhibition “On the Other Side: Human Mobility between Mexico and the United States,” which can be seen in the Dr. Jorge Villalobos Padilla, SJ Library at ITESO and will remain on display until February 13.

The writer will also be the featured speaker at three other events organized by ITESO. The first will be the talk “ Narratives of Crossing ,” scheduled for Thursday, February 12, at 4:00 p.m. in the Library's agora. This will be followed by another talk open to the public on Saturday, February 14, at 11:00 a.m. at Casa ITESO Clavigero (José Guadalupe Zuno 2083, Colonia Americana). Finally, she will lead the Open Classroom session “ Writing Between Languages: The Bilingual Creative Writing Process ” in the Library's Pleasure Reading Room on Monday, February 16, at 11:00 a.m.

To attend activities held on the ITESO campus, you must request an access QR code in advance by writing to culturabiblio@iteso.mx . All activities are free of charge , but space is limited.

Prior to her visit to ITESO, Reyna reflects on the reading experiences that shaped her path, the importance of self-representation in literature, and the introspection involved in writing a memoir.

You've said that being a border crosser is your superpower. What skills have you developed and how have you used them to help others?

I say that because when I was a child, being a migrant made me incredibly ashamed; I felt inferior to everyone else. But I had to change because I didn't want to give that power to this society, which is very racist. I realized that crossing the border is something I have to celebrate, because I did it as a child, at nine years old. It's a miracle that I arrived alive in the United States.

I also realized that facing that boundary and overcoming it means I have the inner strength to overcome any barrier. Since then, whenever I encounter a problem, I tell myself, "You know how to cross boundaries."

Everything I've written focuses on those experiences, on the trauma of migration, family separation, and that gives a voice to a community that is often silenced. Our voices are stolen, and we are treated as if we were invisible. Through literature, we can raise our voices for this community. We have to educate others about who we are, what we go through, and what we feel.

Another experience that shaped your youth was access to the Arroyo Seco public library, which was near where you lived in Los Angeles. Besides books, what did that place give you? And what value do you find in libraries today?

It was a surprise to me that they let me borrow ten books each time I went to that library, because we didn't have that in Iguala. For me, it was a safe place, offering me peace of mind, especially at that time in my life.

Access to literature also helped me develop my intelligence, my creativity, and learn English. Because I fell so in love with books, I later began writing my own stories. That would never have happened if I hadn't discovered that library. I think that if I had stayed in Mexico, I would never have discovered I could be a writer.

And what I love about libraries is that they're the heart of a community. Here (in the United States), they're always doing their best to attract people of all ages, and they don't just give you access to books; they also have workshops and reading events. A community is always much better when there's a library that serves everyone.

Most of the books you've written recount experiences like your own when you migrated. What has motivated you to persist in portraying these realities?

I read a lot of books, but none of them dealt with the things that were happening in my life. So I thought, where am I?

There is a great lack of representation, and that causes one to feel invisible and that the experiences one has had are worthless, that they don't matter, or that one's community doesn't matter, and that's why it's not part of literature.

That's what motivated me to start my writing career—the need to see myself reflected in my work. I began publishing my books and realized that other people share that same desire.

When you find yourself in a book, it helps you feel that what you've been through isn't unique to you, and that other people have managed to survive, triumph, and overcome obstacles. That gives you a lot of motivation and helps you keep going. One way to empower our community is for them to see themselves reflected in literature.

What do you need to know to dedicate yourself to writing and making a memoir book?

The first thing I talk to my students about is reality, that a career in the creative arts is difficult, but the most important thing is not to lose the love we have for the stories we write or the joy of creating.

With a memoir, the first challenge is understanding that it's not a collection of anecdotes. The work must have a very specific theme. For example, in The Distance Between Us (2013), the theme is the distance created by family separation, so what I included in that book were memoirs that speak of that distance. It's like sculpting from a block of stone: what you remove is just as important as what remains.

Another important point is to understand that, while writing can be a form of therapy, a memoir isn't a diary for venting. Nor can you write a book simply to get revenge on those who wronged you. You need to have a clear understanding of your writing purpose and polish each scene, developing the characters thoroughly. Each chapter should have its own narrative arc .

Finally, you need to be clear about how your experiences affected you, what lessons you learned, and then broaden your perspective to consider how your experience fits into society. What do you mean socially, politically, and historically? You need to place your experience within a larger context.

In recent months, we've all heard about the unchecked use of force by ICE to enforce US immigration policy. How do you respond to this situation, and what hope do you have for the future of your community?

I'm still writing.

There are people who make videos and talk about politics and have many opinions, but it takes me a long time to put what I feel into words, so I write. I have a book coming out in May called Migrant Heart. That's my form of activism: writing and raising my voice for my community through literature.

What I want for the future is for people to stop blaming migrants for everything, because migrants are victims of the political, social, cultural, historical, and even environmental situation. I want people to realize that the decisions our political leaders make are what cause migration.