I am a Chicana marimacha from East LA. I am proud of my roots. I grew up in the Belvedere area beneath the two jails and near the I-710 Freeway (originally the 7 Freeway). I am the daughter of Natividad Avalos Reyes and Julia Socorro Hernández Reyes. My mama died in 1987. I was 18 years old. Her death forever changed my life. It paved my road in life as a poet and educator.*** I am proud to have attended Hammel Street School (’81), Belvedere Jr. High School (’84) and Garfield High School (’87). Throughout my schooling I detested English classes; I did not know how to write. However I was enrolled in College Prep classes, and my essays were layered in red ink due to grammar errors. I did not have the required grades for “regular” university admittance. Thank you EOP for opening the doors for me. I am grateful. At San Diego State University I enrolled in remedial English courses, kindly labeled Academic Skills. I failed the pass-fail exit exam twice. But I passed it the third time. Since then I have flourished in my writing. I have a BA from Long Beach State University (1995) and a MFA from University of Texas, El Paso (2000) in Creative Writing.*** Several geographies and a wide array of experiences have affected my writing. East LA is at the center. It is my corazón. Life in Long Beach, CA opened my eyes to the queer community. Living for four years in El Paso, Texas I gained a firsthand experience of border culture. I then resided in Toronto, Ontario. For six years, I witnessed the creation of community. I am grateful for my experiences up in la blue frontera. I truly gained a new perspective on borders. Recently, I lived abroad in Berlin, Germany and Birmingham, England; these environments have continued to shape me.*** I am an educator who believes in empowering students. I worked at El Paso Community College; my students taught me about border life. In Canada I taught at Humber College and while there I learned transnational and international politics from my very wise students. During summers I taught for Long Beach City College's Upward Bound program; my young students’ desire to learn re-energized me. In 2007 I returned to my homegrown roots, and now I am adjunct faculty in the English Department at California State University, Los Angeles. Finally, I am a proud member of Macondo Writers’ Workshop.*** Poetry saved me. I write to give voice to my communities—Mexican, malfloras, la jotería, writers, academics, familia—and to all my homes. I write stories to provide realistic and diverse experiences that exist. I write to bridge and fill in the gaps in the literary world. I write so that queer youth, straight kids, neighbors, Mexicanas/os can see a reflection of themselves in literature. I write to give voice to my jota experience. I am a poet for el barrio. I am the East LA Poet.

Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Canadian Woman Studies/ les cahiers de la femme, Feminist Studies, Pearl Magazine, Rio Grande Review, Sinister Wisdom, The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide, Willow Springs, Zyzzyva