Presentations

Interested in booking Reyna Grande to speak at your next event?

Contact Reyna at reynagrande@gmail.com

Here is what people have said about Reyna’s inspirational presentations:

“Reyna Grande’s personal experiences resonate with those of our students who find her presentations interesting, inspirational, and heartwarming. She is an incredible role model not only for Latinos whose culture and language she affirms, but also for non-Latino students whose hardships and journeys have been similar to hers. Her books make excellent course texts because of their universal themes and accessibility; and when students have an opportunity to meet and hear this author, they become even more significant and appealing. She is a powerful presenter.”

Professor Virginia Escalante, Director, Fifth Annual San Diego City College International Book Fair
San Diego City College

“Reyna Grande is a talented writer who writes from her cultural self. As a guest speaker in university settings she easily flows between English and Spanish to meet the needs of the target audience. She provides teachers of writing a lens into her writer’s life. She candidly responds to students’ queries ranging from her most intimate personal connections with her characters to details of her writer’s craft. She inspires others to write and illustrates ways on how to integrate elements of personal stories into works of fiction.”

Lilia E. Sarmiento, Ph.D. Associate Professor
CSU Dominguez Hills

“Reyna stressed how even with her difficult childhood, getting an education made a difference for her. Because we have so many students who are immigrants or come from immigrant families, Reyna served as a great role model for achievement.”

Shelley Savren, English Professor
Faculty Coordinator of the Literature, Arts & Culture Series
Oxnard College

“Reyna was a highlight at our literary festival. She was very engaging in her presentation and captured the audience so much that guests flocked to the book tables afterwords to purchase her books. I am still getting comments from friends who say they have loved reading her books. Reyna was delight to have at our literary festival!”

Susan Long, Co-Chair of the Pasadena Literary Festival of Women Authors

“Reyna’s presentation really touched us! She has the ability to depict life experiences which although totally foreign to the personal experience of most in the audience, enables one to see and understand what her characters are living and the choices they make. She left many of us with tears in our eyes and with a better understanding of ‘the universal human condition’ she depicts. She had everyone hooked from the minute she began reading Dancing with Butterflies! This meeting was one of the highlights of our 2009-2010 program year and we look forward to visiting with Reyna again!”

Helen Madrid-Worthen, Program Chair, Hispanic-Jewish Women’s Task Force

“Reyna Grande is the kind of writer and speaker that stays with audiences even after they have read her novels or attended one of her readings. Many of the students had never met a real author before, most had never met a writer with whom they could also identify on multiple levels. Their encounter was truly memorable for all of who attended [her] reading and discussion! Three years after that summer [2007], my former students still check-in with me and ask about Reyna. It’s clear to me that Reyna’s stories, both written and shared in person, linger in our minds because they are about ideas, feelings and situations we can all identity with at one point or another in our lives.”

Victor Garcia, Former Director of the SummerTIME Writing Program
University of Southern California

“Reyna provided an amazing series of presentations for us this year during our annual Watsonville “On The Same Page” community reads series of events. She skillfully handled the challenge of presenting at 5 different venues to 5 very diverse groups of students and community members within 4 days without missing a beat!”

Teresa Rodriguez, Parent Education Community Liaison II Student Services: Extended Learning Family Literacy Grant

Previous Presentations:

2021

  • Panelist, Maryland Libraries Together–Viva Latino: Own Voices Writers in Conversation
  • Keynote Speaker, Las Positas Literary Festival
  • Panelist, 28th Annual Agents & Editors Conference, Austin, TX
  • Faculty, Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, Middlebury, VT
  • Presenter, Los Angeles County Office of Education, CA

2020

  • Keynote Speaker, Senderos 10th Annual Latino Role Models Conference, Aptos, CA
  • Panelist, Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), San Antonio, TX
  • Guest Presenter on Oprah’s Book Club, Tucson, AZ

2019

  • Faculty, Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, Middlebury, VT
  • Keynote Speaker, SDSU Dual Language and English Learner Conference, San Diego, CA
  • Walter W. Stiern Library, Writer in Residence, Cal State University Bakersfield, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, California Association of Teachers of English (CATE), Burlingame, CA
  • Featured Speaker, California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE) Long Beach, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Deeper Learning Conference 2019, San Diego, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Dual Language Essentials for Teachers and Administrators Conference, TX
  • Keynote Speaker, Women of Color Community Empowerment Conference, Portland Community College, OR
  • Keynote at 2019 ERWC Leadership Conference, Sacramento and Costa Mesa, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, University of Wyoming, School of Culture, Gender & Social Justice Symposium
    Laramie, WY
  • Keynote Speaker, California Reading Association Awards Dinner, Sacramento, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Puente Motivational Conference, San Diego & Merced, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Mt SAC First-Gen Week, Walnut, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Beyond Words Fundraiser, Hartford Public Library, CT

2018

  • Presenter, Amplify: Storytelling Conference for Writers of Color, Berkeley, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, 9th Annual Transnational Latino Conference, DePaul University, Lincoln Park Campus, IL
  • Panelist, Day of Dialogue, Book Expo America, NY
  • Fiction workshop faculty, Macondo Writer’s Conference, TX

2017

  • Panelist, National Council for the Social Studies Conference 2017, San Francisco, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, TYCA-SW (Two-Year College English Association) Conference, CO
  • Panelist, AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs), Washington DC
  • Keynote Speaker, Voice Your Language Forum 2017, San Diego, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Woman of the Year Awards, CA State Assembly, Sacramento, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, 7th annual Día de Los Niños/Día de Los Libros Literacy Celebration, Tempe, AZ
  • Faculty, VONA (Voices of Our Nations Arts), Philadelphia, PA
  • Keynote Speaker, GEAR UP New Mexico Student Leadership Conference, Albuquerque, NM
  • Featured Speaker, Symposium Days, Augustana College, IL
  • Keynote Speaker, The Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lectures Series, Avila University, MO
  • Featured Speaker, UnityPoint Health – Meriter Foundation Speaker Series, Madison, WI
  • Keynote Speaker, J-Term Book Club Lecture, University of St. Thomas, MN

2016

  • Panelist, AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs), Los Angeles, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Raza Unida Youth Conference, Eugene, OR
  • Keynote Speaker, 5th annual CSWS Northwest Women Writers Symposium, “Crossing Borders: Women’s Stories of Immigration, Migration, and Transition”
  • Panelist, School of Public Policy Annual Conference, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
  • Keynote Speaker, X Congreso de Literatura Chicana y Estudios Latinos, Instituto Franklin, Madrid, Spain
  • Instructor/Presenter VONA (Voices of Our Nations Arts), Miami, FL
  • Instructor/Panelist, The Book Conference, Gemini Ink, San Antonio, TX
  • Instructor/Presenter Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, Mendocino, CA
  • Panelist, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Atlanta, GA

2015

  • Keynote Speaker, National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators, Washington DC
  • Featured Speaker, 2015 OC Wraparound Institute
  • Featured Speaker, Ethics of Immigration Conference, Roger Mudd Center for Ethics, Lexington, VA

2014

  • Keynote Speaker, With Different Eyes Conference, UCLA
  • Featured Speaker, 2014 Conference on Rudolfo Anaya, Cal State University, Los Angeles
  • Keynote Speaker, Borders of Diversity Conference, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Massachusetts Educators of English Language Learners  (MATSOL), Boston MA

2013

  • Keynote Speaker, California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL), San Diego, CA
  • Featured Speaker, California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE), Long Beach, CA
  • Featured Speaker, Latina History Day, HOPE, Los Angeles, CA
  • Featured Speaker, Border Writers Conference, UT-San Marcos, TX

2012

  • Keynote Speaker, Leonardo Dorantes Lecture Series, Santa Barbara City College, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Author’s Luncheon, Seal Beach, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Latino Youth Summit, Kearney, Nebraska
  • Honoree, Embracing Latina Leadership AllianceS (ELLAS) Conference, Los Angeles, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Texas Association of Bilingual Education (TABE) San Antonio, TX

2011

  • Participant, Macondo Writer’s Workshop, San Antonio, TX
  • Panelist, AALA (Asia, Africa and Latin America Literature Forum) Incheon, South Korea
  • Judge, 2nd Annual Mariachi & Folklorico Festival, Rosarito, Mexico

2010

  • Featured author, Pasadena Women’s Literary Festival, Pasadena, CA
  • Featured author, City of Watsonville’s “One the Same Page” program, Watsonville, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE), San Jose, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Council of Mexican American Administrators scholarship breakfast, Alhambra, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, With Different Eyes Conference (UCLA), Westwood, CA
  • Featured Author, 6th Annual Author’s Brunch, Soroptomist of Brea/La Habra
  • Featured Author, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Author’s Luncheon, Ventura, CA
  • Featured Author, Hispanic Women’s Corporation, Phoenix, AZ
  • Panelist, Associated Writing Program (AWP), Denver, CO
  • Keynote Speaker, Latinas Juntas, CSUDH, Carson, CA
  • Judge, 1st Annual Mariachi & Folklorico Festival, Rosarito, Mexico

2009

  • Featured author, Women’s Literary Festival, Santa Barbara, CA
  • Featured  author, 4th Annual Conference, Puente Project, Santa Cruz, CA
  • Presenter, 7th Annual National Latinos Writers Conference, Albuquerque, NM
  • Instructor, Gemini Ink/University Without Walls, San Antonio, TX
  • Bakersfield College “Cerro Visiting Author”, Bakersfield, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Latina Women’s Conference, Laramie County, WY

2008

  • Featured Author, California Association of Teachers of English (CATE), Long Beach, California
  • Panelist, California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE), San Jose, CA
  • Presenter, Adelante Mujer Latina, Pasadena, CA
  • Presenter, ELLAS Conference, Long Beach, CA
  • Commencement Speaker, Pasadena City College Graduation, Pasadena, CA
  • Panelist, Reading the World Series, San Francisco, CA

2007

  • Keynote Speaker, The English Council of California Two-Year Colleges Conference (ECCTYC), San Jose, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Southern California Teachers of English Conference (SCTE), Whittier, CA
  • Keynote Speaker, Conference of the Living Tree, Santa Barbara, CA
  • Speaker, Mexican-American Symposium, New York, CA
  • Panelist, Santa Barbara Writers Conference, Santa Barbara, CA
  • Featured Author, 10th Annual Literary Conference, San Benito, TX

2006

  • Keynote Speaker, La Posada Fundraiser, El Paso, TX
  • Panelist, Chica Lit Club Fiesta, Miami, FL
  • Presenter, Las Literaturas Latinas, Santa Cruz, CA