Reyna Grande

Reyna Grande, published author and immigration advocate, spoke recently about her two novels, The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home. During the event, she discussed aspects of her most recent novel and talked about her progression as a writer, from one who writes to escape her reality to one who writes to better that reality. Her works often engage with the topic of immigration and the duality of foreign-born citizens. Grande herself emigrated from Mexico when she was nine years old, crossing what was perhaps the most significant but certainly not the last barrier in her life. Before her immigration, her parents had worked in the United States for some time. The distance she felt from her parents and their work, the harrowing disconnect between a daughter and her mother and father, served to transport the audience from the relatively safe seats of the Garland auditorium to better understand Grande’s uncertain upbringing.
Later in her speech, Grande offered a metaphor to explain her growth as a writer: her relationship with writing mirrors a butterfly’s relationship with life. As a caterpillar begins the life of a butterfly, she too started writing without beauty or eloquence in mind. Instead, she wrote to voice whatever thoughts she could and express herself in the most fundamental way known to humanity. This stage took her only so far, though, as she she knew the ceiling for her writing ability was much higher than where she was in elementary and middle school. Her pupa stage saw the rapid advancement of her voice and literary understanding, progressing in both style and cohesion. As she emerged from the cocoon of education, Grande set out to make a living as a writer. This decision meant her writing had to not only be exemplary but intentional, not just excellent but refined. Because Grande found work and grew in confidence during this stage, she can now “take flight,” finally leveraging her remarkable faculties as a writer to effect change and encourage young writers. As she continues to soar, we will look on, as inspired by her as she was by the writers of her youth.

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