Background
Grande grew up in poverty in Iguala, Guerrero then was left behind for eight years when her father, and later her mother, headed to the United States. in search of work.
Grande grew up in poverty in Iguala, Guerrero then was left behind for eight years when her father, and later her mother, headed to the United States. in search of work.
Grande attended Pasadena City College and later transferred to University of California, Santa Cruz, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature/creative writing.
Grande herself came to the United States. as an undocumented child immigrant via an illegal border crossing, She faced many trials and tribulations in becoming the first in her family to obtain a college degree. She later received her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Antioch University. She has taught creative writing at University of California, Los Angeles Extension"s Writer"s Program, at VONA (Voices of Our Nation"s Arts), the Latino Writer"s Conference, and more.
Dancing with Butterflies (Washington Square Press, 2009)
The Distance Between Us (Atria Books, 2012) — selected:
2013 Grand Valley State University “Community Read”
2014 One Maryland, One Book
2014 University of Iowa Center for Human Rights One Community, One Book
2014 Santa Rosa Junior College Reads
2014 San Juan College One Book, One Community
2014 Rolling Meadows High School Summer Reading Program
2014 California State University, Los Angeles “First Year Experience”
2014 Goshen College “First Year Experience” Selection
2014 Monroe County, Michigan’s One Book/One Community
2014-2015 Butte College “Book in Common"
2014-2015 Chico State University “Book in Common"
2015 Sandy Springs Reads Sandy Springs, Georgia
2016 Camarillo Reads Camarillo, California.
Grande is a member of the prestigious Macondo Foundation Writer"s shop, founded my renowned author Sandra Cisneros, and hosted by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio, Texas.