Author Talk: “Migrant Heart” by Reyna Grande (IN PERSON)
6:00 PM • Wednesday, September 23, 2026American Writers Museum$8 Join us for an illuminating conversation at the AWM with writers Reyna Grande and Erika L. Sánchez. The two bestselling authors sit down to discuss Grande’s new book "Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget," an ambitious memoir in essays that illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complex journey of healing that follows survival. Books will be available for purchase and Grande will sign them following the program. This is an in person program at the American Writers Museum. This program will also be livestreamed, and you can register for the link to the online broadcast here. More about Migrant Heart: What is the true power of stories? Can they heal the jagged edges of a traumatic childhood? Is the cost of telling the story worth the price of the cure? Reyna Grande has spent her career capturing the raw reality of life across borders. In this intricate and deeply intimate memoir-in-essays, the author of the landmark memoirs The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home again turns her gaze inward to explore the scars left by migration and the ongoing work of stitching herself back together. With her signature blend of sophistication and raw honesty, Grande interrogates how living between two nations, two languages, and two identities has shaped the woman, mother, and writer she has become. Moving from the legacy of violence in her hometown of Iguala, Mexico, to a bittersweet family vacation in Europe spent reconciling her own impoverished past with her children’s world of abundance, she uncovers startling truths about the nature of survival. Whether being racially profiled in the Arizona borderlands or finding unexpected wisdom from the slugs in her garden, Grande unflinchingly asks: How do we bridge the gap between who we were and who we have become? How do we turn pain into power? When memory threatens to define us, how can we use story to heal while still honoring our boundaries? Migrant Heart is a powerful testament to Grande’s role as a storyteller and cultural witness. It expands our understanding of life in the United States and the complex people who cross and live within its borders. It is an essential read for the seekers, the dreamers, and anyone who believes in the enduring, transformative power of finding one’s voice. Praise for Migrant Heart: “Migrant Heart is the exact book I needed during this tumultuous time. These essays should be taught across the country. Reyna’s stories of surviving and thriving as a Brown woman in the United States are seamlessly told through her sharp, vibrant prose. This is a book I will return to again and again.” —Erika L. Sánchez, New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter and Crying in the Bathroom “With heart and verve, and her own particular candor, so warm like a sun, Reyna Grande writes about writing, memory, the Ayotzinapa 43, the cruelties of the border, menopause, slug sex, and queen bees. I love Reyna’s way of seeing the world. These essays are heart-big.” —Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Man Who Could Move Clouds “Migrant Heart is deep, gorgeous, and full of unexpected chambers that will by turns unsettle you, infuriate you, comfort you, and, if you let them, heal you. And while much darkness lies in many of these essays—of human nature, of life, of our nation—ultimately, they are illuminated with love.” —Xóchitl González, Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming
