Xavier Garza

Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, author and lucha libre aficionado Xavier Garza is a prolific and enthusiastic author, artist, and storyteller. His work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City and is a lively documentation of the dreams, superstitions, and heroes in the bigger-than-life world of South Texas. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona, and the state of Washington. He has authored and illustrated fourteen books, and has received such prestigious awards as the Americas Honor Book Award, the Tejas Star Book Award, and the Pura Belpré Honor Book award. Garza was awarded both the NAACS Tejas Young Adult Book Award and the Texas Institute of Letters Children's Book Award, and in 2019, Garza was inducted into the prestigious Texas Institute of Letters. He lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife Irma and their teen son, Vincent.