Luis Alberto Urrea

The author of sixteen books, he has published extensively in various genres and has received many prestigious awards. The Devil’s Highway, his non-fiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert, won the Lannan Literary Award, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and was called, “the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of U.S. border policy” by The Atlantic. His highly acclaimed historical novels; The Hummingbird’s Daughter and Queen of America together tell the epic story of Teresita Urrea, a great aunt who was a healer and Mexican folk hero. In 2017, his novel Into the Beautiful North was adapted into a production and was shown at theaters across the country. The House of Broken Angels focuses on the passing of time, the inevitability of death, and border politics. In this novel, and all of his work, Luis encourages empathy and compassion for our shared humanity. Throughout his career, Luis has established himself as a passionate and prolific voice urging readers to break down borders instead of putting up walls.

Jodi-Ann Burey (she/her) is a sought-after speaker and writer who works at the intersections of race, culture, and health equity. Her TED talk, “The Myth of Bringing Your Full Authentic Self to Work,” embodies her disruption of traditional narratives about racism at work. Jodi-Ann is also the creator and host of Black Cancer, a podcast about the lives of people of color told through their cancer journeys.