Photo Credit: Aaron Michael Quintanilla
Michael Méndez Guevara
Michael Méndez Guevara is a Mexican American writer and former high-school English and journalism teacher. He has taught on the US-Mexico border, at large urban schools, at rural schools, and in small elite schools. He has taught in schools where students lacked for nothing, and he also has taught at schools where students relied on free school meals to eat and often worked to help support the family. Regardless of whom he taught, he wanted all his students to see themselves as writers who recognized the power of their individual stories.
The pages of his books are rich remnants, reflections, and reminiscences of his years teaching. A father, husband, and recovering Southern Baptist, Michael came out late in life and believes writers create the stories their younger selves needed. He hopes the characters he writes and the stories he tells help others accept and love their authentic selves.
When not writing, walking his dogs Zeke and Zsa Zsa, or cheering on the Kansas Jayhawks, Michael works as an educational sales rep and literacy consultant.
Michael joins the Book Festival to discuss his debut novel, The Closest Thing to a Normal Life.
