Raised in Spanish Harlem, Ernesto Quiñonez was named a "Writer on the Verge" by the Village Voice for his critically acclaimed novel, Bodega Dreams (Vintage 2000). In this debut novel, Willie Bodega is a controversial and complex street hero: a drug dealer who uses his money to renovate buildings and put kids through college. Writes Oscar Hijuelos: "Rich with eye-opening detail, this is a lively and entertaining work by a young writer whose talents deserve a wide readership."
Bodega Dreams was a Los Angeles Times "Notable Book of the Year, as well as a Barnes & Nobles "Discover Great New Writers" selection, and a Borders "Original Voices Title." It has been translated into five languages.
Ernesto Quiñonez's work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times, Latina, Bomb, POZ, and many other journals. He studied writing at the City College of New York with Walter Mosley, and has taught at Wesleyan University and Indiana State.
Christina Chiu's widely acclaimed first book, Troublemaker and Other Saints, is a collection of eleven related stories in which the Chinese-American members of an extended network of family, friends, lovers and neighbors combat their private and public shames and struggle to find a place to call home. Ms. Chiu's candor and stark, even shocking, vision have been greeted with less than total enthusiasm by the Asian-American community. "It's like bringing out the dirty laundry," Ms. Chiu says, and adds that her aunt "wouldn't show any of her friends the book, or even tell them about it." Critics disagree. "In sharp, witty, heartbreaking prose, Chiu communicates the Asian-American experience . . . adeptly and freshly," raves a Publishers Weekly starred review. Ms. Chiu, whose parents are from Shanghai, grew up in Manhattan and Westchester and earned a BA in East Asian Studies from Bates College and an MFA from Columbia. She is a co-founder of the Asian American Writers Workshop. She has received the Van Lier Fellowship, the Lannon Foundation Fellowship and the Claire Woolrich Scholarship. She lives in Irvington. www.christina-chiu.com
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The readings at the HVWC are made possible in part by grants from the Bydale Foundation and the Gannett Foundation; with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts; and by Westchester Arts Council with funds from Westchester County Government, corporations and individuals.