Jimmy Santiago Baca is the winner of the Pushcart Prize and the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award. At the age of 21, Baca was illiterate and incarcerated in a maximum-security facility for selling drugs. Five years later, he emerged from prison with a passion for reading and writing poetry. He is the author of the acclaimed memoir A Place to Stand, the story collection The Importance of a Piece of Paper, and several collections of poetry. He has established himself as an inspiring and important spokesperson for the Chicano experience, continually giving voice to the voiceless. His first novel, A Glass of Water (Grove/Atlantic, October 2009), is a gripping tale of family, loyalty, ambition, and revenge that offers us a glimpse into the tragedies unfurling at this very moment on our country’s borders.
