Cerritos College will host a literature celebration event Hear My Story, Know My World on September 9. The event begins with music and refreshments at 8 a.m.

Following the opening remarks, Cerritos College’s very own author Paura Pereira will hold a workshop on How to Write and Illustrate Your Favorite Migration Story. Pereira, librarian at Cerritos College, penned and illustrated How I Learned English: The Story of a Brave Mexican Girl in 2015. The story is based on her own challenge to learn English when her parents migrated from Brazil to California, which included studying English at Cerritos College.

Sara Borjas will hold a workshop at 10 a.m., titled Taking Your Shadow to Poetry School and Beyond. Borjas, a Chicana poet, began her literary career as a student at Fresno Community College. She now holds a master’s in fine arts from UCRiverside. As a member of Letras Latinas Writers Initiative and Chicano Writer’s and Artist’s Association, she organizes readings and contests for young people across the state. She teaches poetry writing at the University of California, Riverside.

Reyna Grande, award-winning novelist, memoirist and inspiring public speaker, will deliver the keynote address at 11 a.m. Titled “The Journey Between Us: From Pasadena City College to Published Author,” Grande will speak about how her experience as a community college student provided the inspiration to pursue her education and career goals. Her story appears in her latest book The Distance Between Us (Atria, 2012). Grande writes about her life before and after illegally immigrating from Mexico to the United States. Grande has received an American Book Award, the El Premio