Emmy Pérez is a Chicanx poet and writer originally from Santa Ana, California, United States.

[1] She has lived in the borderlands of Texas since 2000, where she has taught creative writing in college and MFA programs, as well as in detention facilities and as part of social justice projects.

[12] When she was named Poet Laureate of Texas for 2020, State Representative John Cyrier said: "The great talents of the 2019-2020 State Artists, along with all of those who were nominated, help contribute to a distinctive cultural identity that makes Texas a great place to live, work and visit.

It is important that we celebrate the distinguished career achievements of these artists which have enhanced the lives of so many.”[13] She has been the recipient of many prestigious awards and fellowships, including, but not limited to: the New York Foundation for the Arts,[14] the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown,[15] and the Ucross Foundation.

[17][18] Each poem in the book talks about the life in the south borders of Texas along the Rio Grande Valley and how lives are affected by politics and global forces.