She was born in Toledo, Cebu, the fifth child and second daughter of Yrinea Regner and Gerundio Espina.

Along with other female reporters, Espina established the Philippine Association of Women Writers (PAWW) in 1950.

While in this group, Espina's Just Like A Dream was published in the Graphic; it was her first fiction piece to see the light of day in a regionally-circulated magazine.

In 1960, Espina married Climpson S. "Kip" Moore, manager of a lumber company in the Cordilleras.

She resided in Alabang, Metro Manila, but moved to her hometown Cebu in recent years to be with her son and his family.