Renowned author Victor Villaseñor will speak at South Texas College’s Pecan Campus Library located at 3201 West Pecan Blvd in McAllen on Friday, May 9, 2008 at 7 p.m. He will discuss his bestseller, Rain of Gold.

The evening starts with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and Villaseñor will sign books and meet attendees following his speech. Books will be available for purchase.

In addition, Villaseñor will be the speaker for South Texas College’s graduation ceremony for its Division of Liberal Arts and Social Science on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 2 p.m. at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo. Admission to the graduation is free and open to the public.

Born in Carlsbad, CA in 1940 to Mexican immigrants, Villaseñor was raised on a ranch four miles north in Oceanside, CA. He grew up facing the challenges of language and cultural barriers, heavy discrimination and dyslexia. Eventually a desire was inspired in him to use literature to confront the problems associated with his cultural heritage that continued to plague him throughout his young adulthood.

After producing nine novels, 65 short stories and receiving 265 rejections, Villaseñor sold his first novel, Macho!. This milestone began a journey that would lead to the publication of his bestseller, Rain of Gold. Published in seven languages and used by thousands of teachers and school systems across the nation, the book tells the story of Villaseñor’s family, taking the reader from war-torn Mexico during the Revolution to the present day.

Villaseñor’s acclaimed written works, as well as his inspiring lectures, have earned him numerous awards and endorsements, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

From Virginia Gause