Opening Address

Valeria Luiselli was born in Mexico City, lives in the US, and grew up in South Korea, South Africa, and India. She is an acclaimed writer of both fiction and nonfiction, and of inventive hybrids of the two. She is the winner of two Los Angeles Times Book Prizes and an American Book Award, and has twice been nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kirkus Prize. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages.

"NeMLA Reads Together" promotes a novel written by our invited speaker for all our attendees to read during the year preceding our convention.

NeMLA's 53rd Annual Convention will feature Valeria Luiselli's novel Lost Children Archive. This fiercely imaginative novel is about a family whose road trip across America collides with an immigration crisis at the southwestern border--an indelible journey told with breathtaking imagery, spare lyricism, and profound humanity. 

NeMLA members are encouraged to read Lost Children Archive in preparation for the opening address and to submit a question they would like to ask the author.