On April 8, author Emilly Prado shared the evolving nature of finding her path as a writer, drawing upon her experiences as a first-generation Chicana, a college student, and a self-proclaimed troublemaker who struggled with school and mental health. We heard a reading from Funeral for Flaca and viewed archival childhood photographs to better understand how 13 year-old Emilly found strength through music and writing.
Emilly Prado is an award-winning author and journalist, educator, and DJ based in Portland, Oregon. She is the author of the essay collection Funeral for Flaca, a winner of a 2022 Pacific Northwest Book Award, a 2021 bronze winner of the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in Essays, and several other honors. Her writing and photographs have appeared in more than 30 publications including NPR, Bitch Media, and Marie Claire. An alum of the Randolph College MFA, she teaches creative writing at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and moonlights as DJ Mami Miami with Noche Libre, the Latinx DJ collective she co-founded in 2017. Learn more at www.emillyprado.com or on social media @emillygprado.