“May we do work that matters. Vale la pena, it’s worth the pain.”
—Gloria Anzaldúa
Mission
RGV Reads was created for the purpose of literary advancement in the Rio Grande Valley through community engagement, mentorship, accessibility to resources and other opportunities for the development of literacy skills, creative expression, and artistic appreciation.
RGV READS came to fruition by observing a need for further advancement between literary opportunity and artistic expression in the Rio Grande Valley community. When one is able to read and write, they are capable of bringing imagination into tangible being. They are capable of creating new language, new forms of expression, and generating new sources for (re)connectivity to their homeland, their peoples, and their community. As Gloria Anzaldúa says, “do the work that matters…vale la pena” RGV READS is our work that matters. We are whole-heartedly embracing collective learning and listening by providing the community with essential yet innovative resources and spaces for individuals to refine and/or fall in love with reading and writing and the power of creative expression.
Meet the Founder
Founder & Executive Director
Avery C. Castillo was born and raised in Harlingen, Texas and currently resides in Harlingen. She is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is also a published poet and artist and an emerging editor working with authors across the nation. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in English from Texas Tech University. Her goals for RGV READS is to provide the community with greater opportunities of engaging with literatures and individuals that spark inspiration as well as to engage in a variety of creative forms of expression to advance critical literacy skills that will ultimately generate collective learning and art-making opportunities for the RGV.