María Herrera-Sobek, Professor of Chicano Studies, is the Luis Leal Endowed Chair at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Associate Director of the Center for Chicano Studies. She is co-organizing the East/West Chicano Institute to be held at Cornell University in conjunction with UCSB's Center for Chicano Studies. A renowned literary critic, poet, and folklore specialist, Dr. Herrera Sobek has published numerous books, articles and scholarly essays. Her books include The Bracero Experience: Elite Lore versus Folklore, Northward Bound: The Mexican Immigrant Experience in Ballad and Song, and The Mexican Corrido: A Feminist Analysis.
Helena María Viramontes is professor and Director of Creative Writing at Cornell University.