The son of Mexican immigrants, Luis J. Rodriguez began writing in his early teens and has won national recognition as a poet, journalist, fiction writer, children’s book writer, and critic. Currently working as a peacemaker among gangs on a national and international level, Rodriguez helped create Tia Chucha’s CafĂ© & Centro Cultural, a multiarts, multimedia cultural center in the Northeast San Fernando Valley.
![Luis J. Rodriguez Headshot Black and white headshot of author Luis J. Rodriguez, a Xicanx person wearing a white collared shirt and black jacket](https://www.penfaulkner.org/wp-content/uploads/Headshots/Luis-J.-Rodriguez.jpg)