Dr. Cristina Herrera was born and raised in Oxnard, California and has been at PSU since 2021. She earned her PhD in English from Claremont Graduate University, specializing in contemporary Chicana/Latina literature. She is the author of multiple books on Chicanx and Latinx young adult literature, including Nerds, Goths, Geeks, and Freaks: Outsiders in Chicanx and Young Adult Literature, which won the 2020 Children's Literature Association Edited Book Award. Cristina's co-authored book, Latinx Teens: US Popular Culture on the Page, Stage, and Screen is an International Latino Book Award Honorable Mention. Her most recent book was published in 2024 by University of Pittsburgh Press, Welcome to Oxnard: Race, Place, and Chicana Adolescence in Michele Serros's Writings. In her spare time, Cristina enjoys walks with her partner and their two beautiful dogs.
Research Interests:
Chicana/Latina young adult literature, Chicana feminism, Chicana memoirs and life writing