Poet, teacher, and activist Lupe Mendez is the author of the poetry collection Why I Am Like Tequila (Willow Books, 2019), which won the Texas Institute of Letters’ 2019 Robertson Best First Book of Poetry Prize. His poetry has appeared in Kenyon Review, Poetry Magazine, and Gulf Coast, among others. He has been featured in Houston Public Media’s National Poetry Month series “Voices and Verses” and Poetry House’s “Showcase Selects” series, as well as mentions in Latino Book Review and Electric Literature. Lupe earned an MFA in creative writing (poetry) from the University of Texas at El Paso and lives in Houston, where he has worked as an educator for the last twenty years. Currently, he serves as Poets & Writers‘ Literary Outreach Coordinator for Houston and was recently named as Festival Coordinator for SIN MUROS, Houston’s first Latinx Theatre Festival, for Stages Houston’s 2020–2021 season.