Brando Skyhorse
Award-Winning Author
Brando Skyhorse worked in publishing for ten years. Having worked as both an editor, and now a writer, of both fiction and non-fiction, Skyhorse's unique perspective from both sides of the editorial desk gives him detailed insight into the ins and outs of the publishing and acquisitions process.
In addition to working behind the scenes in publishing, Skyhorse released his first novel, The Madonnas of Echo Park, in 2010. Like the Academy Award–winning film Crash, The Madonnas of Echo Park follows the intersections of its characters and cultures in Los Angeles. In the footsteps of Junot DÍaz and Sherman Alexie, Skyhorse in his debut novel gives voice to one neighborhood in Los Angeles with an astonishing—and unforgettable—lyrical power. It received the 2011 PEN/Hemingway award and the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The Madonnas of Echo Park paints the portrait of the Esperanzas, a multi-generation Mexican-American family living in Echo Park, Los Angeles, and their daily struggle to achieve the “new” American Dream. Using a shared narrative of the Esperanzas and a selection of their close neighbors from the community, Skyhorse introduces readers to the ever evolving social struggle of an ethnic group that must constantly fight to assimilate into a culture it works to support. Drawing inspiration from his own childhood experience as a Mexican-American in California, Skyhorse calls audiences’ attention to the shocking realities of everyday immigrant life, and explores the complexity of determining one’s nationality and identity.
Skyhorse currently lives in Jersey City, New Jersey and is working on his first memoir, Things My Fathers Taught Me, about growing up with five stepfathers and being a Mexican-American who was raised as a Native American.
Interested in booking Brando Skyhorse to speak at your next event?
In addition to working behind the scenes in publishing, Skyhorse released his first novel, The Madonnas of Echo Park, in 2010. Like the Academy Award–winning film Crash, The Madonnas of Echo Park follows the intersections of its characters and cultures in Los Angeles. In the footsteps of Junot DÍaz and Sherman Alexie, Skyhorse in his debut novel gives voice to one neighborhood in Los Angeles with an astonishing—and unforgettable—lyrical power. It received the 2011 PEN/Hemingway award and the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The Madonnas of Echo Park paints the portrait of the Esperanzas, a multi-generation Mexican-American family living in Echo Park, Los Angeles, and their daily struggle to achieve the “new” American Dream. Using a shared narrative of the Esperanzas and a selection of their close neighbors from the community, Skyhorse introduces readers to the ever evolving social struggle of an ethnic group that must constantly fight to assimilate into a culture it works to support. Drawing inspiration from his own childhood experience as a Mexican-American in California, Skyhorse calls audiences’ attention to the shocking realities of everyday immigrant life, and explores the complexity of determining one’s nationality and identity.
Skyhorse currently lives in Jersey City, New Jersey and is working on his first memoir, Things My Fathers Taught Me, about growing up with five stepfathers and being a Mexican-American who was raised as a Native American.
Interested in booking Brando Skyhorse to speak at your next event?
Contact Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau.
(866) 248-3049
info@simonspeakers.com
- How To Get Published
- Born a Mexican, Raised a Native American: Raised in Two Worlds, Citizen of Neither
- Things My Fathers Taught Me: Surviving a Dysfunctional Childhood
