MANYA YANA ORESCAN CAMPOS is the daughter of Maria Esther Campos Gaytan. She is a proud Xicana of Purepecha descent, a poet, a queer mama, and recent BFA graduate. Manya grew up between the redwoods of California, the jasmine-infested streets of south India, and the sugarcane fields of western Mexico. She now lives in Oregon and is the co-creator of ALAS, a multicultural artist hub that centers the voices of brown/Indigenous/Latino artists.
“I’m stealing memories. Memories of a dirt floor, broken chicken necks and laundry snapping in the wind... The warm taste of cow’s milk and a little girl hand stitching colorful thread through a butter-stained napkin.” Writer Manya Yana Campos recounts memories that form her self-identity.