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Picture of Victoria Bañales with wind blowing in her hair. She is at the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. Red rocks amidst clouds are in the background.

About Me

Dr. Victoria (Vicky) Bañales (she/her/ella) is a Chicanx writer, teacher, mother, and activist. The incoming Watsonville Poet Laureate (2025-2027), she is a member of the Writers of Color-Santa Cruz County, Círculo de Poetas & Writers, and founder and editor of Journal X, a social justice literary arts magazine. Her poems, stories, and essays have been published in various journals and anthologies. The recipient of two poetry awards and a teaching excellence award, she holds a Ph.D. in Literature and Feminist Studies from the University of California-Santa Cruz. She has a book of poetry waiting in the wings and is writing a novel called Candelaria, which is a blend of memoir, magic realism, and speculative fiction.  She loves nature, especially oceans and mountains, and two years ago hiked Angel's Landing in Zion and Half Dome in Yosemite. The proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, she lives in Watsonville, CA, and teaches Chicanx/Latinx literature, fiction writing, and English composition at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz County.

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