Juventino Manzano grew up in the Rio Grande Valley. He has been writing for most of his life. His publications include the literary magazines of UT Pan American, the former Southwest Texas, Illinois State University and Sam Houston State. At Illinois State he had the honor of studying creative writing under Ricardo Cortez Cruz and David Foster Wallace. He was nominated for the Pushcart award for poetry in 2008 and 2012. Other publishing credits include Along the River Two, Along the River Three, the Post Amerikan, Celebrate the Self, Armageddon Buffet, Poets wear Prada. Propergander, Le Petite Bourgeoisie, Last Stop at Union Station, among others. He has self-published various works and his short story Vestige to Visage is part of the release, Epiphany Puente, a screenplay. He has also finished his novel Generation Mess, a 1990s Psychoactive Retrospective and his latest chapbook, Love in the Time of Covid is also available. He also recently published the biographical work, Letters from My Grandfather. He works as an ESL professor and has been teaching for the last 21 years. He also recently published a nonfiction collection of interviews with the renowned professor emeritus and entomologist, Dr. Edward Mockford, Juventino's Godfather. His poetry anthology, From the Tree is his latest publication. He just completed transcribing his grandmother's World War Two war-time journal: Grandma Hilda's Wartime Diary 1943-1945.