Dr. Steven Alvarez was born a few hours north of the US-Mexico border in Stafford, Arizona and was raised there by his mother who was born in Mexico and his father who was first generation Mexican American. Steven grew up speaking only English, and it was not until his college years that he began to discover his identity. Steven graduated with degrees in English and Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He then went on to receive his Masters and Doctorate in English from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Steven is currently an Assistant Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Media at the University of Kentucky. He has written five books and so far one has been published, The Poncho Codex.