Mireya S. Vela

Striped Scarf

Mixed media on wood

"I won my first art award when I was in kindergarten. I think that experience marked me for life and set me in a trajectory of trying to understand myself. I think most artists struggle with the experience of what they imagine and what they can actually create with their hands. It's that space in between that you find art— it's the doubts and the imperfections."

— Mireya S. Vela

About the artist

Mireya S. Vela

Mireya S. Vela is a Mexican-American creative nonfiction writer, storyteller, and artist in Los Angeles. Vestiges of Courage is her work of collected essays. In her work, Ms. Vela addresses the needs of immigrant Mexican families and the disparities they face every day. She tackles issues of inequity and how ingrained societal systems support the (ongoing) injustice that contributes to continuing poverty and abuse. Ms. Vela received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Whittier College—and received her Master of Fine Arts from Antioch University in 2018. In 2018, Ms. Vela’s work has been published in Hippocampus Magazine, Noble/Gas Quarterly, Not Your Mother’s Breastmilk, The Nasiona, Miracle Monocle, Blanket Sea, and Collective Unrest. In 2018, she received four Pushcart nominations. Ms. Vela is also a visual artist. Her work was featured in The Nasiona in 2018.