Ito Romo was born and raised on the border in Laredo, Texas. His work, dubbed ?Chicano Gothic? and ?Chicano Noir,? shows the dark and gritty life along Interstate 35 through South Texas, where his family has lived for 11 generations. A former Professor of English Language and Literature, Romo was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2019. His books includeThe Border is Burning  and El Puente / The Bridge, both published by University of New Mexico Press. He lives in San Antonio.