José Orduña was born in Córdoba, Veracruz, and immigrated to Chicago with his mother when he was one-and-a-half years old. In December of 2010, while attending the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program, he applied for naturalization, and in July 2011 he was sworn in as a United States citizen. He lives and works in Iowa City. His book, The Weight of Shadows: A Memoir of Immigration and Displacement, will be published on April 12th by Beacon Press.