Thanks to generous donor support, the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference (SVWC) has been able to expand many of our outreach programs within the Blaine County School system. The School Speaker Series, which was founded in 2019, is one such program—bringing authors like Pablo Cartaya and Javier Zamora directly into Wood River Valley classrooms to spark a love of learning and literature in our community. This year, we are excited to announce that author and women’s health advocate Alejandra Campoverdi will be visiting our valley April 22-23, 2025.

Campoverdi will be speaking at the Hailey Public Library on April 23 at 5:30pm. This is a free event for the community and no registration is required (limited seating—first-come, first-served). She will also be visiting with local high school and middle school students, speaking to them about the experience of being a first generation college student and conducting a writing workshop focused on their own “origin stories.”

Campoverdi, who was a speaker at SVWC 2024 where “Origin Stories” was the theme, is the author of the national bestseller, First Gen. The memoir has garnered numerous accolades, including the Dolores Huerta Award from the International Latino Book Awards. Additionally, the Council for Opportunity in Education selected First Gen as their 2024 Opportunity for first gen and low-income students at colleges and universities nationwide. In 2024, Campoverdi also founded the First Gen Fund—a 501(c)(3) organization that provides hardship grants directly to first-generation students. Campoverdi holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She served as the White House Deputy Director of Hispanic Media during the Obama administration from 2009 to 2012.

SVWC has donated several copies of First Gen, which are available for checkout at the Hailey Public Library. Local teachers also obtained a grant to provide free copies of her book to their students.

Photo credit: Kirsten Shultz