Ciena Valenzuela Peterson

As the Literary Arts Coordinator for Light Bringer Project, Ciena facilitates literary programs including Locavore Lit, bringing published authors to the classroom to work directly with aspiring young writers. She also leads Omega Sci-Fi Project, the only free sci-fi writing program for high schoolers in Los Angeles, teaching the power of science fiction to address the most pressing dilemmas of our time.

In her spare time, Ciena is a writer and visual artist. Her work has been published in F(r)iction Log, and Systems Change Alliance, and she recently received a mini-grant from the City of Pasadena for her art installation at ArtNight Pasadena, entitled “¿Dónde Está el Paletero?” Ciena graduated from USC with a Master’s degree in Literary Editing and Publishing and Bachelor’s in Creative Writing and Political Science. She is passionate about the role of art and literature in expressing our social and political realities, particularly in uncanny, speculative ways.