Denise Chávez, novelist, short story writer, playwright, actress and teacher, is a native of Las Cruces, New Mexico, where she teaches creative writing at New Mexico State University. Chávez has been honored for her philanthropic work, as well as her writing, with awards such as the New Mexico Community Foundation's Luminaria Award, the Soroptimist International of the America's Club's Woman of Distinction Award in Education, the New Mexico Governor's Award in Literature and El Paso Herald Post's Writers of the Pass award. Chávez is the author of Face of the Angel, which won the Premio Aztlán award and the 1995 American Book Award. She is also the author of The Last of the Menu Girls and several plays, including The Woman Who Knew the Language of the Animals. A deeply committed community-based artist, Chávez continues to explore the universal in the regional landscape. She is currently working on a novel, Loving Pedro Infante.

Read Chavez's diary from the journey

Reprinted with permission from the book Writing Down the River: Into the Heart of the Grand Canyon