Tina Ontiveros

Tina Ontiveros is a writer, teacher, and bookseller based in Oregon. She was born in Idaho and raised below the federal poverty line, living mostly with her single mother at the edge of the Oregon desert, but often with her migrating dad in small timber towns around the Northwest. Today, Tina teaches writing and lives beside Mt. Hood.

Tina is the first person in her family to go to college and she did so while raising her children. After community college she earned her BA in Literature at Marylhurst University,  then her MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Goddard College. 

As a writer and a teacher, Tina’s work explores class, generational hardship, and the social constructs that marginalize the poor. Her essay, The Life We Pay For, was a top ten read of 2019 Oregon Humanities Magazine feature. Her memoir, rough house, is an October 2020 Indie Next Great Read.

Website: tinaontiveros.com
Book trailer: rough house