Novelist and artist from Mexico City, Gerardo Sámano Córdova, visits Elgin Community College on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Creative writers in the community, feel free to join him for a craft workshop from 2:00-3:15pm in C120 (enter through the library). He will teach attendees about an element of fiction. In the evening at 7pm, he reads from his debut horror novel, Monstrilio.

Both events are free and open to everyone.

Reserve your spot: RSVP: Gerardo Samano Cordova, 10/29/25

Reserving your spot is not required, but it can help us plan.

About: Gerardo Sámano Córdova is a writer and artist from Mexico City. His gripping debut novel, Monstrilio, uses horror and the monstrous to explore the extremes of grief, love, and loyalty. Sámano Córdova’s prose is perfectly paced, imagining the tale of a mother regrowing her lost son by cutting out and feeding a small piece of his lung. Told through several perspectives, each one uniquely situated to expand on the thematic elements, the novel crosses the globe, challenging us to think about what it means to be human.  Sámano Córdova is currently Writer in Residence at Fordham University. He got his MFA from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan. He has studied at Bread Loaf as a work/study scholar (2019) and fellow (2023) and at the Tin House Summer Workshop (2019). He’s currently working on a second novel.