Participant(s) Bio
Father Gregory J. Boyle, S.J. is a Jesuit priest who is Founder/Executive Director of Jobs for a Future/Homeboy Industries, an employment referral center and economic development program located in Boyle Heights, a community with arguably the highest concentration of gang activity in Los Angeles.
In 1992, as a response to the civil unrest in Los Angeles, Father Boyle formed Homeboy Industries, to create businesses that provide training, work experience, and above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side.
Father Boyle was born in Los Angeles. He received his BA in English from Gonzaga University, an MA in English from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Divinity from the Weston School of Theology, and an STM degree from the Jesuit School of Theology. Before becoming Pastor of Dolores Mission (1986-1992), Father Boyle taught at Loyola High School and worked with Christian Base Communities in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He has also served as Chaplain of the Islas Marias Penal colony in Mexico and Folsom Prison.
He is currently a member of the State Commission on Juvenile Justice, Crime and Delinquency Prevention, and serves on the National Youth Gang Center Advisory Board.
As Executive Director of Jobs For A Future / Homeboy Industries, Father Boyle is a nationally renowned speaker at conferences for teachers, social workers and criminal justice workers about the importance of adult attention, guidance and unconditional love in preventing youth from joining gangs.
www.homeboy-industries.org
Leslie Schwartz is an award-winning, best-selling literary novelist with two novels and dozens of short stories, articles and essays under her belt. She is President of the Board of Directors for the nonprofit literary organization, PEN USA.
In 2004, she was named Kalliope Magazine's Woman Writer of the Year. Her first novel Jumping the Green won the James Jones Literary Society Award for Best First Novel. Her second novel Angels Crest, a Los Angeles Times bestseller and a Booksense 76 pick, was translated into nine languages and was optioned for film.
Schwartz teaches creative writing at Juvenile Hall, in underserved middle and high school communities and at Homeboy Industries, an employment referral center and economic development program for at-risk and gang-involved youth. She is also currently in the process of establishing a literary magazine and press at Homeboy.
She teaches writing at UCLA extension, the Iowa Summer Writers Festival and at various writers conferences throughout the United States.
www.leslieschwartz.com
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