Join YA author René Peña-Govea in launching her debut, Estela, Undrowning, a novel that follows teenage poet, Estela Morales as she navigates racism, eviction, and first love as one of the only Latinas at San Francisco's most exclusive public high school. René will be in conversation with her sister, La Doña, and accompanied with music from La Familia Peña-Govea and other friends. Q+A and signing to follow.

René Peña-Govea and Cecilia Peña-Govea (La Doña) are Chicanas born and raised in San Francisco. René is a writer, musician and educator who released her first album and published her first poem at age fifteen, winning the Isabel Allende-sponsored Paula Award for poetry. She has been named a Publishers Weekly Spring 2026 Writer to Watch as well as a YBCA-100 Honoree, a Brown-Handler Fellow, a Las Musas Hermana, and a creative-in-residence and The Ruby, The North Coast Project. Her debut has garnered three starred reviews, and coverage in Cosmpolitan, People Magazine, and KQED Forum.

Cecilia Peña-Govea, or La Doña, is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, and educator. She was selected as one of YouTube Foundry's Artists in 2019, and her song, "Quién me la paga" was included as one of the New York Times "19 Songs That Matter Now." Two of her albums have been named by the SF Chronicle as the best album of their years, respectively, and Barack Obama included her song "Penas con pan" on his playlist. She also serves as the governor for the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy (the Grammy's).

La Familia Peña-Govea also includes the sisters' parents, Susan Peña and Miguel Govea, educators and musicians who have played in the Bay Area for forty years. Miguel led salsa band Los Compas and Susan joined René in an all-women's conjunto Café con leche as well as the family band. They are joined by Enrique Ramirez and Jamon Balberan, who, along with Antonio Ramirez, are founding members of Los Peludos.