Ann Gorra was born in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, and spent the first two years of her life in in a nearby town called Lagonglong before moving with her family to Cagayan de Oro.
She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Silliman University and worked as a TV host in Cagayan de Oro. She emigrated to the USA in 1989 and moved to Canada in 1997. Ann Gorra lives with her husband, Benny Rago, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Ann returns regularly to the city of her childhood, and maintains contact with many Kagay-anons living in the Philippines and around the world.
It was in Canada where Ann’s love of writing returned and her passion for history and an appreciation for her heritage crystallized. She is fascinated with stories of people’s experiences and believes that we all have extraordinary ones worth telling. She has written a number of articles about Filipino-Canadians for the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Manila and for Filipinas, a magazine based in Daly City, California. She has also contributed a story for the B.C. Christian News. The making of this book (City of Gold) coincided with the renovation of Ann and Benny’s house in Vancouver. She finalized the publishing details and started writing her “foreword” in the dark basement of their house while carpenters and trade workers were hammering above her. When not writing, she spends her weekends with friends, who, most of the time, take priority over the writing.
