Hailing from East San Jose by way of Guerrero, Mexico, Reyes made a name for himself at the age of sixteen, captivating Bay Area stages with powerful spoken word performances rooted in migration, queerness, and working-class resilience. His dynamic storytelling has since evolved into a nationally-celebrated body of work that includes keynote speeches, writing workshops, and theatrical performances.

Reyes is the creator of Prieto, an autobiographical one-man show that explores coming of age as a queer, undocumented boy in East San Jose. The show has toured nationally, receiving critical acclaim for its raw honesty and humor. His current works-in-development include No Llegamos Aquí Solos, a community-rooted play in collaboration with Teatro Visión (premiering Spring 2026), and Si Dios Quiere, Regreso, a solo performance blending humor and grief as it traces the return to Mexico following the passing of his grandmother (premiering Fall 2026).

In 2024, Reyes made history as the first undocumented poet to be named Santa Clara County Poet Laureate and was also honored as a Creative Ambassador for the City of San Jose. His recognitions include being named one of “13 LGBT Latinos Changing the World” by The Advocate and one of “10 Up and Coming Latinx Poets You Need to Know” by Remezcla.

Among his many accolades, Reyes has received the NALAC Catalyst for Change Grant (2020), the Gerbode Foundation Special Awards in the Arts (2019) , and the Walter & Elise Haas Creative Work Fund Grant (2023) to develop new performance work. He was also awarded a 2025–2026 National Performance Network Creation Fund Grant to support Si Dios Quiere, Regreso.

His writing has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies including Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry, Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings, Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora, and most notably, Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology (2024)—a landmark volume that cements his place among the essential voices of American literature.

Reyes’s work has been featured in Teen Vogue, The Atlantic, VICE, Remezcla, Huffington Post, PBS, and NPR, affirming his role as a vital voice for queer, undocumented, and working-class communities across the country.