Authors

JUSTIN A. REYNOLDS' debut YA novel Opposite of Always was an Indies Introduce selection and a School Library Journal Best Book that's been translated into 19 languages; his Early Departures was a Kirkus Reviews Best YA Book of the Year; and his debut middle-grade graphic novel Shock Waves was an indie bestseller. He is a co-founder of the CLE Reads Book Festival, a Cleveland book fair for middle grade and young adult writers. He hangs out in northeast Ohio and is probably somewhere dancing terribly.

ALEJANDRO RÍOS Crítico de cine, arte y literatura. Desde 1992 integra el Programa de Autores Iberoamericanos de la Feria del Libro de Miami, para el cual identifica potenciales autores y se responsabiliza con la presentación de algunas de sus sesiones. Escribe columnas semanales en Cubanet, sobre temas culturales. Publicó el libro La mirada indiscreta (Ed. Hypermedia) que se presentó en la Feria del Libro de Miami 2017, donde compila columnas y ensayos. Es el programador de Spotlight on Cuba, del Festival de Cine de Miami, así como de la Serie de Cine Cubano. Es crítico de cine del Canal 41, AmericaTeVe.

SARA DANIELE RIVERA is a Cuban Peruvian American artist, writer, translator, and educator. Her poetry and fiction have been published in literary journals and anthologies such as The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext, Solstice, Waxwing, and elsewhere. She was awarded a 2017 St. Botolph's Emerging Artist Award and won the 2018 Stephen Dunn Prize in Poetry. The Blue Mimes: Poems (Graywolf Press) is her most recent collection. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

PHILOMÉ ROBERT is a Haitian journalist, presenter, and author who has gained recognition for his debut novel, Vagabondages éphémères (Caraibéditions). Born in 1975, Robert studied law and applied linguistics in Haiti before beginning his career in journalism at Radio Vision 2000. After being forced into exile due to political persecution, he settled in France, where he became a presenter for France 24.

ROXANA ROBINSON is the author of 11 books, including seven novels, three collections of short stories, and a biography of Georgia O’Keeffe. Four of her books were selected as New York Times “Notable Books” and two as NYT “Editors’ Choice” picks. Robinson’s fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, The Best American Short Stories, The Southampton Review, Ep!phany, and elsewhere. Her work has been widely anthologized and broadcast on NPR, and her books have been published in England, France, Germany, Holland, and Spain.

MICHAEL ROCH is a French Caribbean author and screenwriter, and a prominent voice in Afrofuturism and speculative fiction. Born in Lyon, France, in 1987, Roch now resides in Martinique, where his writing deeply engages with the cultural and historical intricacies of the Caribbean. He’s the author of the novel Tè Mawon (Volte) and, previously, Moi, Peter Pan, and Le Livre Jaune, works that further demonstrates his ability to weave complex narratives around decolonization, social upheaval, and the search for self in a postcolonial world.

EDEL RODRIGUEZ is a Cuban American artist and author who has exhibited internationally with shows in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Spain. His latest book is The Mango Tree/La mata de mango: A Picture Book (Harry N. Abrams). Rodriguez has received the Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators and was the art director of Time magazine. Books he has illustrated include Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Smith Jr., Float Like a Butterfly by Ntozake Shange, Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy, and Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx by Jonah Winter. His clients include The New York Times, Time, and The New Yorker, among other publications and book publishers. Rodriguez’s artwork is in the collections of various institutions, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., as well as in numerous private collections. He lives with his wife and daughter in New Jersey.

ANTONIO ORLANDO RODRÍGUEZ Escritor e investigador literario cubanoamericano. Ganador del Premio Alfaguara de Novela 2008 y del Premio Iberoamericano SM de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil 2022. Ha publicado las novelas para adultos Chiquita (Alfaguara) y Aprendices de brujo (Rayo Harper/Collins). Sus cuentos están reunidos en Salchichas vienesas y otras ficciones (Huso Editorial). Es autor, además, de numerosos libros para niños publicados por editoriales de distintos países.

LEGNA RODRÍGUEZ IGLESIAS (Camagüey, 1984) Vive en Miami. Autora de las novelas Mayonesa bien brillante (Ediciones Matanzas, 2012); Las analfabetas, (Bokeh Press, 2015); y Mi novia preferida fue un bulldog francés, (Editorial Alfaguara, 2017). La antología poética I don’t believe in poetry (Alliteration Publishing, 2024) ha sido traducida al inglés por Robin Myers. Princesa Miami (atlas político y de población) ha recibido el Premio Franz Kafka de Ensayo/Testimonio (Praga, 2024) publicado este año. La merma: un producto en existencia (Rialta Ediciones, 2024) es su último libro de poesía publicado. Ha publicado varios de cuentos y otros de poesía. Este año presenta en la Feria Crítica madre. Lenguajes de la diáspora en Estados Unidos desde Miami (Rialta Ediciones, 2023), su primer libro de ensayo, que se constituye como una libreta de apuntes sobre la conquista del territorio de la América gringa por parte de artistas nacos, ilegales, desviados, mestizos, caribeños, de género fluido y que, sobre todo, no tienen donde caerse muertos. Una obra que puede leerse a la manera de un catálogo de raros, el diario de campaña mayamense de una migrante o la película coming-of-age de una de las escritoras más iconoclastas de la literatura latinoamericana de hoy.

LUIS RODRÍGUEZ PÉREZ (Quivicán, Mayabeque, 1974). Periodista independiente y activista, defensor de los Derechos Humanos. Esposo de la expresa política Angélica Garrido, y cuñado de la poeta y actualmente presa política María Cristinas Garrido, ambas condenadas por manifestarse el 11 de julio de 2021. Como portavoz de las hermanas Garrido, ha sido su mano de auxilio y ayuda durante el encarcelamiento de ambas cubanas, además de su voz para el mundo, transmitiendo su realidad y sus mensajes desde prisión. Gracias a su gestión personal fue que se pudieron extraer de la cárcel, uno a uno, los trozos de papeles escritos por la poeta María Cristina Garrido, reunidos en el libro Voz cautiva (Ed. Deslinde, Madrid, 2024).

Born and raised in New York’s the Bronx, HECTOR ROMERO’s DJ experiences include playing legendary venues like Red Zone, Limelight, Palladium, Save the Robots, the Roxy, Cielo, and Output. Over the years he has evolved into one of New York City’s prime ambassadors of house music, bringing his unique soulful and Latin-inspired house vibe to venues around the world. With 40-plus years of experience, this career jock is now throwing his musical diversity and eclectic taste as a sought-after A&R force in the music industry – under his belt are various mix compilations that he has curated, including King Street’s Soulful House Journey, Nervous and Records’ Weaving Genres Vol.1 & 2, projects that showcase Romero’s abilities as both a DJ and an A&R exec. He attributes his business savvy to having worked with industry legend Judy Weinstein during his 20-plus years at Def Mix Productions. This is where he matured as a record executive working alongside Grammy Award-winning DJs David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, and Satoshi Tomiie. Those relationships taught him essential lessons about the equal importance of a great beat and a great song. Currently Romero acts as A&R director of Orianna Music, a Latin Electronic boutique label owned and operated by Sony Music, a position he truly loves. Although New York is still his home, he spends a great deal of time traveling, and can be found stirring up dance floors in Italy, Greece, Japan, Spain, Canada, and various parts of the world. @hectorromero

R.M. ROMERO (she/they) is a Jewish Latina and international bestselling author of fairy tales for children and adults, including The Dollmakers of Krakow, The House of Rose Hill, and A Warning About Swans. Their most recent book is Death's Country (Peachtree Teen). Her work has been selected as an Indie Next Pick, a Jewish National Book Award finalist, a two-time Sydney Taylor Notable Book, a Carnegie Award nominee, and a Best YA Book by Kirkus and School Library Journal. She spends her summers helping to maintain Jewish cemeteries in Poland.

MIKE ROMEU is the founder and CEO of Sweet Melody Crafter Ice Cream. The company prides itself in presenting familiar (and not so familiar) flavors whimsically and creatively, telling its story one pint at a time by using only the finest ingredients.

SANTIAGO RONCAGLIOLO Nació en Lima, Perú, en 1975. Jugando con el thriller, el noir y el humor negro, ha publicado siete novelas. Abril rojo recibió el premio Alfaguara y el Independent Foreign Fiction Prize británico. La pena máxima fue finalista del premio francés Violeta Negra y ha sido llevada al cine, al igual que Pudor. Y líbranos del mal se mantuvo durante un año en la lista de las novelas peruanas más vendidas. Su último libro, de cuentos, se titula Lejos y habla sobre la vida de los latinoamericanos en España. También ha publicado una trilogía de historias reales sobre el siglo XX hispanoamericano, entre ellas, La cuarta espada, sobre Sendero Luminoso y El amante uruguayo acerca de Federico García Lorca. Sus libros para niños han sido distinguidos con el premio Barco de Vapor peruano y el White Raven de la Biblioteca de Múnich. Reside en España, desde donde escribe series de televisión y películas, muchas de ellas basadas en libros. Llega este año a la Feria con su nueva novela El accidente (Planeta), un thriller literario cuya protagonista -mujer exitosa, profesional, madre y esposa -, narra los hechos desde la cárcel. Cómo llegó ella a esa situación es lo que el lector irá descubriendo, al tiempo que será testigo de cómo se desmorona la vida aparentemente perfecta de quienes se mueven en las altas esferas de la sociedad latinoamericana.

SUSAN ROSE is an award-winning theater and film producer. She is the Tony Award-winning producer of The Band’s Visit; her other Broadway productions include the Tony-nominated shows Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Hurlyburly, Blood Knot, The Who’s Tommy, and Illinoise. She coproduced Macbeth, starring Daniel Craig, and the Drama Desk Award-winning musical The Last Five Years. Rose’s film credits include the Emmy-nominated A Cooler Climate starring Sally Field, the Emmy-winning Jack starring Stockard Channing, and others. She is the co-author of two children’s books: José and El Perro (Penguin Workshop), which was named one of the best children’s books of 2023 by the New York Public Library, and José and Feliz Play Fútbol (Penguin Workshop).

DANIEL-GÉRARD ROUZIER has written five books: Vision ou Illusion; Le Pouvoir des Idées; Croire, Aimer et Espérer; Praxis; and Mémoires d'un Fou: Un roman historique/Memoirs of a Madman: A historical novel (‎independently published). Born in Port-au-Prince, Haïti, Rouzier is chair of the board of E-Power, chair of the board of SunAuto, a board member of Food for the Poor, and an honorary consul of Jamaica in Haiti.

NAYANTARA ROY is a TV executive at STARZ/Lionsgate, where she oversees the acquisition and creative development of original scripted TV series. Prior to STARZ, she worked at Endeavor Content (Normal People, Nine Perfect Strangers) and at AGBO, Joe and Anthony Russo’s TV studio. In 2018, Roy won the Rick Demarinis Short Story Award for 8C. Originally from India, she is a 2020 alumna of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment executive leaders program and is a jury member of the STARZ #TakeTheLead director’s program, which is designed to create more directing opportunities for women and people of color. Her plays have been performed internationally, including at Prithvi Theater in Mumbai, India, and Contact Theater in Manchester, United Kingdom. Roy lives in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles.

MAX RUDIN is the president and publisher of the Library of America. He writes on American history, literature, music, and popular culture; gives frequent talks on American writing; and produces and hosts LOA Live, an online series on American literature and history that reaches viewers in all 50 states and 77 countries and territories. He has directed many national public humanities initiatives, most recently Lift Every Voice: Why African American Poetry Matters and currently Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home, a partnership with public libraries and arts organizations. Rudin holds degrees in English and American literature from Princeton University and Columbia University.

MICHAEL RUHLMAN is the author of If You Can't Take the Heat (Penguin Workshop) and 12 previous nonfiction books, including The Making of a Chef and its follow-ups, The Soul of a Chef and The Reach of a Chef. He is the recipient of two James Beard awards – one for magazine feature writing and the other for Twenty: The Ideas and Techniques that Will Make You a Better Cook. He has co-authored many cookbooks, such as The French Laundry Cookbook, Bouchon, Under Pressure, Ad Hoc At Home, and Bouchon Bakery with Thomas Keller. In 2015, he published his first work of fiction, In Short Measures: Three Novellas.

DANIELA RUS, co-author of The Mind's Mirror: Risk and Reward in the Age of AI (W. W. Norton & Company) and The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots, is a pioneering roboticist and a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, where she is the director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. A global leader in robotics and AI, she is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a MacArthur Fellow.

NIKKI RUSSELL is the illustrator for the Dork Diaries and The Misadventures of Max Crumbly series, written by her mother, Rachel Renée Russell. The mother-daughter team has released 19 consecutive New York Times bestsellers which have sold more than 50 million copies and  been translated into 42 languages. Russell graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s in elementary education and taught first grade until landing her dream job as a children's book illustrator. In her free time she enjoys shopping, listening to music, playing computer games, and watching the Home & Garden channel.

RACHEL RENÉE RUSSELL is the New York Times bestselling author of the Dork Diaries series, which chronicles the life and misadventures of middle school student Nikki Maxwell and her best friends. The series has been translated into 42 languages worldwide and garnered such honors as two Kids’ Book Choice Awards, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children, the Milner Award for Children’s Literature, and a Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Book of the Year nomination. Russell is also the author of the New York Times bestselling The Misadventures of Max Crumbly series, which received a Kids’ Book Choice Award. Her daughter, Nikki Russell, is the illustrator for both book series, and the mother-daughter team has released 19 consecutive New York Times bestsellers.

ALOK SAMA is the former president and CFO of SoftBank Group International. He previously served as a managing director at Morgan Stanley, and has worked in finance and technology for more than 30 years in New York, San Francisco, London, and Hong Kong. Sama holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in creative writing from New York University. The Money Trap: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble (St. Martin's Press) is his first book.

NARDELIS SÁNCHEZ nació en Cuba el 1ro de octubre de 1951. Cursó la escuela primaria en su provincia natal de Las Villas (Villa Clara). Cursó la escuela intermedia en la Secundaria Básica Rubén Martínez Villena de la provincia de La Habana. A los 14 años emigró a los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica donde se graduó de escuela superior (High School) en el estado de New Jersey. A los 17 años se estableció en Puerto Rico y cursó estudios universitarios en la U.P.R. de Río Piedras y en la Universidad Mundial de Hato Rey. Se certificó en el Método Montessori a nivel primario en 1987 y sirvió como directriz de niñas y niños de 3 a 6 años en la Casa Montessori de Santurce y en la Nueva Escuela Montessori de Río Piedras. Trabajó, a tiempo parcial, como guía de arte en la Escuela del Pueblo Trabajador y en el Programa Sabatino de la Escuela de Artes Plásticas. Desarrolló talleres de arte con mujeres víctimas de violencia doméstica y facilitó la creación y establecimiento del ambiente Montessori en la Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos en Puerto Rico. Obtuvo un bachillerato en Artes de la Educación Temprana de Columbus University, en el estado de Mississippi (2003). Se entrenó y certificó a nivel elemental (AMS 2004) en el Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Educación Montessori en Silver Spring, en el estado de Maryland donde trabajó por diez años como directriz de niñas y niños de 6 a 9 años en el Programa de la Escuela Elemental de Henson Valley Montessori School. Posteriormente, tuvo a su cargo, por tres años, el Programa de la Elemental con niños y jóvenes de 9 a 12 años en el Colegio Montessori de Orlando del estado de Florida. Es creadora del personaje y de la revista Taína Yunqueverde que distribuyó cuando facilitaba talleres de arte en el Programa de las Bibliotecas Públicas de la ciudad de Nueva York. Budas y Maestros es su primer libro en prosa y tres poemarios: Para que no muera la Magia, Soy Una Isla, Razón para mi Canto. Y ahora publica los testimonios del 11-J en colaboración con los familiares y presos políticos de las 15 provincias de Cuba. Actualmente labora en Abuela Dolores y Paraíso Efímero.

FRANCIS SÁNCHEZ (Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, 1970). Exiliado en Madrid. Escritor, periodista y editor. Director del medio digital Árbol Invertido y de la editorial independiente Ediciones Deslinde. Autor de múltiples libros de poesía, narrativa y ensayo, así como de exposiciones de poesía visual.

CRISTINA SÁNCHEZ-ANDRADE es escritora, profesora universitaria y traductora. Licenciada en Ciencias de la Información y en Derecho, es natural de Santiago de Compostela. Algunas de sus obras son La nostalgia de la Mujer Anfibio (Anagrama, 2022), el libro de relatos El niño que comía lana (Anagrama, 2019) o Las Inviernas (Anagrama, 2014), traducidas a varios idiomas. Ha sido galardonada con, entre otros, los premios Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Feria del Libro de Guadalajara, México), el Premio Julio Camba de Periodismo (2019), o el Premio Setenil al mejor libro de relatos publicado en España. La nostalgia de la Mujer Anfibio (Anagrama), novela que transcurre en Galicia y relata la vida de tres mujeres marcadas por un naufragio, una obra que se convierte en una reflexión sobre la memoria en la que intervienen secretos y celos, la culpa colectiva y el deseo femenino; un desafío al lector, escrito con una destreza técnica y una prosa excepcional, capaz de crear un juego hipnótico que no concluye hasta la última página.

MARIANA SÁNDEZ (Buenos Aires, 1973) vive en Madrid. Es escritora, periodista y gestora cultural. Licenciada en Letras de Argentina, realizó estudios en Literatura Inglesa en Manchester y un posgrado en Teoría Literaria en Barcelona. Colabora con notas literarias para los diarios La Nación y Clarín, de Argentina, y El Periódico de España. Es autora del libro de entrevistas El cine de Manuel (Capital Intelectual, 2010), el libro de relatos Algunas familias normales (2016, reeditado por Compañía Naviera Ilimitada, 2020) y las novelas Una casa llena de gente (Compañía Naviera, 2019; Impedimenta, 2022), y La vida en miniatura (Impedimenta, 2024), que presenta este año en la Feria. La vida en miniatura es una novela con trazas de libro de viajes, en el que el camino se recorre por dentro: Dorothea, la protagonista, va cruzando los campos de Inglaterra mientras desanda episodios clave de su pasado y aprende a vivir su presente. Con una escritura a la vez exquisita y natural que fusiona ternura y humor, Mariana Sández nos brinda una sátira social en la que encontramos lo más mordaz y lo más bello de la vida.

RAMSÉS SANDOVAL Narrador y comentarista deportivo bilingüe. Bilingual Sports Play by Play Broadcaster. Participa en la presentación de Messi, 10 miradas sobre el 10.

MELODY SANTIAGO CUMMINGS is the executive director of O, Miami. A Miami native, she is an alumnus of the National YoungArts Foundation, studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston, and holds a BFA from Massachusetts College of Fine Art. Recognized as a 2019-20 “Miami Leader” by The Miami Foundation, she received a certificate from Indiana University – The Fundraising School in 2019. In addition to contributing to more than 700 projects and events at O, Miami, Santiago Cummings has been a creative strategist specializing in cultural programming for Apple and Pérez Art Museum Miami.