Anna Lapera is a Guatemalan-American author and public school teacher. Her debut novel, Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice, was named one of the “Most Anticipated Middle Grade Reads of 2024” by the School Library Journal. She is a Pushcart prize nominee, a Tin House and Macondo Writers Workshop alum. When she’s not writing or teaching, you can find her drumming or searching for the best plátano frito in town. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with her husband, two daughters and a rescue dog named Leo.