Esmeralda Santiago

Esmeralda Santiago is a renowned Puerto Rican author and founding mother of Nuyorican literature, celebrated for her groundbreaking memoirs 'When I Was Puerto Rican,' 'Almost a Woman,' and 'The Turkish Lover.' Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she moved to the United States at age 13 and later graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, earning an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Her trans-cultural narratives explore the experiences of Latinas navigating cultural dissonance, poverty, and acculturation in the U.S.