FRANCISCO X. ALARCÓN was a renowned poet and educator and a three-time winner of a
Pura Belpré Author Award Honor for his bilingual Cycle of the Seasons series of poetry for children. His many other honors include the American Book Award, the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, the Chicano Literary Prize, and finalist for state poet laureate of California. Alarcón was also the author of several poetry collections for adults and textbooks for teaching Spanish. He passed away in January 2016.
MAYA CHRISTINA GONZALEZ is an acclaimed fine artist, educator, and illustrator of children's books, and collaborator with Alarcón on most of his children’s poetry books. Gonzalez’s numerous books featuring Latino characters have received recognition from the Pura Belpré Award, Américas Award, Notable Books for a Global Society, International Latino Books Awards, and more. Shelives in San Francisco, California, with her two daughters and her husband.
