Javier Peñalosa is a writer and educator who was born and raised in Mexico City. He earned a BA in Education and is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish at NYU. He is the author of the children’s books El día que María perdió la voz and co-author of Espejos, mocos, cucarachas…y otras pócimas; his third book is currently in the publishing process. He has worked in creative workshops for children in Mexico with Fundación Pasos and ¿Te gusta leer? In New York he does storytelling workshops for children ages 6 to 9 years old. As a screenwriter he has worked in the development of award-winning TV programs such as "XY," "Fonda Susilla," and "Bienvenida Realidad" – a soap opera co-produced by Sony Latin America. He is the author of the poetry volumes Aviario and Los trenes que partían de mí. As a poet Javier was twice the recipient of the prestigious fellowship for young writers from the Fundación para las Letras Mexicanas. In 2009 he was awarded a Poetry National Prize, and in 2011 he received a Young Artist Fellowship from the National Fund for the Arts in Mexico.