Mayra Santos Febres is a writer, educator, and activist from Carolina, Puerto Rico. As a girl, Santos Febres began her interest in writing thanks to the women in her family, who were master storytellers, as she explained in the podcast Masacote. In 2000, she released her first novel Sirena Selena vestida de pena, which told the story of a drag queen, which she’s said was inspired by her own experiences with a gay lover. Her novel Nuestra Señora de la Noche – published in 2006 – told the story of Isabel La Negra, an Afro-Puerto Rican woman who was one of the most powerful figures in the town of Ponce in the 20th century. She’s credited with being one of the most important voices for contemporary Afro-Caribbean and queer voices. She’s also the founder of the Festival de la Palabra, Puerto Rico’s biggest literary festival. As an educator, Santos Febres is a professor of literature and creative writing at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan.