Xochitl Gonzalez is a cultural critic, producer, screenwriter and the New York Times bestselling author of OLGA DIES DREAMING and ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST. Named a Best of 2022 by The New York Times, TIME, Kirkus, Washington Post and NPR, OLGA DIES DREAMING was the winner of the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Fiction and the New York City Book Awards.

Gonzalez is a 2021 M.F.A. graduate from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her nonfiction work has been published in Elle Decor, Allure, Vogue, Real Simple and The Cut. As a staff writer for The Atlantic, she was recognized as a 2023 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary.

Prior to writing, Gonzalez was an entrepreneur, fundraiser and all-around hustler for nearly 20 years. She is a board member of the Lower East Side Girls Club and the Brooklyn Public Library, and a trustee of the corporation of Brown University, where she received her B.A. in Visual Art. A native Brooklynite and proud public school graduate, she lives in her hometown of Brooklyn with her dog, Hectah Lavoe.