Saied Méndez, Yamile

Yamile Saied Méndez is the author of many books for young readers, including Furia. Born and raised in Rosario, Argentina, she is a Walter Dean Myers Grant recipient, a Vermont College of Fine Arts graduate, and a founding member of Las Musas, a marketing collective of Latin authors. She is also a contributor and co-editor, with Amparo Ortiz, of the cross-genre anthology Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories (Algonquin Young Readers). From zombies and cannibals to death incarnate, the book offers something for every monster lover. A quick-witted slayer hunts bloodthirsty vampires; “el viejo de la bolsa” steals children from their beds while a military dictatorship steals their parents; and anyone you love, anyone, might be a shapeshifter. This collection reflecting Latin America and its diaspora offers bold, imaginative stories of oppression, grief, sisterhood, first love, and empowerment, and includes contributions from Chantel Acevedo, Courtney Alameda, Julia Alvarez, Ann Dávila Cardinal, M. García Peña, Racquel Marie, Gabriela Martins, Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, Claribel A. Ortega, Amparo Ortiz, Lilliam Rivera, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Ari Tison, and Alexandra Villasante.