The daughter of a Black American father and Puerto Rican mother, Dr. McCauley’s creative and scholarly work centers on self-determination, Afro-Latinidad, cultural collisions and healings, and belonging. She enjoys reading, taking lakeside walks, dancing, watching 90s anime and stargazing. She is the author of the cross-genre collection SCAR ON/SCAR OFF, the short story collections WHEN TRYING TO RETURN HOME & Recognition (‘29), the poetry collections KINDS OF GRACE (2.26),VERSUS (‘27) and TUMBAO (‘29), and and the forthcoming speculative fiction collection NEON STEEL. She lives and writes in Kansas City, MO.

Short Bio for media purposes:

Jennifer Maritza McCauley is the author of the cross-genre collection SCAR ON/SCAR OFF (Stalking Horse Press), the short story collections When Trying to Return Home (Counterpoint), and Recognition (U. Wisconsin Press, ‘27), the poetry collections Kinds of Grace (Flower Song) , VERSUS (Texas Review Press, ‘27) and Tumbao (Texas Review Press, ‘29) and the speculative collection NEON STEEL (Feb ‘26). She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Kimbilio and CantoMundo and her work has been a New York Times Editors’ Choice, Best Fiction Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and a Must-Read by Elle, Latinx in Publishing, Ms. Magazine and Southern Review of Books. She is seasonal faculty at Yale Writers’ Workshop and an assistant professor of English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.