Alexandra Villasante has always loved telling stories—though not always with words. She has a BFA in Painting and an MA in Combined Media. Born in New Jersey to immigrant parents, Alex has the privilegio of dreaming in both English and Spanish. Her debut YA novel, The Grief Keeper, was a Fall 2019 Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and winner of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Children’s Literature/YA Fiction. When she’s not writing or painting, Alex works for the Highlights Foundation. She lives with her family in the semi-wilds of Pennsylvania.