Hola Escritores Contributers

Hola Escritores is a monthly book column that serves to uplift Latine writers and literature. Through the support of volunteer writers, we will release a new story on the first Friday of each month. Read past book columns.

Meet our Column Editor

Michelle Benitez, column editor and writer

Michelle Benitez (she/her) is a first-generation Mexican American from Naples, Florida. She graduated from Florida State University with a double major in editing, writing and media and Spanish. During her time at Florida State, she developed a passion for text production/publications that promote Latine voices and challenge the current publishing industry’s market. Michelle aspires to become a developmental editor and enjoys bowling, reading and window shopping.

Meet Our Column Writers

Adrian Gaston Garcia, column writer

Adrian Gaston Garcia is a queer Latine storyteller whose mission is to share narratives that build community. His work is a love letter to his younger self and a shout-out to all the queer brown boys who choose joy as their form of resistance. He co-hosts Los Bookis Podcast and is the founder of Tintas DC.

Lorena Ortiz, column writer

Lorena Ortiz is a Mexican American fiction writer born in California. Her work has been published in PenDust Radio, The Acentos Review, Latino Book Review and Konch Magazine. She has been supported by VONA, Tin House, Macondo and Kenyon, and she is a 2025 Periplus Fellow. Lorena currently lives in Washington, D.C., and shares a home with her husband, her mother, her 10-year-old daughter, an adored black cat and a few young adult children who come and go as they please.

Ofelia Montelongo, column writer

Ofelia Montelongo is a bilingual writer from Mexico with an MBA in strategic leadership & an MA in Latin American literature. Her work has been published in The Rumpus, Latino Book Review, Los Acentos Review and elsewhere, and she was the editor of the Latine Monsters issue at Barrelhouse. Montelongo currently teaches at the University of Maryland and is a board member of The Writer’s Center, a PEN/Faulkner writer in residence, a Macondista and a PEN America Emerging Voices fellow. She is also a Tin House, VONA, Key West Seminar alumna.

Sandy Ovalle, column writer

Sandy Ovalle is a table-setter, a poet and space-curator, rooting her work in the deep faith and strength of Chicane and Latine spiritual teachers. Committed to pro-social systemic change, she has worked in the immigrant rights, climate, democracy, and faith-rooted social justice movements. She writes to inspire, create joy, and dream up justice. A native of Mexico City, Sandy often explores migration, identity formation, grief, and loss. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Latina Critical Feminism and Sojourners.

Sbeyde Herrera, column writer

Sbeyde Herrera is currently a student at San Jose State University studying professional and technical writing. As a first-generation Latina student, she is motivated to bring social issues to light and provide accessible pieces for all audiences.