Sandra Benítez

"I came to writing late," Sandra Benítez admits, "I was 39 before I gathered enough courage to begin." However late her start, Benítez has achieved remarkable success with her first novel, A Place Where the Sea Remembers, which won the Minnesota Book Award. Benítez, whose mother is Puerto Rican, draws upon her heritage and childhood experiences--growing up in Mexico, El Salvador, and Missouri--for her inspiration. A creative writing teacher, she has had her short fiction and essays published in numerous anthologies and periodicals.