Benjamin Alire Sáenz – American writer of the 20th–21st centuries, author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club, winner of the Stonewall and PEN/Faulkner Awards. His works explore identity, friendship, and love, often rooted in Mexican American life.
📖 Aristotle and Dante… received a Printz Honor and became a YA cult classic. 🎬 Adapted into a 2022 film, with Sáenz co-writing the screenplay. 🌵 Born in New Mexico, his prose is steeped in the landscapes of the borderlands. 🖋 Began as a poet and short story writer before turning to YA fiction. 📚 Taught at the University of Texas at El Paso. 🏆 First Latino writer to win the PEN/Faulkner Award. 💔 His divorce later in life influenced much of his writing. 👬 Openly depicted queer experience in YA literature at a time when it was rare. 🙂 Joked that his most faithful editor is his dog, always sitting by his side.