Xochitl Gonzalez is an accomplished American author, screenwriter, and producer. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where she was primarily raised by her maternal grandparents in South Brooklyn. Gonzalez is a proud product of the New York City public school system, having attended Edward R. Murrow high school before going on to study fine art and art history at Brown University, where she graduated in 1999.
Before turning to writing, Gonzalez worked in a variety of fields, including entrepreneurship, consulting, wedding planning, fundraising, tarot reading, and writing etiquette columns. However, on the eve of her 40th birthday, Gonzalez decided to pursue her long-held dream of becoming a writer. She attended The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and was later accepted to the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was an Iowa Arts Fellow and recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Prize for Fiction. Gonzalez completed her MFA in May 2021, at the age of 43.
Gonzalez's debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming, was published in 2022 to widespread critical and commercial success. The book quickly became a New York Times Best Seller and was named a Best of 2022 by several major publications, including The New York Times, TIME, Kirkus, Washington Post, and NPR. Additionally, Olga Dies Dreaming was the winner of the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Fiction and The New York City Book Awards.
In addition to her fiction writing, Gonzalez has also established herself as a respected non-fiction writer. Her non-fiction work has been published in several major publications, including Elle Decor, Allure, Vogue, Real Simple, and The Cut. Moreover, her commentary writing for The Atlantic was recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Gonzalez currently resides in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York, with her dog, Hectah Lavoe.