ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brooklyn-born Frank Varela, the author of Serpent Underfoot, has published children's stories in Front Row, The Riverside Publishing Company, and in Tun-Ta-Ca-Tun and Kikiriki, both by Arte Publico Press. His work has been featured in such journals and anthologies as Revista Chicano-Riquena, Another Chicago Magazine, The Floating Borderlands, Apocalypse, Halogen, Hammers, Latino Stuff Review, The Americas Review, Puerto del Sol, The Bilingual Review and Power Lines. He earned degrees from Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Central Michigan University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1997, Varela was named Hispanic Librarian of the year by the Illinois Secretary of State and has recieved grants and awards from the Illinois Arts Council. He is a senior staff member of the Chicago Public Library and one of the coordinators of the Library's annual poetry festival. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and son.