ANGIE CRUZ is the author of the novels Dominicana, Soledad, and Let It Rain Coffee, a finalist in 2007 for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. She has published short fiction and essays in magazines and journals, including The New York Times, VQR, and Gulf Coast Literary Journal. She has received numerous grants and residencies including the New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship, Yaddo, and The Macdowell Colony. She is founder and Editor-in-Chief of Aster(ix), a literary and arts journal. Cruz is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh. Dominicana was inspired by her mother's story.