Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is a Mexican American poet, novelist, and painter whose work often explores myth, folklore, and generational lineages. She holds a BA in cultural anthropology from the University of West Florida and an MFA in creative writing/poetry from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, she now lives in Tennessee. She is a Pura Belpré Award–winning and USA Today bestselling author.

Gilliland is the author of the young adult novels Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything (2020) and How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe (2021), as well as the adult romantasy series beginning with Witch of Wild Things (2023), followed by Lightning in Her Hands (2024) and The Magic of Untamed Hearts (2026). She has also published the poetry collections Dirt and Honey and Tales from the House of Vasquez.