Psychological Fiction Specialization: Crafting Complex Narratives

Raquel Castro is passionate about stories: listening to them, reading them, watching them on the screen... but above all, inventing them. In particular, she likes to write humor and horror, as well as cover topics related to adolescence and childhood.

Her first book, Ojos llenos de sombra, won the Gran Angular Youth Literature Award (Mexican edition) in 2012. Since then, she has written and published several novels, a book of short stories, a book of essays and, in collaboration with writer Alberto Chimal, a writing manual entitled Cómo escribir tu propia historia.

Andrea Chapela is a Mexican science fiction and fantasy writer, and author of the fantasy tetralogy Vâudïz (La heredera, El creador, La cuentista and El cuento). She studied Chemistry at UNAM, and has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Iowa. Andrea has also written the essay collection Grados de miopía, and the short story collections Un año de servicio a la habitación and Ansibles, perfiladores y otras máquinas de ingenio.

She is the recipient of numerous awards like the National Gilberto Owen Literature Prize for Stories in 2018, the National Juan José Arreola Literature Prize in 2019, and the National Joven José Luis Martínez Essay Prize in 2019. She has been a FONCA scholar twice (2016-2017 for stories and 2019-2020 for novels) and a scholar at the Ayuntamiento de Madrid. Currently, she teaches workshops, language classes, and contributes to magazines like Este País, Literal Magazine, Vaso Cósmico, and Tierra Adentro.

Although born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, journalist and writer María Fernanda Ampuero has lived in Quito, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Madrid. Her texts have been included in countless anthologies and her latest book of short stories, Cockfight (Páginas de Espuma, 2018), was named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times in Spanish, in addition to receiving the Joaquín Gallegos Lara award for the best book of short stories of the year.

She has also published two books of journalistic chronicles: Lo que aprendí en la peluquería (Dinediciones, 2011) and Permiso de Residencia (Caracola, 2013). She has collaborated with important literary chronicle magazines such as Gatopardo, Piaüi, and Internazionale. Her work has been translated into English, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, and Chinese.

Cecilia Magaña is a talented writer, editor and teacher who has left a deep mark on the world of narrative. With an outstanding career that includes national short story awards, publications in renowned magazines such as Luvina and Argonauta, and the creation of short story collections that explore fascinating themes such as everyday madness, Cecilia has proven to be a constantly evolving creative force.

Her work as co-founder of Atypical Editorial has led her to advise and edit various authors, guiding them in the creation of their own short story collections. In addition, she has shared her knowledge as a teacher in the degree in Digital Filmmaking, where she has advised projects for anthology series and short film trilogies.

Cecilia's passion for reading and analysis has led her to delve into the narrative of books and collections by admired authors, as well as to understand how stories are constructed in audiovisual media. Her focus on finding unity and meaning in stories, as well as her ability to explore personal curiosities and obsessions, make Cecilia an exceptional guide for those seeking to bring their own story collections to life.

Emily Barr is an award-winning novelist based in Cornwall, England, with over 20 years of writing experience. She grew up surrounded by books and was an avid reader and writer, even as a child. While studying art history at the University of London, she worked for her university newspaper, during which time she won a student journalism award for her work experience at The Guardian. She went on to work full-time for the newspaper and, during her time traveling for her column, dedicated herself to writing what she was truly passionate about–fiction. Emily later found an agent and secured her first publishing deal for her thriller novel, Backpack, which saw her win WHSmith’s New Talent Award.

Since then, Emily’s work has been published by Headline and Penguin, as well as many others worldwide. She also writes horror and sci-fi in the US under the name Evie Green, and is currently working on her 6th young adult book with Penguin.