Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa

Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa was born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City. She is a product of the Puerto Rican communities on the island and in the South Bronx. She attended the New York City public school system and received her academic degrees from SUNY at Buffalo and CUNY Queens College. As a child she was sent to live with her grandparents in Puerto Rico where she was introduced to the culture of rural Puerto Rico, including the storytelling that came naturally to the women in her family, especially the older women. Much of her work is based on her experiences during this time.  

The trade paperback edition of Daughters of the Stone was released in March 2019. The hardcover edition was shortlisted as a 2010 Finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. In 2020 the self-published paperback edition won the 16th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards for Multicultural Fiction. Awarded the 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Fiction, Dahlma’s short stories have appeared in various anthologies and literary journals throughout the United States, Africa, and Brazil. The English and Spanish language editions of Dahlma’s second novel, A Woman of Endurance will be released in March 2022. Since her retirement, Dahlma continues to dedicate herself to her writing, speaking engagements, and workshops. She resides in the Bronx with her husband, photographer Jonathan Lessuck.