This is a list of women writers who were born in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

or whose writings are closely associated with that country.

A

* Silvia Álvarez Curbelo (born 1940), historian, non-fiction writer * Isabel Andreu de Aguilar (1887–1948), suffragist, feminist writer * Marta Aponte Alsina (born 1945), writer *

Delma S. Arrigoitia Delma S. Arrigoitia (born February 10, 1945) is a historian, author, educator and lawyer whose written works cover the life and works of some of Puerto Rico's most prominent politicians of the early 20th century. After earning her doctorate in his ...

(born 1945), historian, biographer * Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro (born 1970), novelist, short story writer, essayist

B

* Marilyn Batista Márquez (born 1959), journalist, short story writer * Janette Becerra (born 1965), short story writer, poet, critic *

Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier Alejandrina Benítez de GautierThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name '' "Benítez"'' and the second or matrimonial family name is ''"Gautier"''. (February 26, 1819 – October 11, 1879) was a Puerto Ri ...

(1819–1879), poet *

María Bibiana Benítez María Bibiana Benítez Batista (December 10, 1783 – April 18, 1873 or 1875) was Puerto Rico's first female poet and one of its first playwrights. She was the first of three renowned poets in her family, the others being her niece and adopted d ...

(1783–1873), Puerto Rico's first female poet, playwright *

Giannina Braschi Giannina Braschi (born February 5, 1953) is a Puerto Rican poet, novelist, dramatist, and scholar. Her notable works include ''Empire of Dreams'' (1988), ''Yo-Yo Boing!'' (1998) ''and United States of Banana'' (2011). Braschi writes cross-genr ...

(born 1953), novelist, poet, essayist, playwright *

Julia de Burgos Julia de Burgos García (February 17, 1914 – July 6, 1953) was a Puerto Rican poet. As an advocate of Puerto Rican independence, she served as Secretary General of the Daughters of Freedom, the women's branch of the Puerto Rican Nationa ...

(1914–1953), acclaimed poet, activist

C

* Zenobia Camprubí (1887–1956), Spanish-born poet, diarist, translator *

Luisa Capetillo Luisa Capetillo (October 28, 1879 – April 10, 1922) was one of Puerto Rico's most famous labor leaders. She was an anarchist writer, activist, labor organizer who fought for workers' rights, women's rights, free love, and human emancipation. ...

(1879–1922), anarchist, feminist writer * Caridad de la Luz (born 1977),

Nuyorican Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, or of their descendants (especially those raised or currently living in the N ...

poet, actress, activist * Edna Coll (1906–2002), educator, writer of literary works * Isabel Cuchí Coll (1904–1993), playwright, short story writer, journalist, non-fiction writer

D

* Jaquira Díaz, fiction writer, essayist, author of ''Ordinary Girls''

E

* Sandra María Esteves (born 1948), Nuyorican poet, artist

F

* Rosario Ferré (1938–2016), novelist, essayist, poet, educator *

Isabel Freire de Matos Isabel Freire de MatosThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the woman's maiden family name '' "Freire"'' and the second, or matrimonial, family name is ''"de Matos"''. (February 2, 1915 – September 30, 2004) was a writer ...

(1915–2004), educator, journalist, children's writer, independence activist

G

Gilda Galán Gilda Galán (January 16, 1917 – June 21, 2009) was a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, writer, composer, scriptwriter and poet. The veteran actress, whose career spanned decades, enjoyed one of the longest careers in the history of the Puerto R ...

(1917–2009), actress, playwright, poet * Magali García Ramis (born 1946), short story writer, journalist, novelist, essayist *

Migene González-Wippler Migene González-Wippler is a Puerto Rican new-age author and a leading expert on the Afro-Caribbean religion of Santería. Education González-Wippler was born in Puerto Rico and has degrees in psychology and anthropology from the Universi ...

, since the 1980s, books on the Santería religious sect in Spanish and English

J

* Zoé Jiménez Corretjer, since the 1980s: poet, short story writer, essayist

L

* Georgina Lázaro (born 1965), journalist, novelist, poet, children's writer *

Aurora Levins Morales Aurora Levins Morales (born February 24, 1954) is a Puerto Rican Jewish writer and poet. She is significant within Latina feminism and Third World feminism as well as other social justice movements. Biography Early life and education Levi ...

(born 1954), poet, biographer, non-fiction writer, feminist * Teresita A. Levy (born 1970), educator, historian, author of ''The History of Tobacco Cultivation in Puerto Rico, 1898-1940''.Tostones and Matzoh, a Puerto Rican-Jewish journey
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M

* Nemir Matos-Cintrón (born 1949), poet * Concha Meléndez (1895–1983), poet, essayist, educator * Nancy Mercado (born 1959), Post-Beat writer, Nuyorican poet, essayist, fiction writer, playwright, editor, activist *

Mayra Montero Mayra Montero (born 1952) is a well-known Cuban-Puerto Rican writer. Biography Montero was born in Havana, Cuba in 1952. She is the daughter of Manuel Montero, a very successful Cuban comedic writer and actor who made his career in both Cuba and ...

(born 1952), journalist, novelist, short story writer *

Nicholasa Mohr Nicholasa Mohr (born November 1, 1938) is one of the best known Nuyorican writers, born in the United States to Puerto Rican parents. In 1973, she became the first Nuyorican woman in the 20th century to have her literary works published by the maj ...

(born 1938), Nuyorican novelist, children's writer, short story writer *

Rosario Morales Rosario Morales (August 23, 1930 – March 23, 2011) was a Puerto Rican author and poet. She is best known for her book ''Getting Home Alive'' which she co-authored with her daughter Aurora Levins Morales in 1986.Anderson, Kelly''Rosario Morales ...

(1930–2011), poet, essayist, raised in New York City

N

* Vionette Negretti (born 1947), journalist, writer *

Frances Negrón-Muntaner Frances Negrón-Muntaner (born 1966) is a Puerto Rican filmmaker, writer, and scholar. Her work is focused on a comparative exploration of coloniality, primarily in Puerto Rico and the United States, with special attention given to the interse ...

(born 1966), film-maker, literary critic, essayist, screenwriter * Mercedes Negrón Muñoz (1895–1973), poet

O

Ana María O'Neill Ana María O'Neill (March 7, 1894 – May 24, 1981) was an educator, author and advocate of women's rights. Early years O'Neill was born in the town of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico where she received her primary and secondary education. She enrolled a ...

(1894–1981), educator, women's rights activist, non-fiction author *

Judith Ortiz Cofer Judith Ortiz Cofer (February 24, 1952 – December 30, 2016) was a Puerto Rican author. Her critically acclaimed and award-winning work spans a range of literary genres including poetry, short stories, autobiography, essays, and young-adult ficti ...

(1952–2016), poet, short story writer, essayist, children's writer, autobiographer, educator

P

Olivia Paoli Olivia Paoli (1855–1942), born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was a Puerto Rican suffragist and activist who fought for the rights of women in Puerto Rico. She was the sister of Antonio Paoli, a opera tenor and of Amalia Paoli, a soprano. Civic care ...

(1855–1942), suffragist, magazine editor

S

Esmeralda Santiago Esmeralda Santiago (born May 17, 1948)Santiago, Esmeralda. ''"When I was Puerto Rican." Norton Anthology of Latino/a Literature.'' Stavans, Ilan. New York, London: Norton, 2011. 1700-1714. Print. is a Puerto-Rican author known for her narrative me ...

(born 1948), novelist, memoirist, actress *

Mayra Santos-Febres Mayra Santos-Febres (born 1966 in Carolina) is a Puerto Rican author, poet, novelist, professor of literature, essayist, and literary critic and author of children's books. Her work focuses on themes of race, diaspora identity, female sexu ...

(born 1966), poet, essayist, short story writer, novelist * Mercedes Sola (1879–1923), educator, women's rights activist, feminist writer

T

* Luisita Lopez Torregrosa (born 1943), journalist, memoirist

U

* Luz María Umpierre (born 1947), poet, critic, human rights activist

V

* Lourdes Vázquez (born 1949), since the 1980s, short story writer, novelist, poet essayist * Ana Lydia Vega (born 1946), acclaimed short story writer, essayist * Irene Vilar (born c.1969), editor, memoirist, author of '' The Ladies' Gallery: A Memoir of Family Secrets''

Z

* Iris Zavala (1936–2020), poet, novelist, essayist, non-fiction writer, educator

References

{{Lists of women writers by nationality - Puerto Rican Writers Writers, women

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See also

References