Anika Fajardo was born in Colombia and raised in Minnesota, and her debut book, Magical Realism for Non-Believers: A Memoir of Finding Family, is about that experience. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and journals, and she has earned awards from the Jerome Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board. In 2020, Simon & Schuster will publish her middle-grade novel, What If a Fish. She lives in Minneapolis, where she teaches at and serves on the board of the Loft Literary Center.