Manuel Martinez was born in Miami and spent his early adolescence exploring the city by bus. He received his MFA from the University of Florida. He was the recipient of the 1993 Richard Wright/Zora Neale Hurston Award presented by George Mason University. Martinez's work has appeared in The Quarterly. He lives in Gainesville, Florida with his wife, Shelley, and son Dagan, and teaches English at Santa Fe Community College.  

Photo by Barbara McNew