Lourdes Fernández graduated from GrubStreet’s Memoir and Essay Incubators in 2024 and 2025. Her memoir Sparks That Ignite, which juxtaposes a literal fire and its aftermath with figurative fires and their fallout, won Honorable Mention from Miami Book Fair Emerging Writer Fellowship in 2025. Forthcoming essays will be published in HerStry, Pangyrus, and The Offing this fall and winter.

Lourdes loves traveling, experiencing new cultures and places, as well as being awed by the natural world. Some favorite experiences include rainbow eucalyptus trees in Hawaii, Las Fallas in Valencia, and the red rocks of Utah.

Outside of writing, Lourdes’ career spans the industries of education and residential real estate. She has spent most of her years living in Boston, Massachusetts, but perhaps one day she’ll return to her roots and somewhere more tropical.