jo reyes-boitel is a poet, essayist, and playwright. jo is also a queer, mixed-Latinx parent working in community, a former music researcher, and novice hand percussionist. jo’s work includes Michael + Josephine, a novel in verse (FlowerSong Press, 2019) and the forthcoming chapbook mouth (Neon Hemlock, 2021), as well as the recently produced operetta she wears bells. Her forthcoming book, playing with fire, will be released in November 2023 by Next Page Press. A member of the Macondo Writers Workshop, jo teaches undergraduate creative writing courses at UT-Rio Grande Valley while completing her MFA.