Yolanda Ortal Miranda was born in Encrucijada, Las Villas, Cuba. She has a Doctorate in Philosophy and Letters from the University of Havana. She is a Professor Emeritus of the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, having fully enjoyed her career there as a professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature. She was Chair of the Foreign Languages Department until she retired in order to dedicate more time to writing. She founded CafÌ© Teatro, where she directed Lorca‰*ªs three tragedies, her own one-act version of Balada SonÌÁmbula, and Un punto que se pierde en la distancia, a finalist in Letras de Oro. Her novel, En Noches sin Luna, won first prize in the literary contest sponsored by the Association of Critics and Commentators of the Arts, Miami, Florida. Her poetry and short stories, in Spanish, have appeared in national and international magazines and anthologies. Her essay, ‰*ÏThe Element of Time in Three Novels by Alejo Carpentier,‰** was awarded second prize by CEPI (New York). Her collection of poems, ‰*ÏPisadas en El Tiempo, La Angustia y La Esperanza,‰** was a finalist in the literary contests of the City of Barcelona, Spain, and CEPI, in New York. Her passion for travelling has brought her to South America, Mexico, Europe and China. She loves nature, whether it be the YumurÌ* and Vi̱ales Valleys or the forest of Soroa in Cuba; the majestic Grand Canyon, the West Coast and Alaska in the United States, the Norwegian fiords, or Guilin and the Li river in China.