Ana Maria Gonçalves was born in Ibiá, Minas Gerais and currently lives in New Orleans. She has a B.A. in Communications from Faculdade Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP) with a Specialization in Publicity. Among her publications is Um defeito de cor, which received the prestigious award “Casa de las Américas para literatura brasileira” (Cuba). Most of her work is related to slavery in Brazil and race relations.