Cynthia Pelayo | |
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| Born | Puerto Rico |
| Occupation | Author, poet, journalist |
| Nationality | American (Puerto Rican origin) |
| Alma mater | Columbia College Chicago (BA, Journalism); Roosevelt University (MS, Marketing); School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MFA, Writing) |
| Genre | Horror, crime fiction, poetry, comics |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards |
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| Website | |
| www | |
Cynthia Pelayo is a Puerto Rican-born American author, poet, and journalist whose work combines horror, crime fiction, and poetry. She is the first Puerto Rican and first Latina to win a Bram Stoker Award, receiving the 2022 award for Crime Scene. Her work has been covered by major outlets including The New York Times , the Chicago Tribune , the Chicago Sun-Times , WTTW , Los Angeles Review of Books , Paste Magazine , and Library Journal . Pelayo is also the author of the award-winning novel Children of Chicago and co-wrote White Tiger: Reborn for Marvel Comics.
Pelayo earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Columbia College Chicago, a Master of Science in Marketing from Roosevelt University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). [1] [2] [3] While at SAIC, she worked on what later became her short story collection Lotería. [4]
Early in her career, Pelayo worked as a journalist for Chicago community outlets, including Time Out Chicago . [5]
Her first poetry collection, Poems of My Night (2016), responds to Borges’ Poems of the Night and explores insomnia, darkness, and spiritual reflection. [6]
Her later collections, Into the Forest and All the Way Through (2020) and Crime Scene (2022), expanded her focus to true crime and horror. Into the Forest and All the Way Through was a Bram Stoker Award finalist, while Crime Scene won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. [7] [8]
Her fiction and poetry often draw on folklore, urban legends, and crime narratives, with a particular focus on Chicago as both a setting and character. [5] Her novel Children of Chicago (2021) reimagines fairy tales within a modern serial killer investigation. [9] It also received positive reviews aggregated by *Book Marks*, which highlighted its effective blend of horror, folklore, and crime fiction. [10]
In 2023, she released both The Shoemaker’s Magician (a follow-up to Children of Chicago) and Lotería, a collection of 54 short stories inspired by the Mexican card game. [11]
Her later novels include Forgotten Sisters (2024) and Vanishing Daughters (2025). [12] [13]
In 2025, Pelayo made her Marvel Comics debut with the one-shot White Tiger: Reborn, part of the Marvel Voices: Comunidades line. She co-wrote the issue with Daniel José Older, contributing the story "The Song of the Coquí," illustrated by Moisés Hidalgo. [14] [15]
In 2025, Pelayo was named to Newcity magazine’s Chicago Lit 50 list, which recognizes influential figures in the city’s literary community. [16]
She is also co-publisher of Burial Day Books, a press dedicated to horror writing. [17]
Her novel Children of Chicago (2021) was praised in the Los Angeles Review of Books for its blending of crime fiction and dark fairy tales, [9] was reviewed by *Book Marks* for its effective fusion of horror and folklore, [24] and was featured in The New York Times as one of the notable new horror novels of 2021. [25] Newcity Lit also reviewed the novel, calling it “a clever and chilling reimagining of the Pied Piper legend.” [26] The Shoemaker’s Magician (2023) received a starred review in Library Journal [27] and was highlighted in The New York Times among the year’s new horror releases. [28]
Forgotten Sisters (2024) was highlighted by the Chicago Review of Books for its use of Chicago’s haunted history and folklore [12] and praised in Library Journal as a “compelling mystery … told in gorgeous prose … a can’t-miss novel.” [29]
Vanishing Daughters (2025) received positive reviews in multiple outlets. Paste Magazine described it as “a haunting, beautifully written fusion of horror, tragedy, and compassion.” [30] Library Journal called it “another haunting novel about Chicago that presents a thoughtful, victim-centered view of violent crime.” [31] The Chicago Tribune spotlighted the book for its blending of horror and Chicago history. [32]
Crime Scene (2022) was described by Monster Librarian as “a chilling narrative in verse.” [33]
Pelayo’s work has appeared in major Chicago and national media outlets. The Chicago Sun-Times profiled her novel Forgotten Sisters (2024) and later highlighted her Marvel Comics contribution to White Tiger: Reborn (2025). [34] [35] The Chicago Tribune spotlighted Vanishing Daughters (2025). [36] The New York Times featured both Children of Chicago (2021) and The Shoemaker’s Magician (2023) in its roundups of new horror fiction. [37] [38]
She has also been interviewed on Chicago’s PBS affiliate, WTTW, where she discussed her horror writing and the influence of Chicago’s history on her work. [39]
In 2010, when the mysterious Poe Toaster failed to appear for the first time in over sixty years, Pelayo was photographed leaving roses and cognac at Edgar Allan Poe’s grave in Baltimore. The gesture was reported in coverage of the tradition’s interruption, including by The Guardian and ESPN. [40] [41] [42] [43]
Her books have also been recognized by Esquire, which named Lotería one of the best horror books of 2023. [44] Publishers Weekly reviewed Children of Chicago and spotlighted her work in coverage of Agora/Polis Books. [45] Chicago Magazine profiled Pelayo during the release of Vanishing Daughters. [4]
Pelayo was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Chicago at age 2. [4] She lives in Chicago with her husband, Gerardo Pelayo, and their two children. [57]
[5] [7] [8] [9] [14] [15] [27] [46] [49]