Cristeta Boarini is a mixed race, Filipino American writer and educator. Originally from suburban Chicago, Boarini graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 2011 with a BA in journalism and cultural studies. Boarini's time as a journalist focused on hyperlocal stories and connecting marginalized voices, which earned her two top honors for her writing from the Minnesota Newspaper Association and the Inland Press Association in 2014. For six years, Boarini was the program director at a nonprofit youth writing center, teaching creative writing and leadership skills. During her tenure, Boarini curated the publication of six anthologies of youth writing, including the 2023 anthology "A Place Worth Being" with 826 National and Jason Reynolds. In 2024, she won the Mirrors and Windows Fellowship from the Loft Literary Center. Boarini is a creative writing teaching artist for the Loft Literary Center, and regional youth writing conferences. She is also a curriculum designer for 826 Digital, a free online resource hub for writing teachers. Boarini is a member of Fresh Eyes Collective (a creative writing critique group for BIPOC authors) and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her short story “What Can't Be Bought” won an honorable mention for the Blue Earth Review’s 2024 BIPOC Emerging Writers Award, and her forthcoming story “Yellow Face” will be published in the 2025 edition of the Saint Paul Almanac. Boarini is pursuing her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at University of Nevada-Reno. She lives with her family in South Minneapolis.