Luana Monteiro grew up in Recife on the northeastern coast of Brazil and spent weekends in the remote, dusty town of Camaragibe. It was here along the river and in the deep woods that she lived a life she describes as rich with “abundant superstition, stories of beasts and ghosts.” She now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where she writes from this deep well of memory. She recently received an MFA from the University of Wisconsin.