Mariela Griffor was born in the city of Concepcion in southern Chile. She attended the University of Santiago and the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. She left Chile for an involuntary exile in Sweden in 1985. She and her American husband returned to the United States in 1998 with their two daughters. They live in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. She is co-founder of The Institute for Creative Writers at Wayne State University and Publisher of Marick Press. Her work has appeared in periodicals across Latin America and the United States. Mariela Holds a B.A in Journalism and a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from New England College. She is the author of EXILIANA (Luna Publications, 2007), HOUSE (Mayapple Press, 2007), and HEARTLAND (Ars Interpres, 2010). Her work was translated into French by Guy Jean and appeared in the collection MA DEMEURE BRULE published by Editions d'art Le Sabord in 2012. She is Honorary Consul of Chile in Michigan.