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It’s Me!
Hi! My name is Maritza (in English it’s pronounced mer-EEET-suh, starting like “mer” in mermaid, then rhyming with pizza!). I’m a Bay Area artist and writer who makes books for kids. My current projects include picture books, an young reader graphic novel, and a hybrid illustrated middle grade novel. I’ve published comics and an illustrated essay in MUTHA Magazine. Before coming to kid lit, I exhibited my fine art studio work in gallery shows in New York, Miami, Santa Fe, and San Francisco.

Lately…
I serve as a Co-Illustrator Coordinator for the SF North & East Bay Region of SCBWI and I also make use of offerings from Kids Comics Unite, The Illustration Department, and Storyteller Academy. In Spring 2025, I have a comic included in the crowdfunded Let’s Go! A Kids Comics Studio Anthology!

Once Upon a Time…
In my early childhood, I lived down the street from Disneyland (nighttime fireworks viewing while sitting on the roof!), and just when I imagined myself going out with friends to do fun things, my parents moved to the middle of nowhere, aka Southern California's Mojave Desert. To remedy this, a couple years later I moved myself to a city up north so I could attend the San Francisco Art Institute, earning a BFA in New Genres.

These Days…
I’ve lived in the Bay Area ever since (a Californian through and through!), settling in the Diablo Region with my husband, two sons, and two smoosh-faced dogs. I have very fond memories of the years I lived in the desert! Even though I’m way old enough to “do whatever I want,” I’m usually cozy at home: drawing, sewing, or gardening while listening to audio books.

To read back in time through Maritza’s old blog, feel free to deep dive > here.

Her exhibition & publication history can be found > here.