Mariana Castro Azpíroz is a nonfiction writer born and raised in Mexico. She is an MFA candidate in Creative Writing and Environment with a minor in Journalism and Mass Communication, and a 2023-2024 Pearl Hogrefe Fellow in Iowa State University. Her research interests revolve around analyzing how language shapes our understanding of the world and our relationships with the environment. Through her writing, she seeks to create new narratives around the climate crisis through diverse ways of knowing, alternative worldviews, and ethics of care. Mariana advocates for socio-environmental justice and has co-authored book chapters on diverse and inclusive science communication models as well as women’s role in sustainability efforts. She has published several articles in Nexos magazine, wrote a monthly column on climate change (2020-2023), and worked as editor of Flyway Journal of Writing and Environment for a year. She is currently participating in NOAA’s Central Midwest Climate Opportunities & Learning Project as a research assistant and is a member of the second cohort of Climate Storytelling 2075.