Bio
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.
Mariana advocates for DEI and 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. During the pandemic, she created an online science outreach project (Ciencia en un clic) to spread reliable information among the Spanish-speaking community. From 2020 to 2023, she published several articles in Nexos magazine, and a monthly column on climate change. She is currently participating in NOAA’s Central Midwest Climate Opportunities & Learning Project as a Research Assistant.
Mariana analyzes 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 enjoys discovering what the changing seasons bring in Iowa, spending time outdoors in Nature, and volunteering for Good Earth Student Farm, where she harvests produce to take home and to donate to the ISU student food pantry (S.H.O.P.).