Luis Aguilar Monsalve

Born in Cuenca, Aguilar Monsalve pursued his higher education in the United States. He earned a BA from Loyola Marymount University and an MA from Claremont Graduate University. He subsequently received both an MA and a PhD in Political Science and Latin American Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

His academic career includes serving as a lecturer in language, culture, and literature at UCLA (1982–1995). From 1995 to 2001, he was Professor of Latin American Literature, Political Science, and International Relations at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. He later served as a visiting assistant professor and writer-in-residence at Wabash College (2001–2006), followed by a decade-long tenure as a professor of Latin American literature and cultures at Hanover College (2006–2016).

Since 1986, Aguilar Monsalve has published nineteen collections of short stories, several of which have seen multiple editions. His work is recognized for its contribution to contemporary Ecuadorian letters, particularly through his mastery of the short story and his role in promoting the genre of *flash fiction* (*minificción*).

His bibliography includes the novel En busca de sor Edwina Marie(published by Editorial Verbum), two volumes of essays, and two notable anthologies: one focused on 21st-century Ecuadorian short stories and another on the evolution of Ecuadorian flash fiction.

• 2013: The Daryl R. Karns Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity.
• 2012: Fray Vicente Solano Award for Outstanding Educator and Creative Writer.
• 2012: Elected Member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language.^[1]
• 1996: Member of the Grupo América.

Aguilar Monsalve's work is included in the following anthologies: