My name is Israel Centeno, I am a Venezuelan writer with ten years of residency in the United States of America. I arrived from Venezuela to Pittsburgh, where I was the writer in residence at City of Asylum, an organization that provided me with the support to start over in the United States. Because of my career as a writer, the government of the United States provided me with a permanent residency as an “alien of extraordinary ability.” Two years ago I obtained my American citizenship.

I currently reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Throughout my career I have published sixteen books in Venezuela, Spain, and in the United States, and my work has been part of anthologies in Venezuela, Spain, England, and Slovenia. In the United States I have published six books: a bilingual chapbook “Bamboo City” published by Wild Press in 2014, the English translation of my novel “El Complot” (“The Conspiracy”) published by Sampsonia Way Publishing House in 2014, and a second edition by Phoneme editors, Los Angeles, in 2017, as well as three books in Spanish (“Segun pasan los años”, “La Casa del Dragon” and “La Marianne”) published by Sudaquia in New York City, 2012, 2013, and 2015 respectively. 

I have been writing when I find the time to do so, and as a result I have four unpublished books, a book of tales, and some poetry. During my nine years residing in this country I have participated as a reader in four Jazz Poetry Concerts organized by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, and I have given lectures, conferences, and creative literature workshops in Cornell University, LaFayette College, Carnegie Mellon University, Robert Morris University, and Allegheny Community College of Pittsburgh. I also have attended and participated in the Book Fair of Brooklyn in 2014 and 2016, and the Writer’s Meeting of Pen Club New York in 2015. 

My purpose is to translate my work into English and I am seeking to raise the funds to do so. I wish to persist in my purpose and in my profession as a writer, aspiring to transmit to others, within my possibilities, what I know about literature which has been and will always be my biggest passion in life. 

I have professional knowledge of literature, history, and global politics.