Stephen Briseno

Born in Texas, Stephen grew up loving stories, especially the ones his grandma told him about El Cucuy. He remembers reading The Never-ending Story by Michael Ende in the third grade and writing Indiana Jones and Goosebumps fan fiction for most of elementary school. He’s been hooked on stories ever since.

His debut picture book, THE NOTEBOOK KEEPER: A STORY OF KINDNESS FROM THE BORDER, was published by Random House Studio and received a Pura Belpré Honor. TAMALES FOR CHRISTMAS, his most recent picture book, was named a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of 2024 and was recently placed on the 2025 Reading the West Book Awards shortlist.

As a Mexican-American, Stephen believes that stories change lives and he is committed to writing stories that celebrate and lift up Latine experiences and that impact kids from all walks of life.

Stephen enjoys life, writes, reads, and drinks a ton of coffee with his wife and daughter in San Antonio, TX.