Cat Aquino (they/them) is the co-creator and writer of Champion of the Rose, an anti-colonial young adult fantasy manga series illustrated by Dominique Duran, published by VIZ Media. It was an instant bestseller in the Philippines.

Granted the Otherwise Award fellowship for excellence in writing gender in speculative fiction, Cat’s stories and research have been published by Strange Horizons, Routledge, Berghahn Books, and other Southeast Asian literary magazines. Born and raised in Manila, they moved to Glasgow, Aarhus, Barcelona, and Madrid to finish their Erasmus Mundus International Master’s degree with a distinction in Children’s Literature, Media and Culture. They currently edit fantasy, science fiction, horror novels, and graphic novels for teens and adults at Daphne Press, a #1 Sunday Times bestselling independent publisher.

Cat lives between Manila and London but is often wandering around Europe and Southeast Asia. Beyond writing and traveling, they collect Tamagotchis, water plants, and care for small animals with their partner.

Photo by Alexis Wang.