Washington Cucurto is the pseudonym of Santiago Vega, an Argentine poet, narrator and editor born in 1973 in Quilmes, a city in the province of Buenos Aires. He is the author of several poetry collections including the award-winning Zelarayán (1998), La máquina de hacer paraguayitos (1999), Hatuchay (2005) and other compilations.  Cosas de negros (2003), El curandero del amor (2006), 1810 – La Revolución de Mayo vivida por los negros (2008) and Hasta quitarle Panamá a los yanquis (2010) are among his most important novels. In 2002 he founded Eloísa Cartonera, an extremely successful non-profit publishing house specializing in handmade and affordable books from recycled materials. As a testament to its success, Eloísa Cartonera was recognized with the prestigious Prince Claus Fund’s 2012 Principal Award.