Shawn Bowers is a poet who writes under the pen name of Anita Cantillo. She was born in Costa Rica, but grew up in the United States. Bowers was raised in a biracial, bilingual family in which she learned the culture of America, while maintaining the rituals and traditions of her Latin heritage. Her Latin roots and culture inspire much of her writing. Bowers enjoys exploring the themes of nature, feminine issues, family ties, and religion in her poetry. Currently, Shawn Bowers is an English professor at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina.