Caron Garcia Martinez
Caron Garcia Martinez is a writer, coach, and teacher with publications in short story anthologies as well as academic articles in her working field of communications and professionalism. Her short fiction has appeared in three Grace and Gravity anthologies: Abundant Grace, Grace in Darkness, and Grit and Gravity, and her short story, Good People, appeared in This is What America Looks Like (2021), an anthology of fiction and poetry by the Washington Writer’s Publishing House.
Caron currently teaches at American University’s Kogod School of Business and serves as the Senior Director of the Center for Professionalism and Communications, dedicated to building confidence and skills in writing, public speaking, critical thinking, and teamwork. Caron’s professional articles on communication and professionalism are found in both scholarly journals and business education websites while her non-fiction has appeared in Catholic Digest and Mothers at Home.
A former Foreign Service Officer who lived in Mexico City, in London, and in Quito, Ecuador, Caron is working on a collection of linked short stories about women traveling north to the U.S. from Central America in search of a better future. Her novel set in pre-revolutionary Mexico is based on stories told by her abuela, Celia, and is forthcoming in 2026/ 2027 after winning the STEP contest prize from She Writes Press. Caron is a native Californian and a graduate of Williams College, George Mason University, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
She Writes Press
Equality in Publishing
2025 Contest Winner
Caron has just been announced as a contest winner in the annual She Writes Press Equality in Publishing contest, which advocates for change in the industry by addressing the need for more diverse books. Caron’s novel, which is historical fiction set in pre-revolutionary Mexico in 2010, will be published by SWP in 2026/2027. Watch this space for upcoming publication details and events!
Fiction and Short Stories
“People who are faced with cruelty, prejudice, or who have opportunities denied for reasons of systemic prejudice, are people I want to bring to life, to allow us to know them intimately. From a student who falls in love with studying poetry after escaping persecution in Mexico with her mother (Corazón, 2018) to a teenager raging against the deportation of her community-loving father (Only Bad Choices Live Here, 2024), to a young man whose father is framed just for the color of his skin as the instigator of a deadly mining uprising (2026): I write because I believe empathy can bind us by opening us up to discovering our shared humanity. Stories are my vehicle for reflecting the pain, beauty, and hope that unite us all.”
You Can Find Us in the Kitchen
“After my mom passed away, I struggled to find gratitude for her life because my grief about her sudden death was so deep. I was dazed, and wrote snippets of things, but my words were flat and felt trite. Only when I eventually wrote through my feelings and confronted all the paradoxes on the page could I combine who my mom was with snippets of memories and conversations of her last hours with the Mexican tradition of the Day of the Dead – Dia de Los Muertos. I also incorporated our family’s lifelong obsession with food and with legacy – the storytelling that we hold on to… Only then did a narrative take shape, one that was true to how I felt. ‘Listen to Your Mother’ gave me a platform to tell those truths.”
Corazón
“The story follows thirteen-year-old Cora, who recently immigrated to the United States from Mexico with her mother, Espe, and her younger sister, Eva. In DC, they live with Espe’s boyfriend, Enca, and with him around, the apartment is anything but a home to Cora. Harassed by his unsavory friends, his violating gaze, and his inappropriate touches, she struggles to find any escape and dreams of being back in Veracruz with her abuelita.
However, Cora does find relief in something: words. Once frustrated trying to learn English, now “Cora has started to think poetically.” Inspired by a tutor who introduces her to poetry, she graduates from just recognizing words to curating them and using them to create the images in her mind. Through Cora’s embrace of this newfound skill, the story speaks to the relationship between language and emotion.”
Read the piece (with introduction by Sydney Hamilton) on GraceandGravitydc.com
Academic Work
Caron was a professor of Writing Studies in American University’s Literature Department for eight years teaching creative writing and composition before moving to American University’s Kogod School of Business. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor of Management and serves as the Senior Director of the Center for Professionalism and Communications, helping business students to develop confidence in their writing, public speaking, critical thinking, teamwork, and creativity. Caron’s articles can be found in academic journals and business education websites.
“Future-Ready Communication: Leading in the AI-Enhanced Workplace“
7.29.2025 “Communicast” podcast episode with Caron Martinez
The Power of Communication
Communication is #3 among my top five CliftonStrengths, so I love the act of both creative and academic writing. But it’s my Ideation, WOO, and Learner at #1, #2, and #4, that get me passionate about leveraging communication to share ideas, motivate other people, and to keep learning always. I’m so grateful to students, alumni, and Kogod colleagues who teach me as much as I could hope to teach them.
8.8.2023 AACSB article by Caron Martinez and Sara Weinstock
Caron Garcia Martinez 