Luis Fernando Hernández

Ilustrator
Written By Wayne J. Pitts

Luis Fernando Hernández, who was born in Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, is an illustrator and designer. From a very young age, he felt a strong interest in art, especially in drawing and painting, which he inherited from his father. At the age of 8, he received 3rd place nationally in an art contest organized by UNICEF. It marked his decision to keep art in his life. At the age of 18, he moved to Guatemala City to begin his university studies, where he completed a degree in Graphic Design, a Master's degree in Strategic Design and a specialization in Illustration. His favorite techniques are watercolors, ink, and digital. Some of his illustrations have been exhibited at La Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, El Palacio Nacional de Guatemala and in 4 Grados Norte collaborating for Food for the Hungry in the exhibition Alas de Papel. The Gift of a Traditional Guatemalan Christmas/ El regalo de una Navidad guatemalteca tradicional is his first illustrated children's book.

Luis Fernando Hernández, nacido en Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, es ilustrador y diseñador. Desde muy joven sintió un gran interés por el arte, especialmente por el dibujo y la pintura, que heredó de su padre. A los 8 años, recibió el 3er premio nacional en un concurso de arte organizado por UNICEF. Esto marcó su decisión de mantener el arte en su vida. A los 18 años, se trasladó a Ciudad de Guatemala para iniciar sus estudios universitarios, donde completó una licenciatura en Diseño Gráfico, un máster en Diseño Estratégico y una especialización en Ilustración. Sus técnicas favoritas son la acuarela, la tinta y la digital. Algunas de sus ilustraciones han sido expuestas en La Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, El Palacio Nacional de Guatemala y en 4 Grados Norte colaborando para Food for the Hungry en la exposición Alas de Papel. The Gift of a Traditional Guatemalan Christmas/ El regalo de una Navidad guatemalteca tradicional es su primer libro infantil ilustrado.


Wayne J. Pitts

Wayne grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, surrounded by mountaineers and

Appalachian farmers who liked nothing more than sitting around a fire, spinning terrific tales

that always teetered on the fringes of truth and the slippery slope of fiction. It was here that he

learned the key points of storytelling. It is fitting that Wayne’s first contact with a Guatemalan

happened in a bean field on the banks of Upper Creek in Morganton, since that’s where so many

of his recollections seem to be rooted. It was there that he met a group of travelling migrant farm

workers who his father had hired for the green bean harvest. Their incomprehensible chattering

and traditional indigenous clothing captured his fascination.

In 2004, he finally made his way to Guatemala, spending most of his time among the peoples of

Alta Verapaz, visiting one or two times a year over the next decade. In 2016, Wayne and his wife

moved to Guatemala fulltime and gradually, he extended his travels and work experiences to all

twenty-two departments of the country. He has been flogged by turkeys, chased by pigs, hollered

at by monkeys, and countless mosquitoes have feasted on his blood. He has hung out with police

officers, visited many jails, slept outside in a cornfield, climbed a volcano, been hospitalized, and

he’s pretty sure he’s seen a ghost or two.

As a criminologist and human observer, Wayne has seen incredible goodness in the people of

Guatemala and the troubling consequences of colonialism, corruption, and organized crime. As a

writer, Wayne seeks to share his love of the Guatemalan people he has known, their incredible

generosity, their unwavering work ethic, their love of a hearty celebration and a good meal, and

their resiliency in the face of economic deprivation, separation from loved ones, and security

concerns. Guatemala is a fascinating country! There is such incredible diversity in both the

people and the landscape. He desires that his writings will stimulate curiosity to encourage

readers to want to learn more about this captivating country.

Wayne received his Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Western Carolina University in

1991. After serving in the Peace Corps in Senegal West Africa, he attended graduate school at

the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, completing his Master’s in sociology in 1995

and his Ph.D. in the same field in 2003. He was a tenured professor of criminology at the

University of Memphis, where he spent eight years before going to work as a research

criminologist at RTI International in 2012. He has lived in Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala

and he currently has multiple work activities across Central America and the Caribbean. He has

been happily and enthusiastically married to his best friend Kim for nearly 30 years. Together

they have two grown sons, Forrest and Walker, and a lovely daughter-in-law Annika. All are also

storytelling adventurers!

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