Gilmer Mesa (Medellín, 1978) was born and has always lived in the Aranjuez neighbourhood, a place that features prominently in much of his literary work. He holds a Master's degree in Literature and a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Arts from the Pontifical Bolivarian University. Since 2007, he has taught at various universities in Medellín and is currently a professor at the University of Antioquia and the ITM, where he teaches the Medellín Chair. He made his debut with La cuadra (2016), winner of the XII Novel and Short Story Competition of the Medellín Chamber of Commerce, followed by Las travesías (2021) and Aranjuez (2023), in which he returned to the neighbourhood where he grew up. In 2025, he published Los espantos de mamá, a novel that delves into Colombia's intimate and collective ghosts, with heart-wrenching prose that turns pain into literature and keeps the memory of the forgotten alive. He has also contributed to anthologies and publications such as the short story “Año nuevo” in Puñalada trapera (2017), the volume Resiliencia by the Truth Commission (2020) and magazines such as Cronopios, Aurora Boreal and Arcadia.