Rafael COURTOISIE Beyhaut is one of Uruguay’s leading writers, with work published in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. The author of three novels, sixteen volumes of poetry, and a prolific essayist, he has won both his country's National Prize in Narrative for his first novel A Dog’s Life (1997), and the National Prize in Poetry for his 2002 collection Frontiers of Umbria. He teaches screenwriting at the Escuela de Cine del Uruguay in Montevideo. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.