River Coello is a Guayaquil-born cultural weaver based in Orlando. Their decolonial practice explores the intersections of holistic wellbeing, community care, and social equity. They integrate research and facilitation, writing and translation, and performance and visual media.

River is currently working on a new multimedia and multilingual project exploring complementary dualism through an Andean lens, titled YANANTIN, with support from South Arts. They are also a Trustees Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. They plan on conducting long-term ethnographic research on community care within LGBT+ chosen kinship networks in Ecuador.

River’s previous major project, HAMPI, explored their early reconnection to the Andean cosmovision as a vehicle for healing. The book (For the Birds Trapped in Airports, 2024) received a Florida Book Award, an International Latino Book Award, an Independent Publisher Book Award, and a Nautilus Book Award. Reimagined as an immersive experience thanks to United Arts of Central Florida, HAMPI was exhibited in Seattle at Jack Straw Cultural Center and in Orlando at the LGBT+ Center. It will soon be exhibited at the College of Medicine at the University of Central Florida.

River was an Orlando Poet Laureate finalist and has received support from the Poetry Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Lambda Literary, the Canada Council for the Arts, New Leaders Council, Education Pioneers, the Helmsley Charitable Trust, among others. Their work has been featured on major platforms, ranging from academic conferences and university keynotes to curated anthologies and serial publications, international literary festivals, and organizational leadership summits across North America and Europe.

River is proudly Andean, kariwarmi, kuir, and disabled. When not working, they are likely to be found frolicking Pachamama or enjoying a good meal with their partner, Sam, their dog, Teddy, and other loved ones.