Aurora Anaya-Cerda is the founder of La Casa Azul Bookstore, East Harlem’s only independent bookstore and the only bookstore in New York that features art and writing by Latino writers. Established in 2012 and funded in-part by a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, La Casa Azul Bookstore has become a cultural hub in the city, providing programs, classes and readings, from local artists to nationally recognized writers and performers. Ms. Anaya-Cerda is also the founder of the East Harlem Children’s Book Festival—an event that connects authors, publishers, families and the community as a whole. Ms. Anaya-Cerda has worked as a dynamic and passionate supporter of cultural events in the East Harlem community and has been awarded the Juanita Centeno Leadership Award, the UCLA Women for Change Leadership Award, and the Casa Atabex Ache Women Warrior Award. Ms. Anaya-Cerda is a scholarship recipient of the New Start Fund, awarded to women entrepreneurs in New York City, and is a member of the Young Hispanic Leaders Program and the National Young Latino Leaders in the Arts Task Force.