Māra Cielēna, born 1956, is a Latvian poet, writer, author and translator of children's literature. In 1972, she finished the Riga 49th high school, and graduated from the University of Latvia, Philology Department, in 1977. Between 1977 and 1980, Cielēna worked at Institute of Language and Literature of Academy of Sciences. Later she was an editor for various publishing houses (Liesma, Sprīdītis, Madris). In 1970, Cielēna published her first works. Her 1992 collection of fairy-tales Tuksaks un Mamolis/Tuksak and Mamolis earned her the Ansis Lerhs-Puškaitis Prize. She is a two-time recipient of the Pastariņš Prize for her achievements in children's literature: in 1999, for Pulksteņu nakts gaitas/The Nocturnal Adventures of the Clocks, and in 2003, for Pilsētas pasakas un pasaules pasakas/Tales of the City and Tales of the World (2001). She has also received the prestigious International Jānis Baltvilks Baltic Sea Region Award (in 2006 and 2011). In 2000, Māra Cielēna was included in the honorary list of the International  Hans Christian Andersen Award by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognizing her lasting contribution to children's literature. She is a member of the Latvian Writers' Union since 2001. She has translated from German, English and Russian, including works like E. B. White's Charlotte's Web and Wilder's Little House on the Prairie.