Valzhyna Mort was born in Minsk, Belarus. Her first book of poetry, I'm as Thin as Your Eyelashes, came out in Belarus in 2005; her American debut, Factory of Tears, appeared in 2008 and she was featured on the cover of Poets & Writers magazine. She has received many honors and awards in Europe, including a Civitella Raineri fellowship for 2011-2012. She lives in the United States.