Jaïra Placide was born in New York City and began writing at the age of twelve, when she wrote a play for her sixth-grade class to perform. English was not always her first language. Born to immigrant parents and having spent her early childhood in Haiti, Créole and French were the languages she was familiar with when she was young. Reading not only became an important learning tool for Ms. Placide, but it also laid the foundation for a life filled and surrounded by books. The same spark she felt when she opened and learned her first ABC book is the same spark she carries with her in her present position as an assistant editor with a major children's book publisher.

Because of Jaïra Placide's love for reading, writing became second nature. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in dramatic writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where she was named a University and Alumni Scholar. She is also the author of the book FRESH GIRL, her first young adult novel published to rave reviews and winner of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Golden Kite Award. Ms. Placide is currently working on a collection of short stories.

Jaïra Placide has taught creative and children's book writing classes at the Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center in New York City, and was a contributing writer in the developmental stages of Bill Cosby's animated Nickelodeon series, "Little Bill". Her other awards and honors include a University of Denver Publishing Institute Scholarship, DorisJean Austin Writing Fellowship, and a Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center Fellowship for Young African-American Fiction Writers.