Lani Gobaleza (she/her) is a Filipina American writer and small business owner who grew up in the Valencia Park neighborhood of southeastern San Diego. She studied history and theater at UC Berkeley and taught English with the JET Program before starting her career as a copywriter and editor in tech.

In December 2023, Lani will make her playwriting debut with Every Day Vanilla, a locally inspired play about identity, queerness, family, and place, based on her short story of the same name. With this play, she hopes to inspire more artists to share women- and LGBTQIA-centered stories with the world. She is honored to be a recipient of the William Male Foundation grant, which she will use to pay the actors and scenic design team for their incredible work.