Lili Mendoza (born January 15, 1974 as Lilia Ester Mendoza Peregrina in Panama City, Panama) is a Panamanian writer and columnist. Her short stories and poems have been published in literary magazines and international anthologies. Her direct prose depicts the absurdity of contemporary Panamanian society. She received the Yolanda Oreamuno Central American Fiction Award in 2009. Corazón Charol A-go-gó (in English, 'The Patent Leather Heart A-go-go') is her first book, published in 2009. She participated in the University of Iowa's International Writing Program Fall Residency (IWP, 2013), and was the first international writer in residence at Richard Stockton College, New Jersey in 2013. She has taught creative writing workshops in Panama City.