By Brian Dunlap

In the last two weeks, local literary journal Dryland: A Literary Journal Based in South Central Los Angeles, has been featured on the Podcasts’ Órale Boyle Heights ep 32: Dryland and The Badass Bookworm Podcast. Dryland was founded 5 years ago in 2015 by South Central native Viva Padilla and now includes South Central native and Compton Resident Nikolai Garcia as Assistant Editor.

On the “Órale Boyle Heights” podcast, Viva and Nikolai sat down with host Erick Huerta to discuss how Viva’s love for literature and experiences in the publishing world led to the creation of Dryland, the transition from publishing online in the beginning to a physical book, and the need for independent publications in communities like South Central L.Á. The podcast is an interview podcast in which Erick Huerta, interviews friends, foos, acquaintances, artist, and anyone who says yes to being on his show. All from Boyle Heights.

The other podcast, “The Badass Bookworm Podcast,” is a podcast hosted by Poet and author Cassandra Dallett inviting writers and activists to talk about their projects, process, and current events. Some times there are drinks sometimes there are roundtables but there is always great dialogue and ideas. In the February 25th episode,  L.Á. poets Nikolai Garcia, Viva Padilla and Matt Sedillo, on tour in the Bay Area, joined Badass Bookworm to talk about their writing projects. Nikolai Garcia’s new chapbook is Nuclear Shadows of Palm Trees (DSTLarts, 2019) and Viva Padilla, discussing Dryland and El Sereno born poet Matt Sedillo discussing his new collection of poems Mowing Leaves of Grass.

Dryland is based in South Central Los Ángeles. “Los [Á]ngeles, the land of all skin colors and all classes,” as it says on the journal’s about page. They “look for Los [Á]ngeles. Waste…decay…rebirth and all.” They are dedicated to publishing the best poetry, fiction, and nonfiction of the Los Angeles literary underground, and prioritize works by people of color.

Listen to both “Órale Boyle Heights” and “The Badass Bookworm Podcast” to find out more of what these three L.Á. poets—Nikolai Garcia, Viva Padilla and Matt Sedillo—are up to. And don’t forget to check out Dryland today!