In 2024, like in years past, writers in the Greater Los Ángeles literary community continued to publish extensively. Some in magazines and literary journals and others in anthologies and newspapers, while others still published books. These weren’t all in big-name publications like The New Yorker or the Chicago Review and their books weren’t all published by big-name presses such as Penguin and Simon & Schuster. Many of these writers published in smaller publications and many of them in local publications like the Pomona Valley Review and Inlandia: A Literary Journey. And other writers published books with local presses such as Riot of Roses Publishing House, El Martillo Press and World Stage Press. Like in years past, the writers who published in 2024, are gender and racially diverse, reflecting the gender and racial diversity of Greater Los Ángeles itself.

The writing in 2024 was as varied as the writers themselves. Some, such as Ryane Nicole Granados, Ron L. Dowell, Mike Sonksen and Bri Stokes, explored Los Ángeles and Southern California. Stokes’ poem “Marmalade Lament,” wraps her portrayal of L.Á. in vivid Greek mythology-like metaphors about how the city’s beauty and allure exist alongside its destructiveness as portrayed in part by palm trees and wildfires and the ocean. Granados meanwhile, in her middle-grade novel The Aves, portrays the 1980s South Central she grew up in through the lived-in experiences of the Black lives that populate the main character’s, Zora Neale Rebecca Hunter’s, section of South Central called The Aves.

“We race between the townhomes on 8th Ave and across the community garden on 9th. Janet stops to pick a flower and meets up with Jeanine and me catching our breath on my back steps,” Zora recounts.

The LGBTQIA+ writing spans the gamut of identity—the personal, cultural and societal—often at the intersection of these different iterations. In Myriam Gurba’s essay “In the Cemetery Where Jenni Rivera Is Buried,” she complicates the notion of identity through belonging in the liberal city of Long Beach as a large open, welcoming community to all, including people of various sexual orientations and gender identities such as herself, to that of a city that still dehumanizes in the small-town sense of chisme. “Long Beach seems like a big city. But it’s not. There are lots of Chismosos.”

In Brian Lin’s essay “My Body, Ms. Bey, LV,” he explores identity through a gay Asian American consumerist hypebeast lens. He uses examples of hypebeasts found in L.Á—Lin admits he’s one himself, even criticizing himself and people like him by saying “…America has a problem: it’s me…”—portraying them in a shallow light that reflects the superficial way they engage in identity, the ones “you’d find…along Melrose Ave. In line for Supreme, most likely—a brand that exemplifies the culture, deriving value less from design than the phenomenon of drops.”

And Bryn Wickerd in their debut poetry collection Fable explores identity in the context of the parallels in their life with odd mythology—Catholic, Greek, etc.—in terms of the non-iconic figures portrayed as iconography for survivors, people who’ve been accosted or the perils of girlhood, etc., such as Syrinx, an Arcadian nymph who is turned into a plaything, an instrument, and St. Wilgefortis, who was crucified for growing a beard overnight. For example, they use such iconography to explore being queer and loud and clumsy.

However, writers also published more blatantly politically focused work. Erin Aubry Kaplan and Viet Thanh Nguyen wrote political commentaries focusing on the global and domestic issues of race, power and social justice through the context of the historical legacies of the United States and marginalized communities. Susan Straight’s essay “Vivid Pinks, Greens and Dodger Blue Mark the Joy of October in Southern California,” touches on themes of regional identity, community, belonging and the changing seasons through the unifying effect of sports and specifically, the Dodgers.

Along with publishing, some writers in the Greater Los Ángeles literary community won, were finalists, or were honorable mentions for various awards. Mauricio Moreno, poet and co-host of the open mic Trenches Full of Poets and Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, were Honorable Mentions for the International Latino Book Awrds’ Juan Felipe Herrea Award in Poetry for their collections Anatomy of a Flame and Incantation: Love Poems for Battle Sites, respectively. Also, novelist and poet Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera was an honorable mention for Best First Book—Fiction in English for her young adult novel Breaking Pattern about Adriana Elizabeth Herrera Bowen, an eleventh-grade Latina who lives in Riverside, California and loves horses more than people.

Poet Nancy Lynée Woo won the 2024 Brett Elizabeth Jenkins Poetry Prize from Tinderbox Poetry Journal for her poem “I Want,” her first contest win for a single poem. South Central native Ryane Nicole Granados won the Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize for her middle-grade novel, The Aves. And El Martillo Press published poet and performer Paul S. Flores’ American Book award Winning We Still Be: Poems and Performances.

Plus, other local writers were nominated and won awards such as Pushcart Prizes and Best of the Net, among others.

Like in years past, with “Los Ángeles Writers Publish in 2024,” Los Angeles Literature attempts to be as comprehensive as possible in highlighting the publication success of the Greater Los Ángeles literary community. Regrettably, with so many avenues to publish today, some writers and publications have been missed. Nevertheless, every publication is a cause to celebrate. Here’s to all the writers who’ve published in 2024.

Books Published in 2024

It All Began With Cherry Soup: Poetry and Stories (Quiet Time Publishing) by Linda J. Albertano and Frank Lutz

Linda J. Albertano, award-winning poet and Poetry Diva of the City of Los Angeles, was an enchantress, musician, performance artist, actress, and filmmaker. As a child, she was reared in various unkindly foster homes. But this six-foot-four beauty with brains excelled and made her art speak for her. Frank Lutz was Linda’s lover, husband, partner, and best friend for more than 55 years. While Frank was the quiet one of the pair, his experiences as an athlete, scholar, pilot, sailor, and European aficionado provided the kernel for much of his narrative poetry. Together they were creative scholastic gems. In this companion book to On the Live of Linda J. Albertano, a retrospective of Linda and Frank’s written work, including poetry and prose, offers a fascinating look at the creative force that emerged from this one-of-a-kind relationship.

Waving at Strangers (Pelekinesis) by David Allen

Waving at Strangers collects 75 of David Allen’s best columns from the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Within these pages, he eats his way through a restaurant’s 144-item menu, joins ghost hunters at the Fox Theater and laments the loss of his childhood phone number.

He bears witness as a charming bridge on Route 66 in Rancho Cucamonga is demolished and listens as an Ontario cemetery manager muses about the stories untold on the gravestones. And as grand marshal of the Pomona Christmas Parade, he waves at strangers (and signs one autograph) from the back of a convertible.

Spanning the five years from 2006 to 2010, these columns by the Inland Empire’s best-known chronicler will make you laugh and make you think. If you’ve read them before, you can greet them as old friends. If they’re new to you, hello. Don’t be a stranger.

Pimping My Trauma (Riot of Roses Publishing House) by Juan Amador

Pimping My Trauma is a poetry collection that pushes back against the stigma of having sexual trauma. This book challenges the social norm of a blue-collar environment where sexual survivors silence themselves in fear of being seen as defects in a non-benevolent society. As a survivor, the poet speaks through this collection about the need for intimacy and control, while wrestling with identity and self-deprivation. This collection of poems results in living life afloat with a desperate need to be grounded and reclaim power.

A Kids Book About Israel & Palestine (DK Books) by Reza Aslan

What is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Why is it happening? Is peace possible? When kids ask questions like these, are grownups prepared to answer? This book was created to provide context for this conflict, open the door to conversation, and lay a path for understanding, peace, and compassion for our shared future.

1619 Speaks: An Anthology of African American Poetry (Blurb) Edited by Woodrow Bailey, Tommy Domino, fly high and Karo Ska

Since 1869, African American poets have expressed the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of their people’s resilience. The incredible poets included in 1619 Speaks stand on the shoulders of giants, embodying their imagination, inspiration, and investigation.

Wil Che Yelllhio Songs Of The Earth Canciones De La Tierra (E-Chapbook) (Los Angeles Public Library) by Yvette Cabrera and Amy Shimshon-Santo

Each piece offers a lens through which we can explore the intersection of personal and collective narratives. The writers shine a light on the complexities of contemporary Indigenous life, grappling with themes of displacement, cultural reclamation, and the interplay of tradition and modernity. Their words echo the struggles and triumphs that define their existence, reminding us of the strength found in vulnerability.

A Poem Is (Cyberwit Press) by Don Kingfisher Campbell

The poems included in A Poem Is show that the flights of the poet’s imagination are quite impressive and remarkable. There are bold and new images. Campbell, with his strong imagination, is able to create the song of the soul in these poems, aptly avoiding banal epithets and false elegance.

Recurring Characters (Double Text Media) by Evan Chelsee

In Recurring Characters, Evan Chelsee guides readers through the emotional labyrinth of one year in Los Angeles—a year filled with longing, missed connections, and self-reflection. Through a collection of poetry and fragmented storytelling, this chapbook unravels the complexity of desire, self-worth, and the need for connection. Using playlists, text messages, flowcharts and more, Evan’s work captures the fleeting nature of relationships and the way we anchor ourselves to people, places, and moments. Each poem invites readers to experience the chaos, confusion, and yearning of being 21 and full of feelings.

Sky Songs (Writ Large Projects) by Chiwan Choi

Sky Songs, the newest collection from Chiwan Choi, is 50 poems broken up into four “pop albums.” All the pieces are inspired by Taylor Swift, boygenius, Reneé Rapp, Finneas, Julien Baker, Lykke Li, phoebe bridgers, Gracie Abrams, Dev Never, Charlotte Lawrence, CHVRCHES & Tommy Lefroy.

The Waiting: A Ballard and Bosch Novel (Little, Brown and Company) by Michael Conelly

Renée Ballard and the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and murderer who went quiet two decades ago. The arrested man is only twenty-four, so the genetic link must be familial: His father was the Pillowcase Rapist, responsible for a five-year reign of terror in the City of Angels. But when Ballard and her team move in on their suspect, they encounter a baffling web of secrets and legal hurdles.

Washing Water (World Stage Press) by Lynda V. E. Crawford

Washing Water is a poetry collection that lilts life through the eyes of Caribbean girls and women across the African diaspora. The poems weave vignettes of ancestor-women, known and unknown, who have lived the fat belly of life and understand its joys and imperfections. The poems in Washing Water entwine stories, lived and dreamed, from little girl into womanhood—stories that hold hands with ancestors and progeny to talk together of rain and wash water.

Bad Mexican, Bad American (Acre Books) by Jose Hernandez Diaz

Bad Mexican, Bad American demonstrates how having roots in more than one culture can be both unsettling and rich: van Gogh and Beethoven share the page with tattoos, graffiti, and rancheras; Quetzalcoatl shows up at Panda Express; a Mexican American child who has never had a Mexican American teacher may become that teacher; a parent’s “broken” English is beautiful and masterful. Blending reality with dream and humility with hope,Hernandez Diaz contributes a singing strand to the complex cultural weave that is twenty-first-century poetry.

Crooked Out of Compton (Running Wild Press) by Ron L. Dowell

Mention “California,” and most people think of sun-kissed beaches, star-studded glamour, Hollywood success, or Silicon Valley. However, the stories in Crooked Out of Compton expand the narrative to include stories about othered Californians—each story reveals a different facet of the South [Central] Los Angeles community and its inhabitants. “Professor Roach” follows the story of a disaffected young boy who’d rather be an insect. Sheriff’s deputy Daniel Brown finds institutional change difficult when he questions the status quo in “Job Collateral Lies Dead on Compton Creek.” Leland Otis Dunwitty meets Mysteree, his first love, and finds how complicated relationships can be when lovers come from different track sides.

The Sons of El Rey (Simon & Schuster) by Alex Espinoza

Years later, in East Los Angeles, his son, Freddy Vega, is struggling to save his father’s gym while Freddy’s own son, Julian, is searching for professional and romantic fulfillment as a Mexican American gay man refusing to be defined by stereotypes.

James (Doubleday) by Percival Everett

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.

Decompose (Not A Cult) by Sola Fey

Decompose explores pruning our past to make room for future growth; the expanse we are offered through the crush of heartbreak, discovering family beyond our original home, finding new meaning in our own name—S. Fey picks these timeless themes like roses from a flourishing garden to compose a thorny and succulent bouquet of living, loss, and rebirth throughout the rejuvenating pages of their debut poetry collection.

The Boys Are Not Refined (Butt Naked Printing & Spectrum Publishing) by GT Foster

A Vietnam era, semi-biographic soldier’s story, about Army life and Thai culture and what happens when they overlap, Not exactly history, not exactly a memoir, it is an authentic, boldly written exploration of a side of the Vietnam War seldom seen.

Writing the Golden State: The New Literary Terrain of California (Angel City Press) by Carribean Fragoza, Romeo Guzman and Samin Joudat

MdM’s political-ethical-spiritual commitments, cultural production, and everyday practices are informed by Indigenous and transnational feminist of color artistic, ceremonial, activist, and intellectual legacies. Contributors fuse stories of celebration, love, and spirit-work with an incisive critique of interlocking oppressions, both intimate and structural, encouraging movement toward “a world where many worlds fit.”

The multidisciplinary, intergenerational, and critical-creative nature of the project coupled with the unique subject matter makes the book a must-have for high school and college students, activist-scholars, artists, community organizers, and others invested in social justice and liberation.

The Aves (Leapfrog Press) by Ryane Nicole Granados

Plenty of things in Zora’s youth would seem strange to others, but they’re perfectly normal to her. Her mother’s fixation with germs, and parties, and the power of names. Her father, who Zora rarely sees, disappearing among the stars as his biggest claim to fame. Her role in explaining things to her younger sister, even as Zora works to discover her own philosophies of life. And her neighborhood, a one-way street with an entrance but no exit called “the Aves.”

Zora wants more. More than an honorable name. More than glimpses of glory captured in window frames. Surviving childhood can be as intricate as the intertwined streets of Los Angeles. But as Zora grows, so does her story. And in the process, her desire for more is transformed into a tribute of the magnificent people who live alongside her.

Shopping for Dad: and Other Stories (Arryo Seco Press) by Susan Greenberg

Kareem Tayyar says about Shopping for Dad:

Suzanne Greenberg’s stories, like those of Raymond Carver and Maile Meloy, are almost magically capable of elevating the lives of everyday individuals into realms of quiet—and often devastating—myth. Whether it’s the soon-to-be-divorced woman in “Remodel” or the melancholic middle-aged sisters in “Offering,” these are characters who inspire our empathy, our frustration, and our love while expertly capturing what it’s like to live in the early decades of 21st Century America.

The Forgotten Edge (Self Published) By Daryl Gussin

Jessica Mills says about The Forgotten Edge:

Daryl Gussin’s poetry is a refreshing dive into the raw and visceral. This newest collection fuses lifer punk spirit with poetic introspection. With carefully curated words raging against societal norms, confronting loneliness, and exploring the beauty of community, each poem creates gritty imagery and unfiltered emotion. More than anything, Daryl’s authentic voice rises above the dismal din and resonates with urgency, capturing moments of rebellion and reflection. These are catchy anthems without the three chords.

The Hermit Thrush (Self Published) by Daryl Gussin

jimmy cooper says about The Hermit Thrush:

Daryl Gussin’s new collection of poems comes with all the rage and love one might come to expect from him, were one in the habit of expecting things of the artists we love. Defying stability, but not consistency (as the first poem explicitly explores), Daryl’s words expect nothing but that life will, sometimes, be shit. And though he comes at us with no expectation that we will have the answers or even give enough of a shit to try to change some of the obscene forces that micromanage our daily lives, he asks but four things of us in one: “Be safe, be honest, be giving, and be gone.” Humble expectations that most of us, most of the time, fail. There’s a mundanity to this collection, and a meandering—and I mean this in the sense of the best sensibilities of the Beats ripping off Zen—though not Zen precisely this far down the line and our lives are split in so many directions it all either has too much or too little meaning. In this work we can only watch. We might, too, think; we might, too, see ourselves; we might, too, carry on in the erotics of storm drains and a free meal at the worst job interview of your life; we might, too, write through the pain into something, finally, like joy.

The Western Stubby (Self Published) Daryl Gussin

Ingrid M. Calderón says about The Western Stubby:

In this collection, Daryl explores the universe of his life and breaks it down into succinct stories told in a way only a punk poet can. He explores landscapes and people. Love and desire—all wrapped up in a package that’ll leave you wondering and wandering. A true love story of self with a backdrop of internal dialogue that leaves the reader with a sense of wonder and an itch for more.

Yesika Salgado says about All Brown Boys Get Trumpets:

Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez’s poems are an anthem of resilience. He writes about grief with unflinching tenderness and reverence. In a world that doesn’t often give men the opportunity to be flawed and vulnerable, Hernandez offers a masterclass in being human. He describes himself as having an unquenchable thirst for love, and in All Brown Boys Get Trumpets, the reader will also embrace this beautiful thirst. Matthew Hernandez has lovingly used this poetry collection to teach Brown Boys to master flight one jump at a time, a calling for all of us misfits to soar.”

This Is the Ship I Used to Be (Arroyo Seco Press) by Jonathan Humanoid

LeAnne Hunt says of This Is the Ship I Used to Be:

Jonathan Humanoid offers readers passage on his journey into building and rebuilding a self and a life to be lived. Framing his search for self through metaphors of ships and storms, wreckage and ghosts, he pulls us towards an understanding of what it means to craft a sense of belonging amidst impermanence.

In spite of its size, the collection explores the subject of self and progression through varying subject matter—navigation and traveling, graveyards and gardening, hunger and cooking, love and loving—with the “this poem used to be” poems charting a circuitous path. This is Margaret’s answer not from god, but from an Uber Eats driver who got hungry while waiting.

A Family, Maybe: Two Dads, Two Babies, and the Court Cases That Brought Us Together (Ooligan Press) by Lane Igoudin

In his candid and emotional memoir, Lane Igoudin shows the human side of public adoption as he and his partner Jonathan seek to adopt their foster daughters from the Los Angeles County child welfare system. Desperately wanting to be fathers, they enter into a complicated legal process that soon becomes a tangle of drama-filled birth parent visits and children’s court hearings. Lane and Jon spend years not knowing whether they will be able to officially adopt the girls, or if the county will reunite the sisters with their birth mother, Jenna, a teenager in the state’s custody herself.

Movies and memory intersect in this compelling and unconventional memoir from queer writer, film aficionado, and Jeopardy! contestant Charles Jensen. Splice of Life follows Jensen from his upbringing and struggles with sexual awareness in rural Wisconsin to his sexual liberation in college and, finally, to the complex relationships and bizarre coincidences of adulthood. Exploring what it means to be male and queer, each essay splices together Jensen’ s lived experiences with his analysis of a single film. Deftly woven, Splice of Life shows us how personal and cultural memory intertwine, as well as how the stories we watch can help us understand the stories we all tell about ourselves.

The Ghost Orchid (Ballantine Books) by Jonathan Kellerman

LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis sees it all the time: Reinvention’s a way of life in a city fueled by fantasy. But try as you might to erase the person you once were, there are those who will never forget the past . . . and who can still find you.

A pool boy enters a secluded Bel Air property and discovers two bodies floating in the bright blue water: Gio Aggiunta, the playboy heir to an Italian shoe empire, and a gorgeous, even wealthier neighbor named Meagin March. A married neighbor.

An illicit affair stoking rage is a perfect motive. But a “double” in this neighborhood of gated estates isn’t something you see every day. The house is untouched. No forced entry, no forensic evidence. The case has “that feeling,” and when that happens, Milo turns to his friend, the brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware.

From Venice to Venice: Poets of California and Italy (El Martillo Press) edited by Mark Lipman and Anna Lombardo

This anthology published by L.Á. based El Martillo Press compiles poets in conversation with each other from the original Venice, in Italy, and Venice in Los Ángeles, that was modeled after the original. The poems from both Venice, Italy and Venice, California share the themes of nature, nurture, outlaws and angels and love that dazzles and devours. Poets include Will Alexander, S.A. Griffin, Susan Hayden, Ellyn Maybe and Pam Ward writing about Venice, California and Giovanni Luca Asmundo, Alessandra Drigo and Fabia Ghenzovich writing about Venice, Italy.

He’s a Color Until He’s Not (Moontide Press) by Christian Hanz Lozada

He’s a Color until He’s Not is a poignant poetry collection explores conflicting identities, loves, and traumas that weave the American continent to the Philippines. In this book, Christian Hanz Lozada explores the intersections of being born into a poor White family and an educated Brown one while growing up first in a predominantly Black neighborhood and then a White one. Lozada writes through a confessional lens that blends love and cruelty into a unique language.

Prophets of Los Angeles (Los Angeles Press) by Bernadette McComish

Set against the backdrop of Los Angeles, the book interweaves the city’s raw energy, its surreal beauty, and its hidden darkness, offering readers a unique exploration of identity, place, and purpose. Thematically, Prophets of Los Angeles explores the tension between fate and free will, the search for meaning in chaotic times, and the ways in which individuals find—or fail to find—connection in a sprawling metropolis.

Flat Soda for Roses: The Rebirth (World Stage Press) by Ebony Morgan

Flat Soda for Roses: The Rebirth by Ebony Morgan invites the reader on a poetic journey of transformation, resilience, and self-discovery. This debut collection of poetry is a testament to the power of finding strength within oneself, even in the face of adversity. It is a celebration of the human spirit and the capacity to bloom and thrive, even when circumstances seem bleak.

Farewell, Amethystine (Mulholland Books) by Walter Mosley

January 1970 finds Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, LA’s premier Black detective, at 50 years of age despite all expectations.  He has a loving family, a beautiful home, and a thriving investigation agency.  All is right with the world… and then Amethystine Stoller, his own personal Helen of Troy, arrives. Her ex-husband is missing. A simple enough case. But even as Easy takes his first step in the investigation he trips.  He falls into the memory of things past. Little things, like loss, love, a world war, and a hunger that has eaten at him since he was a Black boy on his own on the streets of Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas.

The missing ex, a young white man named Curt Fields, is found dead. Easy’s only real friend in the LAPD, Melvin Suggs, has gone into hiding rather than allow his femme fatale wife to go to the gas chamber.  And that’s only the beginning

Lotus Children (Self-Published) by Timothy Nang

Aw-Kun says about Lost Children:

Lotus Children is a 20 page handmade collection of poetry and photos. The collection is a visceral but uplifting look into a Queer Cambodian’s experience living in Long Beach and Los Angeles. Each piece in this small book reflects the journey of emerging from the murky waters of pain and finding beauty even through adversity. Thank you for choosing to read this book.

Sky Leaning Toward Winter (Moontide Press) by Terri Niccum

Sky Leaning Toward Winter is both a bitter pill and the first lick of ice cream on a summer’s day. In this slender volume, Niccum interweaves poems that chronicle life in its blunt-edged harshness with those that capture moments when we unexpectedly bump into beauty and grace. This is verse from an author seeking to embrace the allness of life, along with its inevitable ending, on her own terms and without the atlas of an afterlife.

Simone (Minerva) by Viet Than Nguyen

When Simone is awakened by her mom as a wildfire threatens their home, it is the beginning of a life-changing journey. On their way to take shelter in a high school gym, the family passes firefighters from a prison unit battling the fire. Simone’s mom tells her that when she was a girl in Viet Nam, she was forced to evacuate her home after a flood. Joined by other children sheltering in the gym, Simone, a budding artist, encourages everyone to draw as a way to process their situation. After a few days, Simone and her mom are able to return to their home, which is fortunately still standing, and her outlook has changed. As Simone begins creating a piece of art with one of her new friends, she realizes that even though they are young, they can dream and work together for a more sustainable future. With a poetic, haunting family story by esteemed author Viet Thanh Nguyen and gorgeous art from illustrator Minnie Phan, this powerful tale introduces an unforgettable young heroine who awakens to a new role fighting for her community and for the future of the planet.

Chicano Frankenstein (Forest Avenue Press) by Daniel A. Olivas

An unnamed paralegal, brought back to life through a controversial process, maneuvers through a near-future world that both needs and resents him. As the United States president spouts anti-reanimation rhetoric and giant pharmaceutical companies rake in profits, the man falls in love with lawyer Faustina Godínez. His world expands as he meets her network of family and friends, setting him on a course to discover his first-life history, which the reanimation process erased. With elements of science fiction, horror, political satire and romance, Chicano Frankenstein confronts our nation’s bigotries and the question of what it truly means to be human.

My Chicano Heart (University of Nevada Press) by Daniel A. Olivas

Catalina Eddy: Poems (Los Nietos Press) by Lorine Parks [Second Edition]

David St. John says of Catalina Eddy: Poems:

Lorine Parks’ Catalina Eddy is one of the most surprising and hilarious poetic romps I have ever read. Weather is “the Family business” of these meteorological guys and dolls, molls and mobsters, of whom Eddy is only one of a charming and somewhat disreputable array of noirish figures. The characters here are utterly and universally delightful, and both the romantic and family relationships of these cocky weather systems and their attendant “effects” make for some of the wittiest sagas I know. We have all experienced the profound arrogance of weather, of course, but Lorine Parks makes it clear that it’s always personal! One leaves this collection knowing that Mae Gray and June Gloom and Eddy himself definitely have it in for us. Yet the elegant – if at times bittersweet–music of these poems and their shifting emotional “eddies” remind us that there is as often as not a dark and somber (not silver) lining to these particular clouds. Nevertheless, there is something deliciously vaudevillian about Lorine Parks’ humor, and to those of you who find comfort watching the daily weather report, I’m here to report that Catalina Eddy has told me your days too are numbered.

Dreamer Paradise: Poems (What Press Books) by David Quiroz

To be undocumented, to be America’s shadow, can be the worst thing any youth or adolescent can experience. In some cases, undocumented immigrant youth will only know that they are undocumented once it is time to apply for jobs, a driver’s license, or college applications because to apply means to possess a valid social security number.

The term ‘Dreamer’ is now claimed by the undocumented youth population. It redefines the experience of immigrant youth and validates their existence as an individual experience. Dreamer Paradise aims to tell that experience and serves as a closer look into Quiroz’s life, from being denied entry at the DMV to wanting acceptance as an American citizen; and, at the same time, holding their Mexican queer identity close to their existence. Quiroz does not hold back and urges anyone who reads to listen.

God is a river running down my palm (Picture Show Press) by Jeremy Ra and Aruni Wijesinghe

A duet poetry chapbook that explores art, desire, time, memory, and more. From Best-of-the-Net and Pushcart Prize nominees Jeremy Ra and Aruni Wijesinghe. 18 poems. 29 pages.

a poem is a house (Madville Publishing) by Linda Ravenswood

Francine Rodriguez says of a poem is a house:

a poem is a house reminds me that we write with the ancestors and carriers of our collective experiences looking over our shoulders and giving us a voice to tell their stories. Sometimes we recognize that these stories are sometimes really our own. This poetry speaks to the alienation of a group of people, and the individuals themselves, from community, family, and often the self. The voice I hear is one fighting erasure and alienation from “the other society.” This society we view at a distance as we are separated from it by birth. The words in this collection of poetry suggest that some of us spend our lives pondering the justification for the distance while being told the reasons. The questions still remain unanswered as we move toward an inevitable death.

Stories All Our Own (Bottlecap Press) by Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera

Stories All Our Own captures the dreams and desires of five cousins who are all the same age every summer. They spend their weekends, vacations, holidays and special occasions gathered in each other’s homes that are scattered across the Southwest: Blythe, Yuma, El Centro, San Diego, and Riverside. They wish and splash and scratch together. They sneak out of the house and cause travesuras when their adults aren’t looking.

It is a tribute to the joys of childhood in an era when doors weren’t locked and kids played outside until the streetlights came on or the bugs came out or the moon wasn’t bright enough to guide the way home.

For the Love of… (Mattazine Society) by Steven Reigns

This zine by former West Hollywood Poet Laureate Steven Reigns, pays tribute to legendary gay photographer Peter Hujar. For the Love of… weaves biographical details, original poetry, and evocative imagery, honoring Hujar’s groundbreaking work and lasting influence.

The Sacred Millennial Burial Ground (Dark Heart Press) by John Dorsey and Kevin Ridgeway

James H Duncan says about Ridgeway’s poems:

Kevin Ridgeway’s poetry reveals that childhoods full of pain, regret, fear, and broken hearts still contain love and humanity, and sometimes just enough hope to keep moving forward through adulthood chaos while carrying the best of those shattered pieces of the past.

Animal Sunrise (Chapbook) (Pure Sleeze Press) by Kevin Ridgeway

Pure Sleeze Press nominated “Across the Borderline” from Animal Sunrise for a 2024 Pushcart Prize.

A Ludicrous Split 3: Pop Culture Poems for a Post-Modern World (Back of the Class Press) by Gabriel Ricard, Kevin Ridgeway, Daniel W Wright

Gabriel Ricard and Kevin Ridgeway are joined by Daniel W. Wright for a collection of poems they have dubbed, “pop culture poems for a post-modern world.” A Ludicrous Split 3 is a poetic lens at Millennial pop culture of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s with subjects ranging from Anna Nicole Smith and Kids in the Hall to Pee Wee Herman and Surge Cola.

Diamond Bars 2 (Moontide Press) by Daivd A. Romero

The long-awaited sequel to the nationally-touring spoken word artist David A. Romero’s full-length poetry debut Diamond Bars: The Street Version, Diamond Bars 2 is a novel in verse—a semi-autobiographical year-in-the-life of a poet protagonist working through grief, dealing with alcoholism, and coping with the fact that being a professional poet might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Poems blend fact with fiction, serving up picaresque tales with recurring characters living out their own kind of limbo in Diamond Bar and its neighboring cities. This direct follow-up to My Name Is Romero mixes David A. Romero’s trademark humor with some philosophy and soul-searching. A love letter to his hometown, Diamond Bars 2 paints vibrant portraits and landscapes of people and places known by the author; some long gone.

Amor Entre Aguaceros/Love Between Downpours (Alegría Publishing) by Jean-Pierre Rueda

Amor entre aguaceros/Love between downpours is a bilingual poetry collection dedicated to all those who use their imagination to return to their countries of origin when migratory circumstances prohibit them from doing so.

Nostalgia, homesickness, immigration, family friendships, and the deep appreciation for what and who becomes a memory. My newest collection speaks through and about such topics in Spanish and English.

Maestra (FlowerSong Press) by Angelina Sáenz

With Sáenzextensive experience in public schools, her work explores the complexities of classrooms, embracing hope, despair, resilience, and joy. Through poetic expressions, she delves into the vulnerability of children, the struggles faced by working-class and immigrant parents, the dedication of teachers, and the flaws within bureaucratic systems.

Scribble Scrabbles (Riot of Roses Publishing House) by Sandy Shakes

Scribble Scrabbles is a poetic collage of a time and space in a Mexican neighborhood called Boyle Heights. It is an ode to the love, loss, joy, and pain of finding a voice during unheard times. These scribbles offer a glimpse of hope to all the roses that cracked cement and bloomed despite fighting for sunlight. A humble shout out to all the little brown girls that came before and a huge hug to all the little girls blooming after.

Say Their Names (World Stage Press) by Charisse A. Sims

Say Their Names blends breathing and self-affirmation rituals while also acknowledging injustices suffered by people of color. Written by Charise Sims, an educator, and illustrated by Lindsey Caneso, this book teaches children to manage their emotions though deep breaths, including breathing for those lost by racial violence and police brutality.

Perris, California (Penguin) by Rachel Stark

In Stark’s novel, pregnant Tessa frets over her rural life after she collides with her former lover, Mel. Struggling with the weight of her responsibilities as a wife and mother and the violent abuse of her past, Tessa rekindles her feelings for Mel and finds respite in their comfort with each other, outcasts reunited. But she must also reconcile her obligation to her family—and to the family who rescued her years before.

Modern Magic: Stories, Rituals, and Spells for Contemporary Witches (HaperOne) by Michelle Tea

A self-described DIY witch and professional tarot reader, literary and feminist icon Michelle Tea provides a fascinating magical history and spiritual traditions from around the world, giving us the tools, spells, and rituals to navigate our stressed-out, consumer-driven lives. Witty, down-to-earth, and wise, she bewitches us with tales of how she crafted her own magical practice and came into her own. She also shares enchanting stories from her earliest witchy days as a goth teen in Massachusetts as well as insights from her adult practice. Modern Magic gives us the tools to tap into a stronger, distinctive magic that lies within us, one that incorporates queer, feminist, anti-racist, intersectional values.

Blue on a Blue Palette (BOA Editions) by Lynne Thompson

Lynne Thompson’s Blue on a Blue Palette reflects on the condition of women—their joys despite their histories, and their insistence on survival as issues of race, culture, pandemic, and climate threaten their livelihoods. The documentation of these personal odysseys—which vary stylistically from abecedarians to free verse to centos—replicate the many ways women travel through the stages of their lives, all negotiated on a palette encompassing various shades of blue. These poems demand your attention, your voice: “Say history. Claim. Say wild.”

Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders (Tiny Reparations Books) by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal

Upon becoming a new mother, Vanessa Angélica Villarreal was called to Mexico to reconnect with her ancestors and recover her grandmother’s story, only to return to the sudden loss of her marriage, home, and reality.

When the Leaves Come Tumbling Down: An A to Z Poetry Collection about Loss (Hawkeye Publishing) by Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl

This book marks the 6th poetry collection by Diosa Xochiquetzalcoatl, and it is notably her most tender and delicate collection to date.

Despite its vulnerability, When the Leaves Come Tumbling Down is a collection that empowers readers. Diosa Xochiquetzalcoatl guides us through the different stages of grief, dealing with denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance as aspects of various types of loss.

Dispossessed (Running Wild Press) by Désirée Zamorano

Dispossessed traces the life of Manuel, a boy who is separated from his parents during the mass expulsion of Mexican Americans and Mexican nationals in Los Angeles during the 1930s. He’s always searching for his missing family, the missing pieces of his heart. As he grows into an adult he is surrounded by remarkable women. Generous Amparo, who brings the mute boy into her home with gentle tenderness, then Lizette, striking and vivacious, who captivates his passion and loyalty.