Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California (Latino) Literature. Take a look at this cover and you know you are in for something unusual.
The word, anthology, is always a green light for me. I feel brave when faced with a series of short stories, poems, and articles that I can manage one sitting at a time. Little did I suspect the variety awaiting me in Daniel A. Olivas’ curated collection of Latino authors writing in and about Los Angeles. I laughed, and grumbled, and at one point stopped reading one painful story, rather than live with the vivid images the author portrayed from my hometown.
Daniel A. Olivas, author, is also a playwright, editor, and book critic. Widely anthologized, Olivas has written on literature for The New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, Los Angeles Times, Zocálo, Latino Book Review, and The Rumpus. He earned his degree in English literature from Stanford University, and law degree from UCLA. <Amazon.com: Daniel A. Olivas: books, biography, latest update>
Latinx authors, like any subset of our population, have unique stories to tell, but we rarely see them in print. Olivas gives experienced writers a greater spotlight and new authors a chance to delight you with their style and characters. His professional credentials are impressive but his memory of the long, bumpy road to print is recalled by the authors he chooses to include in this anthology.
My own Latino literature, young adult historic fiction, is a mix of colonial history and fictional characters blended to give students a chance to meet diverse characters in our nation’s past. Twisted Cross, Golden Secrets, and Broken Promises are available at all major outlets and inspired by other Latino authors who have written long before I picked up a pen. Gracias! Diverse Voices - Bravo!