Synopses & Reviews
Latinos in Lotusland brings to life Latino denizens of Los Angeles and the city's surrounding communities. The stories describe complex, diverse characters: young and old, gay and straight, rich and poor. Meet a Cuban-American screenwriter trying to pitch the "real" story behind the Bay of Pigs fiasco, a Mexican woman who believes she's seen a miracle, youths trying to avoid gang life while others embrace it, and many others.
Contributors include: Kathleen Alcalá, Frederick Luis Aldama, Lisa Alvarez, Victorio Barragán, Daniel Chacón, Kathleen De Azevedo, Alex Espinoza, Rudy Ch. Garcia, Estella González, Melanie González, Rigoberto González, Reyna Grande, Stephen D. Gutiérrez, Álvaro Huerta, Michael Jaime-Becerra, Manuel Luis Martínez,Alejandro Morales, Manuel Muñoz, Daniel A. Olivas, Melinda Palacio, Salvador Plascencia, John Rechy, Jennifer Silva Redmond, Manuel Ramos, Sandra Ramos O'Briant, Wayne Rapp, Luis J. Rodríguez, Danny Romero, Conrad Romo, Jorge Saralegui, Mario Suárez, Luis Alberto Urrea, Richard Vásquez, and Helena María Viramontes.
Review
"Olivas,...opens readers' eyes in this collection to a new world of Chicano literature....Latinos in Lotusland creates new possibilities to consider and explore for the community of readers and writers, and beyond." El Paso Times
Synopsis
Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. Edited by Daniel A. Olivas. LATINOS IN LOTUSLAND brings to life Latino denizens of the Los Angeles area resulting in a complex and diverse group of characters: young and old, gay and straight, rich and poor, the newly arrived and the well established. We meet aggressive journalists, cement pourers, disaffected lovers, drunken folklorico dancers, successful curanderos, teenage slackers, aging artists, wrestling saints, aimless druggies, people made of paper, college students, and even a private detective in search of a presumed-dead gonzo writer. Setting for these stories range from East L.A. to Malibu, Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley, Venice Beach to El Sereno. This anthology brings together established and newer writers who provide beautiful, powerful, and eloquent tales.
About the Author
Daniel A. Olivas is the author of Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2004), Assumption and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, 2003), The Courtship of María Rivera Peña: A Novella (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000), and a children's book, Benjamin and the Word (Arte Publico Press, 2005). His writing has been widely anthologized and has appeared in numerous publications including the Los Angeles Times, El Paso Times, The Jewish Journal and MultiCultural Review. Olivas practices law in Los Angeles with the California Department of Justice and lives with his wife and son in the San Fernando Valley.