“Writing, I Can’t Waste Time”: Alejandro Varela & the Political Public Health Novel
In his debut novel "The Town of Babylon," Alejandro Varela tells the story of Andrés, a Latinx professor whose reluctant suburban homecoming rekindles old high-school friendships and past loves. As Andrés negotiates personal ties and the social frictions running through them, Varela weaves a discerning account on the interpersonal and political definitions of community. In an interview with Executive Editor Alexandra Watson, Varela discusses the inspirations behind the novel - his experiences growing up in a white-majority suburb, and how studying and working in public health illuminated his writing and understanding of the "American Dream."
Tender Excavations: Retelling Origin Stories in Adoption Narratives
As an Asian American, the incessant insistence of the question “Where are you from?” often followed by “No, where are you really from?” can be so exhausting. In the poem, I can finally confront this question and push back. Tell a different story.
What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories about Food and Family
A Conversation with 신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin In What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories about Food and Family, writers speak about all the contexts, ancestry, racism,... Read More
Respecting the Pain of the Poem
An Interview with Safia Jama
Motherhood, Writing Out of Stereotypes, and LA’s Koreatown
An Interview with Nancy Jooyoun Kim
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
A Conversation with Deesha Philyaw