I’ve got a couple poetry treats for you this Halloween.  First up is a brand-new piece, “Pumpkin Ash and Cypress Knees,” in Boudin by The McNeese Review.  They just released their special issue today, with the delightful theme of It Came from the Swamp!  My poem was inspired by my trip to New Orleans a few years back, when I took a Bayou Segnette swamp tour.  Our tour guide was an ecologist who talked about how the bayou comes from the river (as opposed to feeding into it), and the water can change directions.  I fell in love with the plants rising within and around the water.  It took me a while, but the memory of that setting finally came back as this poem. 

Next, “Dancer Summons,” my belly dance poem, has been reprinted in the Pastoral Haunting issue of Pastel Pastoral.  It first appeared in The Common Tongue Magazine.  Please share it with any dancers in your life. 

And don’t forget, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association has their annual Halloween page up, with audio recordings of spooky recitations, including my poem “Nightmarens.” 

I’ll leave you with some October pumpkin patch vibes.  Earlier this month, my family had a gorgeous fall day at the pumpkin patch.  It was dry and foggy, unlike last year’s fiasco when we had to slog through ankle-deep mud in the corn maze.  Aw, who am I kidding, I also enjoyed the soggy adventure!  But this year had a particularly iconic feel to it: 

My latest story, “Midnight for Clementine,” is available now in Christmas Gothic Short Stories, an anthology for fans of dark and macabre winter holiday tales (a la Gremlins and The Nightmare Before Christmas).  My story delves into a world of ornaments, figurines, and other decorations.  That’s right, it’s a glimpse into the secret life of inanimate objects (the topic I’m teaching next month through Hugo House!). 

This story stems from my longtime fascination with holiday décor.  As a kid, I’d play with the seasonal figurines my parents distributed around the living room and dining room throughout the year—the Halloween candles shaped like ghosts, the plush Easter rabbit in a dress holding her surly, swaddled bunny, and most of all, the Christmas decorations.  Tree ornaments, nutcrackers, the nativity scene, and a special doll collection that only made an appearance in December!  I couldn’t resist.  In grade school one year, I ordered a book called The Glass Mermaid by Susan Clymer, in which the human protagonist shrinks down (like in the ballet adaptation of The Nutcracker) and travels through the trunk of a Christmas tree to have an adventure.  Well, I preferred the possibilities of venturing up the tree itself. 

Years later, thanks to my writer’s group, I was inspired to revisit those memories and create this story for our annual Christmas party.  Now, I’m so excited to be included in this beautiful anthology.

If you’d like to check out my poem “Backward Compatibility (Quinceañera on a Generation Ship),” the link is up now to read it on the Apparition Literary Magazine website!  I also answered a few questions about the inspiration and process in getting this poem off the ground (pun intended).  In the next few weeks, they’ll also post audio of me reading the poem. 

In other news, I have a story in Christmas Gothic Short Stories, the brand-new anthology from Flame Tree Publishing!  I’ll post about that one hopefully this weekend.  If you’re eager to blend some of this month’s spookiness with the upcoming winter holidays, Christmas Gothic is available now from a variety of bookstores.

The wonderful team at Apparition Literary Magazine gave me one of my earliest science fiction story sales in their Ambition issue, and I’m thrilled that now they’ve included my SF poem “Backward Compatibility (Quinceañera on a Generation Ship)” in the Nostalgia issue! 

In writing this poem, I took inspiration from the (non-speculative) poet Naomi Shihab Nye.  I love how conversational and accessible her work is, while still leaving the reader with a sense of depth behind the words.  I don’t know if I came anywhere close in striving toward that balance, but I sure enjoyed myself in the process. 

While I was working on it, I also interviewed my dad about his memories of attending fiestas de quinceañeras.  His anecdotes ran the gamut from hilarious to bittersweet.  It was our own form of connecting across time.

I can officially share this now:  I have a science fiction poem due out in the next issue of Apparition Literary Magazine, themed around Nostalgia! 

Also, my latest poem, “Where in the Zoo Is Carmen Sandiego?”, just posted on Sidequest.  I’ve been focusing a lot on speculative poetry lately, but this poem is autobiographical.  The Carmen Sandiego themed event really did happen, and I dug out my old ZooTeen yearbook and found the following excerpts: 

Good memories. 

One of my other Sidequest poems, “Nightmarens,” is part of this year’s Halloween reading by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA).  You can hear lots of spooky works, most of them read by their poets, on the SFPA Halloween page.  I’ve also got a poetry reprint coming out in Pastel Pastoral later this month. 

In fiction news, I’m looking forward to the impending release of Flame Tree Publishing’s Christmas Gothic anthology, which includes my story “Midnight for Clementine.”  If you love a dose of darkness in your winter holiday season, this is the book for you. 

And remember, registration is open for the online Creating Nonhuman Characters workshop next month! 

In my interview with the Horror Writers Association, which just posted today, I talk about the show Are You Afraid of the Dark?, being a recovering scaredy-cat, and some of the most haunting Latinx writers I’ve read.  Also, I don’t mince words in the advice I offer to my fellow horror writers out there. 

I highly recommend the whole HWA Latinx Heritage in Horror series, with daily interviews celebrating the breadth and depth of Hispanic and Latinx horror writers! You might also like my essay “Upcycling Emotions, or Why I Write Horror.”

I’m excited to be the guest speaker for the next Young Willamette Writers meeting!  Writers in middle or high school can join me at this online and in-person event, where I’ll be discussing the thrills and challenges of writing speculative poetry!  You’re welcome whether you’re new to poetry or not, and whether you typically write in the speculative genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror or not. 

You can join virtually on Zoom or in person at the Beaverton City Library on Saturday, October 1^st from 10:30am-11:30am PDT.  It’s free to attend, and remember, it’s only for middle and high schoolers.

The Collidescope has published two of my poems, “A Piece of Lake Came Loose” and “Bedtime Routine.”  I wrote these in a couple of generative poetry sessions at the Willamette Writers Conference this summer, both taught by Armin Tolentino, the current Poet Laureate of Clark County, WA.  They came about as a result of his exercises having us play with language and metaphor. 

I’m so grateful to Armin for his engaging events, and to my friend and workshop co-instructor, Elizabeth Beechwood, for recommending that I go to them!

Today kicks off a monthlong celebration in the U.S. of Hispanic and Latinx/e culture.  I’m excited to share that I have an interview coming out late next week with the Horror Writers Association as part of their Latinx Heritage in Horror series.  I also have a few publications forthcoming that touch on my Ecuadorian and Peruvian heritage, including an autobiographical poem due out in the next issue of Pilgrimage, my debut mini-chapbook The Inca Weaver’s Tales from Sword & Kettle Press, and a story that will appear in Nightmare Magazine. 

In the meantime, here’s some of my writing already available to read: 

• “Song of the Balsa Wood Bird” – inspired by the folkloric markets of Ecuador and a legend based in the Amazon
  • Published in Fireside Magazine (and included on Alex Brown’s Twitter as a story they loved but ran out of room to feature in TorDotCom’s short speculative fiction column!)
• “Sonnet of the South American Sphinx” – nominated for the Rhysling Award for Best Short Poem
  • Published in Honeyguide Literary Magazine
  • Reprinted in the Latinx Lit Mag podcast, along with a behind-the-scenes interview
  • Included in the 2022 Rhysling Anthology
• “Exchange (A Coral Study)” – about a student from the Galápagos Islands
  • Published in Factor Four Magazine
  • Reprinted in Toasted Cake podcast as well as Mermaids Monthly
• “Discount Night at the Haunted Eco Lodge” – takes place in the Ecuadorian rainforest
  • Published in Triangulation: Habitats
• “Venom in the Cloud Forest” – about a tribe in a high-altitude rainforest
  • Published in Myriad Lands: Volume 2: Beyond the Edge
  • Reprinted in After Dinner Conversation
• “Harvesters” – Latinx futurism poem
  • Published in Triangulation: Energy
• “Sasha’s Pattern, Sonia’s Edge” – about rival Latina businesswomen (and sisters)
  • Published in Apparition Literary Magazine

And don’t forget, in November I’m co-teaching an online workshop on Creating Nonhuman Characters along with Elizabeth Beechwood, and registration is open!

Elizabeth Beechwood and I are at it again.  We’re teaching our workshop Creating Nonhuman Characters online again through Hugo House this November, and general registration just opened up.  There are tons of other great writing classes available there, too. 

Writers of all levels, genres, and formats are welcome in our workshop, no matter if you’ve got a particular character in mind or you just want to study something new and different to add to your toolkit.  Hope you can join us on November 13!