A recording of this talk is now available to view here!
How to Date a Flying Mexican is a collection of stories derived from Chicano and Mexican culture but ranging through fascinating literary worlds including fairy tales, fables, and dystopian futures. Many of Daniel A. Olivas’s characters confront—both directly and obliquely— questions of morality, justice, and self-determination.
The collection is made up of Olivas’s favorite previously published stories, along with two new stories—one dystopian and the other magical— that challenge the Trump administration’s anti-immigration rhetoric and policies. How to Date a Flying Mexican draws together some of Olivas’s most unforgettable and strange tales, allowing readers to experience his very distinct, and very Chicano, fiction.
Daniel A. Olivas is the author of eleven books and editor of two anthologies. His forthcoming book is My Chicano Heart: New and Collected Stories of Love and Other Transgressions (University of Nevada Press, Fall 2023).
Daniel has also written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Guardian, La Bloga, BOMB, High Country News, Huffington Post, Alta Journal, Los Angeles Times, El Paso Times, The Rumpus, and the Jewish Journal. His first full-length play, Waiting for Godínez, had its world premiere with Playwrights’ Arena on July 24, 2021.
Daniel, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, grew up near downtown Los Angeles. He now makes his home in Southern California with his wife, and they have an adult son. Daniel received his degree in English literature from Stanford University and law degree from UCLA. By day, he is an attorney.
Daniel will be interviewed by his friend, poet León Salvatierra, author of the poetry collection, To the North / Al norte. León is a Nicaraguan poet who migrated to the United States at the age of 15. He holds a PhD in Hispanic languages and literature from Cal Berkeley and an MFA in poetry from UC Davis.
Those who are interested in purchasing How to Date a Flying Mexican before this talk can order directly from Books Inc. via their website.