Alta Asks

“What does it mean to be a good person during horrible, unjust times?”

The city of Fresno, Latinx heritage, and family figure prominently in the poet’s debut collection.

The author of Cruising writes about how sexual encounters with male strangers provided him with “solace and acceptance.”

The Gangsterland series examines identity and the moral consequences of violence.

Sixty essays tackle a question of identity: Who were our mothers before they became mothers?

The poems in Father’s Day examine the complex ideas of parenthood, citizenship, and existence.

Maggie Brown & Others contains very short stories that reveal their characters’ full potential and sorrowful limitations.

Essays from a former Los Angeles poet laureate argue for the power of verse to unify, inspire, and heal our nation.

The memoir In the Country of Women recounts secret histories of resilience, love, and great food.

Why We Swim examines our relationship to water for “survival, well-being, community, competition, and flow.”