In Between the Valley and Elsewhere: an Interview with Rodney Gomez
If you grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, situated on the southernmost tip of the Texas-Mexico border, life was undoubtedly unique. The heat…
Savage Pageant
In many ways, a poetry collection is an archive, one that seeks to preserve memories and experiences. Jessica Q. Stark’s debut collection Savage Pageant…
Only Clouds
During so much uncertainty, different genres can help us cope in different ways—fiction can offer an escape from reality; nonfiction can bring us closer…
Sacred Geography
Writing about a certain region can be tricky. On the one hand, it’s an opportunity to reveal a landscape and people that others aren’t...
Single Guiding Stars: An Interview With Rosebud Ben-Oni
Our interviews editor Esteban Rodriguez talks with Rosebud about her favorite musicians, identity, the place and purpose of literature in today’s socio-political landscape, and…
The Geese Who Might Be Gods
In life we find there are moments that often elude language. We may remember specific events and places with the utmost clarity months or...
American Radiance
Although Luisa Muradyan’s American Radiance (University of Nebraska Press, 2018) centers on the memories of migrating to the United States, it also expands on the...
Your Strange Fortune
For our second micro-essay on first books, Chloe Clark gives us a peek into the inspiration and process behind her debut collection Your Strange...
Fossils In The Making
The Micro-Essay Series on First Books was conceived as a way to give readers and writers a look behind the curtain, to see how...