Los Bookis Podcast

Alligators, Mermen, and Latine Queer Bookworms, Oh My!

Get ready for a special treat! In this bonus WorldPride 2025 episode, AGG and Sergio go live from DC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library with the support of the DC Public Library, Loyalty Bookstore, Capital Pride Alliance, and DC Latinx Pride. Recorded in front of a live audience, this episode features a roundtable discussion with Venessa Vida Kelley, author of When the Tides Held the Moon, and Edgar Gomez, author of Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays. Together, they dive into what it means to write at the intersections of queerness, Latinidad, and being broke as hell—touching on everything from storytelling during Pride to deconstructing the so-called “American Dream,” and even airing their grievances about Shakira’s canceled concert. Tune in to get all the chisme. About the Authors: Venessa Vida Kelley Venessa is a Nuyorican author, illustrator, and aspiring mermaid who writes fairy tales about the real world so they can draw them too. They hold a BA and MA in English literature with concentrations in film from the University of Delaware and the George Washington University respectively, and their illustrations have decorated LGBTQ+ books worldwide. Venessa lives in Washington, DC, with their spouse, two sons, and an overabundance of teacups and washi tape. Vanessa’s Book: When the Tides Held the Moon https://www.venessakelley.com/when-the-tides-held-the-moon [https://www.venessakelley.com/when-the-tides-held-the-moon] Edgar Gomez Edgar Gomez is a queer NicaRican writer born and raised in Florida. He is the author of the memoir High-Risk Homosexual, winner of the American Book Award, a Stonewall Israel-Fishman Nonfiction Book Honor Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. Their sophomore book, Alligator Tears, was released in February 2025 and was called "triumphant, dazzling, and unfailingly stylish" by Publisher's Weekly. A graduate of the University of California’s MFA program, Gomez has written for The LA Times, Poets & Writers, Lithub, New York Magazine, and beyond. He has received fellowships from The New York Foundation for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, and The Black Mountain Institute. He lives between New York and Puerto Rico. Find him across social media @OtroEdgarGomez. Edgar’s Book: Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743399/alligator-tears-by-edgar-gomez/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743399/alligator-tears-by-edgar-gomez/] Social Media Handles: Be sure to follow Venessa at https://www.venessakelley.com/ [https://www.venessakelley.com/] and on Instagram @vkelleyart, and Edgar at https://edgargomez.net/ [https://edgargomez.net/] and on Instagram @otroedgargomez. @Los.Bookis.Podcast @adriangaston.garcia @que_viva_sergio_lopezc

Inside the Latinx Storyteller Conference: Alexandra Villasante, Michael Solis & Aida Salazar

¡Hola, Bookworms! Last fall, AGG and Sergio hit the Big Apple for the first-ever Latinx Storyteller Conference, hosted by the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival (LKBF). This unforgettable gathering brought together Latinx authors, artists, educators, and publishing professionals in celebration of our stories and our comunidad. In this special bonus episode, we’re sharing on-the-ground interviews with three incredible voices in the literary world: Alexandra Villasante (co-founder of the conference), YA author Michael Solis, and poet-novelist Aida Salazar. From building spaces for Latinx creators to navigating the publishing world, these conversations are full of gems for writers, readers, and storytellers alike. 📍 The 2025 Latinx Storyteller Conference is coming up this fall (Sept 12–13 at Scholastic HQ in NYC) — and registration opens later this month! ✍🏽 Register & learn more here! [https://mailchi.mp/latinxkidlitbookfestival/subscribe-to-lkbf-newsletter] 🗞️ Subscribe to the newsletter for early access to tickets, manuscript/portfolio consults, and behind-the-scenes content 🎥 Catch the video interviews on YouTube: @LosBookisPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@LosBookisPodcast] 📲 Follow us: @Los.Bookis.Podcast | @adriangaston.garcia | @que_viva_sergio_lopez 📲 Follow the conference: @LKBFstorytellers on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok & Threads Gracias for listening—and stay tuned for more bonus episodes from the conference! Hasta luego, bookworms ✨📚 Produced by Antonio Caro [https://www.instagram.com/agcaromaya/].

Maricas

In this episode, AGG and Sergio sit down with Santiago Jose Sanchez to discuss their debut novel, exploring themes of immigrant families drifting apart, the struggle of feeling like someone else, and the journey to find belonging. They also delve into why they chose not to include a coming-out narrative in their book, the personal significance of Hombrecito, navigating pain and loss, and their experiences growing up in both Miami and Colombia. About the Author: @sntsnchz [https://www.instagram.com/sntsnchz] Santiago Jose Sanchez is a queer Colombian American writer and artist born in Ibagué, Colombia. Their stories have been featured in McSweeney’s Quarterly, ZYZZYVA, Subtropics, and Joyland. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Yale University, Sanchez teaches  at  Grinnell College and lives in Iowa, Miami, and New York City. Hombrecito is their debut novel.  About the Book: Hombrecito [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/712955/hombrecito-by-santiago-jose-sanchez/] Santiago Jose Sanchez plunges us into the heart of one boy’s life. His mother takes him and his brother from Colombia to America, leaving their absent father behind but disappearing herself once they get to Miami. As he grows, the boy embraces his queerness as wholeheartedly as he embraces his new home, but not without a sense of loss. His relationship with his mother becomes fraught, tangled, a love so intense that it borders on vivid pain but is also the axis around which his every decision revolves.  Connect with Los Bookis! @Los.Bookis.Podcast [https://www.instagram.com/losbookispodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] @adriangaston.garcia [https://www.instagram.com/adriangaston.garcia/?hl=en] @que_viva_sergio_lopez [https://www.instagram.com/que_viva_sergio_lopez/?hl=en] Produced by Antonio Caro @agcaromaya [https://www.instagram.com/agcaromaya/]

Little Monsters, Presente!

Get ready for a special treat! In this episode, AGG and Sergio team up with the Mt. Pleasant Library Friends for their first-ever live recording in front of an audience! They’re joined by the incredible Gerardo Sámano Córdova to dive into his jaw-dropping debut novel, “Monstrilio.” Expect an unforgettable chat about his creative process, navigating grief, family bonds, and why believing in unbelievable matters. Don't miss this literary adventure! About the Author: @hello.samanito [https://www.instagram.com/hello.samanito] Gerardo Sámano Córdova is a writer and artist from Mexico City. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan. He has studied at Bread Loaf as a work/study scholar and at Tin House. His work has appeared in The Common, Ninth Letter, Passages North, and Chicago Quarterly Review. He’s also been known to draw little creatures. About the Book: Monstrilio [https://gerardosamanocordova.com/] After her son dies, Magos carves out a small piece of his lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her decaying childhood home in Mexico City. But despite her best efforts to turn the monster into a man, Monstrilio's innate impulses threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life. A meditation on grief, acceptance, and the monstrous sides of love and loyalty, Gerardo Sámano Córdova's ambitious debut spans the globe from Brooklyn to Berlin, offering an uncanny and precise portrait of being human. Click here to watch the episode on YouTube! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s50bom7dw_A] Connect with Los Bookis! @Los.Bookis.Podcast [https://www.instagram.com/losbookispodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] @adriangaston.garcia [https://www.instagram.com/adriangaston.garcia/?hl=en] @que_viva_sergio_lopez [https://www.instagram.com/que_viva_sergio_lopez/?hl=en] Produced by Antonio Caro @agcaromaya [https://www.instagram.com/agcaromaya/]

I Can’t Even Help You Because the Problem Is You

In this episode, AGG and Sergio chat with the fabulous Melissa Mogollon about everything from our collective love for Latina women to her badass grandma’s antics. We dive into how growing up in Florida shaped her, discovering her queerness in DC, stumbling across hilarious websites for men dating Colombian women, and the excitement of her upcoming wedding. About the Author: @melissamogollonwriter [https://www.instagram.com/melissamogollonwriter/] Melissa Mogollon holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a BA from the George Washington University. Originally from Colombia and raised in Florida, she now teaches at a boarding school in Rhode Island, where she lives with her partner and dog. Oye is her first novel.  About the Book: Oye: A Novel [https://melissamogollon.com/oye] As the baby of her large Colombian American family, Luciana is usually relegated to the sidelines. But now she finds herself as the only voice of reason in the face of an unexpected crisis: A hurricane is heading straight for Miami, and her eccentric grandmother, Abue, is refusing to evacuate. Abue is so one-of-a-kind she’s basically in her own universe, and while she often drives Luciana nuts, they’re the only ones who truly understand each other. So when Abue, normally glamorous and full of life, receives a shocking medical diagnosis during the storm, Luciana’s world is upended.  Unfolding like the most fascinating and entertaining conversation you’ve ever eavesdropped on, Oye is a rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly unique novel that celebrates the beauty revealed and resilience required when rewriting your own story.   Author Recommended Playlist: Olivia Rodrigo - Brutal Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club Connect with Los Bookis! @Los.Bookis.Podcast [https://www.instagram.com/losbookispodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] @adriangaston.garcia [https://www.instagram.com/adriangaston.garcia/?hl=en] @que_viva_sergio_lopez [https://www.instagram.com/que_viva_sergio_lopez/?hl=en] Produced by Antonio Caro @agcaromaya [https://www.instagram.com/agcaromaya/]