Daniel Olivas
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Daniel Anthony Olivas (born April 8, 1959, in Los Angeles, California) is an American author and attorney.


Biography

Daniel Olivas was raised near downtown Los Angeles, the middle of five children and the grandson of Mexican immigrants. He attended St. Thomas the Apostle grammar school, and then Loyola High School. Olivas received his BA in English literature from
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
and
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. Olivas met fellow law student, Susan Formaker at UCLA and they married in 1986. They have one son. Olivas has practiced law with the
California Department of Justice The California Department of Justice is a statewide investigative law enforcement agency and legal department of the California executive branch under the elected leadership of the California Attorney General (AG) which carries out complex cri ...
as a deputy and supervising deputy attorney general, and as a senior assistant attorney general, since 1990. Prior to 1990, he was in private practice with the now-defunct Heller Ehrman LLP.


Writing

Before becoming a fiction writer, Olivas authored legal articles, essays and book reviews for the '' Los Angeles Daily Journal''. He started writing fiction in 1998 with the publication of his first short story in the literary journal, ''RiversEdge'' published by the University of Texas-Pan American. His first book was a novella, ''The Courtship of María Rivera Peña'', which was published by a small and now-defunct Pennsylvania-based press, Silver Lake Publishing in 2000 and is now out of print. The novella is loosely based on Olivas's paternal grandparents' migration from Mexico to Los Angeles in the 1920s. Three short-story collections followed in quick succession, each published by
Bilingual Press Bilingual Review Press is an American publishing house specialising in the publication of scholarly and literary works by Hispanic and Latino American authors and researchers. It was founded in 1973 as the publisher of '' The Bilingual Review/La ...
, a publisher affiliated with
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
. They are ''Assumption and Other Stories'' (2003), ''Devil Talk: Stories'' (2004) and ''Anywhere But L.A.: Stories'' (2009). In September 2017, Olivas published another collection, ''The King of Lighting Fixtures'' (University of Arizona Press). In February 2022, Olivas published the collection, ''How to Date a Flying Mexican: New and Collected Stories'' (University of Nevada Press).
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
offered a positive review observing, in part: "Throughout all of his stories, there are strong Chicano characters, who embody tales that range from the laugh-out-loud funny to the heartbreaking. A timely retrospective from an important voice in Latinx literature." '' Alta Journals review said "Prompted by tragedy—the death of his father and the pandemic—Olivas revisits decades of writing to produce this collection of new and previously published stories. Olivas’s work is surreal, dystopian, critical, and introspective, ultimately moving into contemporary political rhetoric." In a review published by the ''Los Angeles Review of Books'', the novelist
Michael Nava Michael Angel Nava (born September 16, 1954) is an American attorney and writer. He has worked on the staff for the California Supreme Court, and ran for a Superior Court position in 2010. He authored a ten-volume mystery series featuring Henry R ...
noted, in part: "This deeply textured, sensual collection more than accomplishes Olivas’s self-proclaimed task of rendering the beauty and complexity of Mexican and Mexican American culture in its fabulist, folkloric stories." In 2011, the University of Arizona Press published Olivas's first novel, ''The Book of Want''. The novel is written in the magical realist tradition but also includes
postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...
elements such as sections where characters are interviewed about being in the novel itself, text messages, and a short play. Between 2003 and 2010, the ''Los Angeles Times'' published six of Olivas's children's stories. One of those stories, "Benjamin and the Word," was republished by
Arte Público Press Arte Público Press is a publishing house associated with the University of Houston (Houston, Texas). It is the largest US publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Hispanic authors, publishing approximately 30 titles per year. Ar ...
in 2005 as a bilingual picture book. The story revolves around a boy named Benjamin who is Chicano and Jewish and who suffers bigoted taunts on the schoolyard.


Work as editor

Olivas edited ''Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature'' (Bilingual Press, 2008), where he brought together sixty years of Los Angeles fiction by Latino writers. The volume collected not only some of the best-known Latino writers such as
Luis Alberto Urrea Luis Alberto Urrea (born August 20, 1955 in Tijuana, Mexico) is a Mexican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Life Luis Urrea is the son of Alberto Urrea Murray, of Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico and Phyllis Dashiell, born in Staten Island, New Yor ...
,
Helena María Viramontes Helena Maria Viramontes (born February 26, 1954) is an American fiction writer and professor of English. She is known for her two novels, '' Under the Feet of Jesus'' and '' Their Dogs Came With Them'', and is considered one of the most signif ...
, Luis Rodriguez,
Kathleen Alcalá Kathleen Alcalá (born 29 August 1954) is the author of a short-story collection, three novels set in the American Southwest and nineteenth-century Mexico, and a collection of essays. She teaches creative writing at workshops and programs in Was ...
and John Rechy, it also introduced writers at the beginning of their careers such as
Melinda Palacio Melinda is a feminine given name. Etymology The modern name ''Melinda'' is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa (μέλισσα) meaning ...
, Manuel Muñoz, Salvador Plascencia and
Reyna Grande Reyna Grande (born 7 September 1975, Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico) is a Mexican author living in the United States. Biography Grande grew up in poverty with her two siblings in Iguala, Guerrero. When she was under five years old, her father moved ...
. In 2016,
Tía Chucha Press Tiendas Industriales Asociadas S.A., branded as Tía and sometimes known as Almacenes Tía, is a South American retailing brand founded in 1940. Its divisions in Ecuador and Uruguay trade under the brands Tía, MAGDA, Ta-Ta and MULTI AHORRO, where ...
released ''The Coiled Serpent: Poets Arising from the Cultural Quakes and Shifts of Los Angeles'' which Olivas co-edited with Neelanjana Banerjee and Ruben J. Rodriguez. The anthology includes a wide range of poetry by new, mid-career, and acclaimed writers such as Dana Gioia, Ruben Martinez,
Wanda Coleman Wanda Coleman (November 13, 1946 – November 22, 2013) was an American poet. She was known as "the L.A. Blueswoman" and "the unofficial poet laureate of Los Angeles". Biography Wanda Evans was born in the Watts, Los Angeles, California, Watts ...
, Holly Prado, and many others.


Non-fiction

On June 1, 2014, San Diego State University Press published Olivas's first nonfiction book, ''Things We Do Not Talk About: Exploring Latino/a Literature through Essays and Interviews''. The volume brings together essays that have appeared in ''The New York Times'', ''La Bloga'', ''Jewish Journal'', ''California Lawyer'', and other publications, that address topics from the Mexican-American experience to the Holocaust. The book also includes 28 interviews that Olivas conducted over the years with Latino/a writers including
Daniel Alarcón Daniel Alarcón (born March 5, 1977 in Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian-American novelist, journalist and radio producer. He is co-founder, host and executive producer of '' Radio Ambulante'', an award-winning Spanish language podcast distributed by NP ...
, Gustavo Arellano,
Richard Blanco Richard Blanco (born February 15, 1968) is an American poet, public speaker, author and civil engineer. He is the fifth poet to read at a United States presidential inauguration, having read the poem " One Today" for Barack Obama's second in ...
, Sandra Cisneros,
Héctor Tobar Héctor Tobar (born 1963, Los Angeles) is a Los Angeles author and journalist, whose work examines the evolving and interdependent relationship between Latin America and the United States. Life Tobar is the son of Guatemalan immigrants. His long ...
,
Luis Alberto Urrea Luis Alberto Urrea (born August 20, 1955 in Tijuana, Mexico) is a Mexican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Life Luis Urrea is the son of Alberto Urrea Murray, of Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico and Phyllis Dashiell, born in Staten Island, New Yor ...
, Justin Torres,
Reyna Grande Reyna Grande (born 7 September 1975, Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico) is a Mexican author living in the United States. Biography Grande grew up in poverty with her two siblings in Iguala, Guerrero. When she was under five years old, her father moved ...
, and
Helena María Viramontes Helena Maria Viramontes (born February 26, 1954) is an American fiction writer and professor of English. She is known for her two novels, '' Under the Feet of Jesus'' and '' Their Dogs Came With Them'', and is considered one of the most signif ...
.


Poetry

In November 2017, Olivas published his first book of poems, ''Crossing the Border: Collected Poems'' (Pact Press).


Playwriting

Olivas wrote his first full-length play ''Waiting for Godínez'' in 2019. He explained that he was inspired both by
Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...
’s iconic '' Waiting for Godot'' and the absurd, anti-immigrant policies of the federal government. It was also selected fo
Playwrights' Arena's Summer Reading Series
(2020), The Road Theatre's Twelfth Annual Summer Playwrights Festival (2021), th
Garry Marshall Theatre's New Works Festival
(2022), and was a semi-finalist in the 2021 Blue Ink Play Award sponsored by American Blues Theater. In 2020 Olivas was selected for Circle X Theatre Co.'s inaugural Evolving Playwrights Group to adapt his novel ''The Book of Want'' (University of Arizona Press, 2011). The play had
Zoom reading
on June 21, 2021, which was directed by Daphnie Sicre. Olivas's first live, staged play, ''Waiting'', had its world premiere with Playwrights' Arena on July 24, 2021.


Bibliography


Books

*''How to Date a Flying Mexican: New and Collected Stories'' (
University of Nevada Press University of Nevada Press is a university press that is run by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). Its authority is derived from the Nevada state legislature and Board of Regents of the NSHE. It was founded by Robert Laxalt in 1961. T ...
, 2022) *''The King of Lighting Fixtures: Stories'' ( University of Arizona Press, 2017) *''Crossing the Border: Collected Poems'' ( Pact Press, 2017) *''Things We Do Not Talk About: Exploring Latino/a Literature through Essays and Interviews'' ( San Diego State University Press, 2014) *''The Book of Want: A Novel'' ( University of Arizona Press, 2011) *''Anywhere But L.A.: Stories'' (
Bilingual Press Bilingual Review Press is an American publishing house specialising in the publication of scholarly and literary works by Hispanic and Latino American authors and researchers. It was founded in 1973 as the publisher of '' The Bilingual Review/La ...
, 2009) *''Latinos in Lotusland (Bilingual Press, 2008) *''Devil Talk: Stories'' (
Bilingual Press Bilingual Review Press is an American publishing house specialising in the publication of scholarly and literary works by Hispanic and Latino American authors and researchers. It was founded in 1973 as the publisher of '' The Bilingual Review/La ...
, 2004) *''Assumption and Other Stories'' (
Bilingual Press Bilingual Review Press is an American publishing house specialising in the publication of scholarly and literary works by Hispanic and Latino American authors and researchers. It was founded in 1973 as the publisher of '' The Bilingual Review/La ...
, 2003) *''The Courtship of María Rivera Peña'' (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000)


Children's picture book

*''Benjamin and the Word / Benjamin y la palabra'' (
Arte Público Press Arte Público Press is a publishing house associated with the University of Houston (Houston, Texas). It is the largest US publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Hispanic authors, publishing approximately 30 titles per year. Ar ...
, 2005)


Anthologies (contributing author)

*''Both Sides: Stories from the Border'' ( Polis Books, 2020) *''Speak & Speak Again'' ( Pact Press, 2017) *''LA Fiction Anthology: Southland Stories by Southland Writers'' (
Red Hen Press Red Hen Press is an American non-profit press located in Pasadena, California, and specializing in the publication of poetry, literary fiction, and nonfiction. The press is a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, and was a final ...
, 2016) *''Feast: Poetry and Recipes for a Full Seating at Dinner'' ( Black Lawrence Press, 2015) *''New California Writing 2012'' (
Heyday Books Heyday is an independent nonprofit publisher based in Berkeley, California. Heyday was founded by Malcolm Margolin in 1974 when he wrote, typeset, designed, and distributed ''The East Bay Out'', a guide to the natural history of the hills and b ...
, 2012) *''You Don't Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens'' (
Arte Público Press Arte Público Press is a publishing house associated with the University of Houston (Houston, Texas). It is the largest US publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Hispanic authors, publishing approximately 30 titles per year. Ar ...
, 2011) *''Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer'' (
W. W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton Ant ...
, 2010) *''Sudden Fiction Latino: Short-Short Stories from the United States and Latin America'' (
W. W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton Ant ...
, 2010) *''Mamas and Papas: On the Sublime and Heartbreaking Art of Parenting'' ( City Works Press, 2010) *''A Poet’s Haggadah: Passover Through the Eyes of Poets'' (CreateSpace, 2008) *''Social Issues Firsthand: Hate Crimes'' ( Thomson/Greenhaven, 2007) *''You Have Time for This: Contemporary American Short-Short Stories'' (
Ooligan Press The eulacheon ( (''Thaleichthys pacificus''), also spelled oolichan , ooligan , hooligan ), also called the candlefish, is a small anadromous species of smelt that spawns in some of the major river systems along the Pacific coast of North Ameri ...
, 2007) *''Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers'' (
Lee & Low Books Lee & Low Books is an independent children's book publisher focusing on diversity. History Lee & Low was founded in 1991 by Chinese Americans Tom Low and Philip Lee as a children's book publisher specializing in books featuring people of color a ...
, 2001) *''Fantasmas: Supernatural Stories by Mexican American Writers'' (
Bilingual Press Bilingual Review Press is an American publishing house specialising in the publication of scholarly and literary works by Hispanic and Latino American authors and researchers. It was founded in 1973 as the publisher of '' The Bilingual Review/La ...
, 2000) *''Nemeton: A Fables Anthology'' (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000)


Anthologies (editor)

*''Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature'' (
Bilingual Press Bilingual Review Press is an American publishing house specialising in the publication of scholarly and literary works by Hispanic and Latino American authors and researchers. It was founded in 1973 as the publisher of '' The Bilingual Review/La ...
, 2008) *''The Coiled Serpent: Poets Arising from the Cultural Quakes and Shifts of Los Angeles'' ( Tia Chucha Press, 2016), co-editor


Awards and honors

* Honorable Mention, Best Latino Focused Nonfiction Book, for ''Things We Do Not Talk About'' (San Diego State University Press, 2014), International Latino Book Awards (2015). * Pushcart Prize nomination by ''Codex Journal'' for "Pluck" (2013). * First place, Romantic Comedy, ''The Book of Want: A Novel'' (University of Arizona Press, 2011), Latino Books into Movies contest sponsored by Latino Literacy Now and the Latino Book & Family Festival, awarded at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (April 21, 2012). * Silver Medal, Multicultural Adult Fiction, ''The Book of Want: A Novel'' (University of Arizona Press, 2011), 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards. * Semifinalist, ''The Book of Want: A Novel'' (University of Arizona Press, 2011), 2012 Virginia Commonwealth University Cabell First Novelist Award. * Finalist, Best Popular Fiction – English, for ''The Book of Want: A Novel'' (University of Arizona Press, 2011), International Latino Book Awards (2012). * Pushcart Prize nomination by University of Arizona Press for "How to Date a Flying Mexican" from the novel, ''The Book of Want'' (2011). * Pushcart Prize nomination by ''Tertulia Magazine'' for "El Cucuy" (2009). * Named one of the Top Ten Latino Authors to Watch for 2007 by LatinoStories. * Co-Winner, First Place (Prose Category), “A Picture Worth 500 Words Contest” for short story, "Painting," sponsored by the literary journal, ''Tattoo Highway'' (2003). * Honorable Mention, ''The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'' (St. Martin’s Press, 2003), for short story "Tezcatlipoca’s Glory." * Honorable Mention, ''The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'' (St. Martin’s Press, 2002), for short story "Devil Talk." * Finalist, Willa Cather Fiction Contest sponsored by Helicon Nine Editions (2000), for ''Assumption and Other Stories'' (subsequently published by Bilingual Press, 2003). * Honorable Mention, Eternity Best of the Web Awards (2000), for short story "The Horned Toad."


References


Sources

* Daniel Olivas Reads an Excerpt from ''How to Date a Flying Mexican'': https://lithub.com/daniel-a-olivas-reads-an-excerpt-from-how-to-date-a-flying-mexican/ * 2020/2021 EVOLVING PLAYWRIGHTS GROUP: https://www.circlextheatre.org/evolving * ''Roanoke Review'': http://www.roanokereview.org/interviews-backpage/daniel-olivas * Playwrights' Arena Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5gBs4p3LE/?igshid=4einnbw5ahji * Screenplay of ''The Courtship of María Rivera Peña'': https://ojalart.com/olivas-screenplay/ * ''Los Angeles Review of Books'': https://blog.lareviewofbooks.org/essays/dystopia-absurdity-chicano-writer-age-trump/ * ''The Guardian'': https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/30/american-dirt-book-controversy-latinx-writers-angry * ''The New York Times'': https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/opinion/children-separated-from-parents-border-immigrant-dystopia.html * ''The Rumpus interviews Daniel Olivas'': http://therumpus.net/2018/01/the-rumpus-interview-with-daniel-olivas/ * ''Latin@ Literatures interviews Daniel Olivas'': http://www.latinoliteratures.org/archives/525 * ''Los Angeles Times interviews Daniel Olivas'': http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-daniel-olivas-20170918-htmlstory.html * ''Fourth & Sycamore interviews Daniel Olivas'': http://fourthandsycamore.com/2016/02/19/life-has-been-my-mfa-program-an-interview-with-author-daniel-olivas/ * ''Madeleine Brand interviews Daniel Olivas on KCRW's Press Play'': http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/teachers-union-president-calling-out-catcallers-and-the-porn-monopoly * ''Los Angeles Review of Books'': https://lareviewofbooks.org/review/lives-words-exploring-latino-literature-daniel-olivas * ''The New York Times'': https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/opinion/the-catholic-church-abuse-cancer-spreads.html?_r=0 * ''The Latino Author'': http://www.thelatinoauthor.com/featuredauthors/Olivas-Daniel/ * ''High Country News'': http://www.hcn.org/issues/43.12/an-l.a.-story-in-incidents-and-rhythms-a-review-of-the-book-of-want * ''Publishers Weekly'': http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8165-2899-8 * ''Tucson Weekly'': http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/more-want-wanted/Content?oid=2665516 * ''Poets & Writers Magazine'': http://www.pw.org/content/daniel_a_olivas?cmnt_all=1 * ''Dark Sky Magazine'': https://web.archive.org/web/20110728012141/http://darkskymagazine.com/daniel-olivas/ * ''The Rumpus'': http://therumpus.net/2010/02/anywhere-but-l-a/ * ''Times Union'': http://blog.timesunion.com/wagingpeace/books-to-challenge-stereotypes/1881/ * ''Cellar Door'': http://www.stanford.edu/group/cellardoor/cgi-bin/home/2010/03/interview-with-stanford-english-graduate * ''La Bloga'': http://labloga.blogspot.com/2009/12/interview-with-daniel-olivas.html * ''Stanford Magazine'': https://web.archive.org/web/20060615162341/http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2005/marapr/show/olivas.html * ''Margin'': http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/margin/Olivas.html * ''Ink Byte'': http://inkbyte.com/target/c_Melinda_Palacio/051023-Olivas/index.html * ''LAist'': https://web.archive.org/web/20051107052819/http://www.laist.com/archives/2005/08/22/_laist_interview_daniel_olivas.php * ''Critical Mass'': http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com/2008/05/small-press-spotlight-daniel-olivas.html * ''LAObserved on KCRW'': http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/lo/lo080425bookish_la * ''Los Angeles Times'': http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov/30/books/bk-sallis30


External links

*
La Bloga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olivas, Daniel 1959 births Living people Converts to Judaism American writers of Mexican descent UCLA School of Law alumni Stanford University alumni American short story writers