Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse

Product Description 
"A feverish story of young adulthood, exploring how fandom and obsession shape how we relate to the world . . . Dreaming of You navigates the complexities of Latinx identity, self-loathing, love, and the loneliness of drifting into adulthood." —Miguel Salazar, Vulture"At the center of this exploration of insecurities, joys, and identity stands Melissa Lozada-Oliva—an unapologetic poet who isn’t afraid of the rawness of the mind and is resilient in her writing— so much so that it feels like we’re talking to our best friend." —Bianca Pérez, Porter House ReviewA macabre novel in verse of loss, longing, and identity crises following a poet who resurrects pop star Selena from the dead.\nMelissa Lozada-Oliva's 
Dreaming of You is an absurd yet heartfelt examination of celebrity worship.\nA young Latinx poet grappling with loneliness and heartache decides one day to bring Tejano pop star Selena Quintanilla back to life. The séance kicks off an uncanny trip narrated by a Greek chorus of gossiping spirits as she journeys through a dead celebrity prom, encounters her shadow self, and performs karaoke in hell.\nIn visceral poems embodying millennial angst, paragraph-long conversations overheard at her local coffeeshop, and unhinged Twitter rants, Lozada-Oliva reveals an eerie, sometimes gruesome, yet moving love story.\nPlayfully morbid and profoundly candid, an interrogation of Latinidad, womanhood, obsession, and disillusionment, 
Dreaming of You grapples with the cost of being seen for your truest self. 
 Review 
"Poet and writer Melissa Lozada-Oliva is an unstoppable force within the poetry world." \n—Laysha Macedo, HipLatina 
"The novel is narrated in verse, a device that could feel gimmicky in less capable hands than Lozada-Oliva’s, but instead melds with the macabre-yet-gossipy subject matter to create an unforgettable portrait of a public figure who to many seemed larger than life."\n—Emma Specter, Vogue"Crackly and energetic, with poignancy beneath; for Latinx and millennial readers, plus poetry lovers interested in new voices." 
 —Library Journal 
"One of the most original releases of the year Melissa Lozada-Oliva's surreal fusion of poetry and prose . . . [is] gruesome yet heartfelt, macabre yet intimate, brimming with life on every page."\n— 
Chicago Review of Books\n"Themes of celebrity, fandom, grief, queer identity, and loneliness feature in this novel in verse about a poet who resurrects Tejano pop star Selena. This story is as absurd and magical as it sounds."\n—Casey Stepaniuk, Autostraddle\n"Melissa Lozada-Oliva's surreal novel-in-verse is sure to delight and surprise readers . . . You may know and love Selena's voice, but Lozada-Oliva's is utterly new, original, and worth hearing, too."\n—Elena Nicolaou, Oprah Daily\n"Obsessive, inventive, and exceedingly funny, Lozada-Oliva’s debut sets a new platinum standard for a tricky genre."\n—Diego Báez, Booklist\n"An enjoyably madcap journey through the wasteland of fame, popular culture, and feminine identity in a post-colonial world."\n—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review 
"A feverish story of young adulthood, exploring how fandom and obsession shape how we relate to the world . . . 
Dreaming of You navigates the complexities of Latinx identity, self-loathing, love, and the loneliness of drifting into adulthood."\n—Miguel Salazar, Vulture"... a macabre love story that casts an inquisitive eye on Latinidad, womanhood, and celebrity worship."\n— Keely Weiss, Harper's Bazaar\n"At the center of this exploration of insecurities, joys, and identity stands Melissa Lozada-Oliva— an unapologetic poet who isn’t afraid of the rawness of the mind and is resilient in her writing— so much so that it feels like we’re talking to our best friend."\n—Bianca Pérez, Porter House Review\n"With the intensity and fluidity of a fever dream, Lozada-Oliva situates the figure of the assassinated superstar—'a star I can only see because it has died'—alongside the protagonist

Literature & Fiction

Lozada-Oliva, Melissa

United States

Astra House

NOW IN PAPERBACK FEATURING A SHORT STORY FROM THE FORTHCOMING COLLECTION BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT, JESUS IS ALIVE\n"A macabre love story that casts an inquisitive eye on Latinidad, womanhood, and celebrity worship." 
—Keely Weiss, Harper's Bazaar\n"Melissa Lozada-Oliva's surreal novel-in-verse is sure to delight and surprise readers . . . 
You may know and love Selena's voice, but Lozada-Oliva's is utterly new, original, 
and worth hearing, too." —Elena Nicolaou, Oprah Daily\nA macabre novel in verse of loss, longing, and identity crises following a poet who resurrects pop star Selena from the dead.\nMelissa Lozada-Oliva's Dreaming of You is an absurd yet heartfelt examination of celebrity worship.\nA young Latinx poet grappling with loneliness and heartache decides one day to bring Tejano pop star Selena Quintanilla back to life. The séance kicks off an uncanny trip narrated by a Greek chorus of gossiping spirits as she journeys through a dead celebrity prom, encounters her shadow self, and performs karaoke in hell.\nIn visceral poems embodying millennial angst, paragraph-long conversations overheard at her local coffeeshop, and unhinged Twitter rants, Lozada-Oliva reveals an eerie, sometimes gruesome, yet moving love story.\nPlayfully morbid and profoundly candid, an interrogation of Latinidad, womanhood, obsession, and disillusionment, Dreaming of You grapples with the cost of being seen for your truest self.

Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents meets Cormac McCarthy's The Road A sweeping, mystical novel following three generations of women as they grapple with muddled pasts and predetermined futures, Candelaria is a story of love that eats us alive from the author of Dreaming of You, Melissa Lozada-Oliva. Your granddaughters are lost, Candelaria. Bianca, the brainy archaeologist, had to forfeit her life's work in Guatemala after her advisor seduced and deserted her. Paola, missing for over a decade, resurfaces in Boston as a brainwashed wellness cultist named Zoe. And Candy, the youngest, is a recovering addict who finds herself pregnant by a man she's not even sure ever existed. None of this concerns you of course, until a cataclysmic earthquake hits Boston. Now you must traverse the crumbling city to reach the Watertown Mall Old Country Buffet-for a reason you still cannot disclose-battling strange entities and your own strange past to save your granddaughters and possibly the world. Told with tongue-in-cheek humor and sharp cultural criticism, Candelaria is an unsettling, raucous debut novel that unearths one troubled family's legacy, feasting on diasporic identity politics and examining the limits of bodily autonomy and the dangers of wanting to belong at any cost.

Candelaria: A Novel

One of the most original performance poets of her generation, Melissa Lozada-Oliva has captivated crowds across the country and online with her vivid narratives. Humorous and biting, personal and communal, self-deprecating and unapologetically self-loving, peluda (meaning "hairy" or "hairy beast") is the poet at her best. The book explores the relationship between femininity and body hair as well as the intersections of family, class, the immigrant experience, Latina identity, and much more, all through Lozada-Oliva's unique lens and striking voice. Peluda is a powerful testimony on body image and the triumph over taboo.

peluda (Button Poetry)

Poetry

Button Poetry

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Books by Lozada-Oliva, Melissa

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lozada-Oliva, Melissa. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse

Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse

Candelaria: A Novel

peluda (Button Poetry)