2013 International Latino Book Awards Winner Best Poetry Book in English2013 Binghamton University Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award Finalist2013 Paterson Poetry Prize Finalist Melinda Palacio's newest poetry collection creates images that are at once heartbreaking and humorous. She tackles elemental subjects of family and childhood with the same depth and grace as that of myth making and death. As the only child of a mother who died too young, she infuses her words with longing and life, and celebrates the women who came before her. Each poem offers up the truth in a fearless and unsentimental voice. Palacio's lyrical language punches an unexpected pause to subjects such as domestic violence and her childhood in South Central Los Angeles. How Fire Is A Story, Waiting is divided into four sections: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. In each section Palacio tempers heartbreak, violence, and disappointment with the antidote of humor, beauty, and an appreciation for life.

How Fire Is A Story, Waiting: Poems

Literature & Fiction

Palacio, Melinda

Poetry

Tia Chucha Press

Ocotillo Dreams

Set in Chandler, Arizona, during the city's infamous 1997 migrant sweeps, Ocotillo Dreams delivers a wallop that resonates in today's volatile immigration debate. In this captivating first novel, author Melinda Palacio skillfully weaves a story of politics, intrigue, love, and trust.

United States

Bilingual Pr

2012 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award 2012 ILBA Mariposa Award for Best First Book Set in Chandler, Arizona, during the city's infamous 1997 migrant sweeps, this riveting tale brings to life the social issues that arise from border policy and economic inequity. Palacio skillfully weaves a story of politics, intrigue, love, and trust in a community that is suspicious of others, an attitude she experienced firsthand after moving to Chandler in the late 1990s. "The neighbors suspected that the house I bought was a way-station for undocumented immigrants," she recalls. Thus, the seeds for Ocotillo Dreams were sown. In it, we meet Isola, a young woman who inherits a Chandler home and relocates there temporarily. There she learns that her mother had lived a secret life of helping the undocumented workers. Isola must confront her own confusion and sense of loyalty in a strange and unwelcoming environment. As she gets to know her mother from clues left behind, she grapples with issues of identity and belonging that lead her on a journey toward purpose in life and reconnection with her roots.

Bilingual Review Press

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

Books by Palacio, Melinda

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

How Fire Is A Story, Waiting: Poems

Ocotillo Dreams

Ocotillo Dreams