The annual list of Top “New” Latino Authors to Watch and Read has just been released, just in time for the holidays. This year’s list, compiled by Latino Stories Editor and Connecticut resident, Jose B. Gonzalez, features young adult authors, poets, novelists, and short story writers. “This year, in particular, it was great to see Latino authors of young adult literature blossoming,” said Gonzalez. “After all, that population in particular needs to see itself on the pages.” CTLatinoNews.com is once again proud to present this list of top Latino authors, which is now in its 13th year.
Carlos Hernandez, is the author of The Assimilated Cuban’s Guide to Quantum Santeria, a devilishly witty debut science-fiction collection that will make you laugh out loud while making you pause and ponder.
Carmen Maria Machado’s debut short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties, defies classification in so many ways. It is an absolutely daring and delightful work not to be missed.
Alexandra Lytton Regalado: The author of Matria and the winner of the Black Lawrence Book Award, Regalado has a gift for creating powerful images that cannot leave the reader’s mind.
Lilliam Rivera’s The Education of Margot Sanchez is one of those novels that is meant for the young adult audience, but everyone will love it. The characters have their own personal flaws, yet they are all appealing.
Erika L. Sanchez’s I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is the ideal book for teen readers looking for a well-written novel about growing up in families with strict expectations.
Li Yun Alvarado: This talented writer’s Words or Water is distinctly Nuyorican and distinctly musical as poems dance throughout the pages in creative and thoughtful ways.
Leticia Hernandez Linares: The author who brought us the poetry collection, Mucha Muchacha, Too Much Girl: Poems also co-edited (with Hector Tobar and Juan Jose Dalton) the pioneering anthology, The Wandering Song, the first major collection of Central American writing in the U.S.
Ivelisse Rodriguez. Her chapbook, The Belindas, and her forthcoming short story collection, Love War Stories reflect how when an author’s writing is hot, it’s hot. Her stories are gritty, smart, and not to be missed.
Javier Zamora’s Unaccompanied is a touching, powerful poetry collection based on the author’s incredible journey as he crossed the U.S. border at nine years of age from El Salvador.
Pablo Cartaya’s The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora is an epic first novel that features a young character who is so likable and appealing that you’ll want to keep turning the pages.
From Jose B. Gonzalez…
Others may be making a list and checking it twice, but LatinoStories.Com is proud to say that it has the longest tradition of picking top ten Latino authors in the U.S. With the oldest tradition of picking Latino literary talent in the U.S., LatinoStories.Com is proud to announce 2018’s list of Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch (and Read). LatinoStories has been and advocate for Latino literature since 2005. Founded by Jose B. Gonzalez, the author of the poetry collection, Toys Made of Rock and When Love Was Reels, it has been featured in numerous publications, on national television and has been hailed by such authors as Junot Diaz, as “Exactly what the community has been looking for.”
