Melissa Lozada–Oliva on how Latinas relate to West Side Story
Melissa Lozada–Oliva is the Co-host of the podcast Say More which dissects life through a poetic lens. Her critically acclaimed poetry collection Peluda explores the intersections of Latina identity, feminism, hair removal, and what it means to belong. Her critically acclaimed novel-in-verse Dreaming of You is about bringing Selena back to life with a séance and the disastrous results. Her next novel Candelaria will be published in 2023. She or her writing have been featured in NPR, Vogue, The Guardian, Vulture, Bustle, and Glamour Magazine. Melissa opens up about the hilarity and heartbreak of growing up as a Guatemalan Columbian American in Newton, MA. Melissa and Gabe talk about why West Side Story is so relatable for lonely Latinas who obsess over mediocre white guys. Melissa explains why every single woman writer need a big yellow couch. And what happened when Melissa ordered a yellow couch from the internet?
Produced by Lit Hub
Visit Melissa Lozada-Oliva's website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram
Buy Melissa's book Dreaming of You
Listen to Melissa on Say More
Watch Melissa on YouTube
Other episodes you may enjoy:
Tressie McMillan Cottom (NYT's columnist)
Merve Emre (contributing writer at The New Yorker)
Charles Yu (National Book Award Winner)
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (NYT's bestselling author of Friday Black)
Stephanie Land (NYT's bestselling author of Maid)
Joe Hagan (author of Sticky Fingers: the Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone)
Diksha Basu (author of Destination Wedding)
Qian Julie Wang (NYT's bestselling author of Beautiful Country)
Tod Goldberg (NYT's bestselling author of Gangster Nation)
Keri Blakinger (author of Corrections in Ink)
Elizabeth McCracken (author of The Hero of This Book)
Email Gabe Hudson at gabehudsonsays@gmail.com
