I can’t believe it’s the middle of October! This summer was so busy, opening CIACLA, running Poetry Beyond Borders and a host of other amazing programming in LA, traveling and attending MANY weddings, visiting family and friends and sleeping on couches, that I feel like I just took a breath and the year is nearly over.

One of the end-of-summer events I’m most proud of: organizing and hosting San Diego’s installation of Writers for Migrant Justice, part of a national protest reading series, on Sept. 4th, 2019. Check out information about the event and the national organizers on the Gofundme page. Christopher Soto and allies had a goal of raising $10,000–you can see that nationally, they raised over $40,000! And I’m proud to say that $3000 of that total came from San Diego. It was an amazing night–a few pictures below. Thanks to all the supporters, Verbatim Books for hosting us, and the generous literary community in San Diego.

Exciting After the Tour news: the collection was a finalist for the San Diego Book Awards! Now, Karla Cordero‘s How to Pull Apart the Earth took home the big award, but it is such an honor to be in the company of that book! Karla and I have done a few readings together this summer and fall, including at the Living Writers Series at SDSU Oct. 9th, which was a big “homecoming,” and so much fun. I love my poet-sister, and I’m pretty excited for After the Tour to be recognized.

Hoping to set up some Southland readings in the spring, so if you want After the Tour to come to your town, let me know! Also I can come via Skype, because after all, this is the modern world.