mialisecarney

Joseph Rios – El Pino, East LA: A Return

Joseph Rios El Pino, East LA: A Return For Jose Olivarez All my homies are gone. Dead would be an improvementfor some of them. Abuela and Bora are in the ground somewhere.Jennifer? Still lost, I guess. Who is left? I drove by Angel’smom’s old pad and saw an older, fatter looking Angelmelting on the porch.Continue reading “Joseph Rios – El Pino, East LA: A Return”

Monique Quintana – We Fell in Love to Aquarium Radio

Monique Quintana We Fell in Love to Aquarium Radio For Brenda Venezia and built nurseries on clouds and knew they’d sink into the sea eventually. Begonia and all. We dig until we find a bulb. A locket box. A memorabilia store. A pistil-shaped memoir. A pot of blue lip paint. An animal. A drownling. WhenContinue reading “Monique Quintana – We Fell in Love to Aquarium Radio”

Joseph Rios – The End of a Fresno Summer

Joseph Rios The End of a Fresno Summer For Ethan Pacheco The leaf footed bugs are crowding the ripe pomegranatesand my little cousin wants to crush juice for the first time. The soil in the backyard is like moon powder and it’s the color of ash. The hills are on fire, again.You know, I’ve long admired ourContinue reading “Joseph Rios – The End of a Fresno Summer”

Monique Quintana – mapping peach and nautilus

Monique Quintana mapping peach and nautilus For Jamie Moore When queens probed you underwater to test your intellect, you grew scales and swam to the surface, but you decided to stay in the water because you thought it was safer. You used an ammonite rind to make a boat for your daughter. She sailed pastContinue reading “Monique Quintana – mapping peach and nautilus”

Monique Quintana – before the grapevine / pray for rain

Monique Quintana before the grapevine / pray for rain For Kamilah Okafor You write a story, and you start at the end—The daughter walks the horse through the vines and the freeway until a clatter of bells tells her she’s home. Her mother keeps a mechanical horse in the city, and every winter, her motherContinue reading “Monique Quintana – before the grapevine / pray for rain”