I Can’t Even Help You Because the Problem Is You
Explicit content warning
10/25/24 • 32 min
In this episode, AGG and Sergio chat with the fabulous Melissa Mogollon about everything from our collective love for Latina women to her badass grandma’s antics. We dive into how growing up in Florida shaped her, discovering her queerness in DC, stumbling across hilarious websites for men dating Colombian women, and the excitement of her upcoming wedding.
About the Author: @melissamogollonwriter
Melissa Mogollon holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a BA from the George Washington University. Originally from Colombia and raised in Florida, she now teaches at a boarding school in Rhode Island, where she lives with her partner and dog. Oye is her first novel.
About the Book: Oye: A Novel
As the baby of her large Colombian American family, Luciana is usually relegated to the sidelines. But now she finds herself as the only voice of reason in the face of an unexpected crisis: A hurricane is heading straight for Miami, and her eccentric grandmother, Abue, is refusing to evacuate. Abue is so one-of-a-kind she’s basically in her own universe, and while she often drives Luciana nuts, they’re the only ones who truly understand each other. So when Abue, normally glamorous and full of life, receives a shocking medical diagnosis during the storm, Luciana’s world is upended.
Unfolding like the most fascinating and entertaining conversation you’ve ever eavesdropped on, Oye is a rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly unique novel that celebrates the beauty revealed and resilience required when rewriting your own story.
Author Recommended Playlist:
Olivia Rodrigo - Brutal
Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club
Connect with Los Bookis!
@Los.Bookis.Podcast
@adriangaston.garcia
@que_viva_sergio_lopez
In this episode, AGG and Sergio chat with the fabulous Melissa Mogollon about everything from our collective love for Latina women to her badass grandma’s antics. We dive into how growing up in Florida shaped her, discovering her queerness in DC, stumbling across hilarious websites for men dating Colombian women, and the excitement of her upcoming wedding.
About the Author: @melissamogollonwriter
Melissa Mogollon holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a BA from the George Washington University. Originally from Colombia and raised in Florida, she now teaches at a boarding school in Rhode Island, where she lives with her partner and dog. Oye is her first novel.
About the Book: Oye: A Novel
As the baby of her large Colombian American family, Luciana is usually relegated to the sidelines. But now she finds herself as the only voice of reason in the face of an unexpected crisis: A hurricane is heading straight for Miami, and her eccentric grandmother, Abue, is refusing to evacuate. Abue is so one-of-a-kind she’s basically in her own universe, and while she often drives Luciana nuts, they’re the only ones who truly understand each other. So when Abue, normally glamorous and full of life, receives a shocking medical diagnosis during the storm, Luciana’s world is upended.
Unfolding like the most fascinating and entertaining conversation you’ve ever eavesdropped on, Oye is a rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly unique novel that celebrates the beauty revealed and resilience required when rewriting your own story.
Author Recommended Playlist:
Olivia Rodrigo - Brutal
Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club
Connect with Los Bookis!
@Los.Bookis.Podcast
@adriangaston.garcia
@que_viva_sergio_lopez
Previous Episode
Friends Por Vida
In this episode, AGG and Sergio talk with Joe Jiménez to discuss the complexities of friendship, his up-bringing in small-town Texas, and his experience teaching high school in inner-city San Antonio. We delve into how he brings authentic experiences into his writing, the invaluable advice he received from Sandra Cisneros, and his journey toward personal growth.
About the Author: @JoeJimenez_writ
Joe Jiménez is the author of the poetry collection Rattlesnake Allegory and Bloodline, a young adult novel. He was the recipient of the 2016 Letras Latinas/Red Hen Press Poetry Prize, and he was awarded a Lucas Artists Literary Artists Fellowship. His writing has appeared on the PBS Newshour and Lambda Literary sites. Joe lives in San Antonio, Texas, where he is a high school English teacher and a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop.
About the Book: Hot Boy Summer
Four Fierce Teens. Three Rules to Live By. Two Iconic Encounters. One Hot Boy Summer.
Told in Mac’s infectious, joyful, gay AF voice, Hot Boy Summer serves as a tale as important as hope itself: four gay teens doing what they can to reconnect and have the fiercest summer of their lives. New friendships will be forged, hot boys will be detoxed.
Author Recommended Playlist: Ariana Grande - Into You, No More Tears, Rain on Me
Connect with Los Bookis!
@Los.Bookis.Podcast
@adriangaston.garcia
@que_viva_sergio_lopez
Next Episode
Little Monsters, Presente!
Get ready for a special treat! In this episode, AGG and Sergio team up with the Mt. Pleasant Library Friends for their first-ever live recording in front of an audience! They’re joined by the incredible Gerardo Sámano Córdova to dive into his jaw-dropping debut novel, “Monstrilio.” Expect an unforgettable chat about his creative process, navigating grief, family bonds, and why believing in unbelievable matters. Don't miss this literary adventure!
About the Author: @hello.samanito
Gerardo Sámano Córdova is a writer and artist from Mexico City. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan. He has studied at Bread Loaf as a work/study scholar and at Tin House. His work has appeared in The Common, Ninth Letter, Passages North, and Chicago Quarterly Review. He’s also been known to draw little creatures.
About the Book: Monstrilio
After her son dies, Magos carves out a small piece of his lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her decaying childhood home in Mexico City. But despite her best efforts to turn the monster into a man, Monstrilio's innate impulses threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life. A meditation on grief, acceptance, and the monstrous sides of love and loyalty, Gerardo Sámano Córdova's ambitious debut spans the globe from Brooklyn to Berlin, offering an uncanny and precise portrait of being human.
Click here to watch the episode on YouTube!
Connect with Los Bookis!
@Los.Bookis.Podcast
@adriangaston.garcia
@que_viva_sergio_lopez
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