Daniel Olivas
Encyclopedia
Daniel Olivas is a United States author and attorney. Olivas was raised near downtown Los Angeles. He is the middle of five children and the grandson of Mexican immigrants. Olivas received his BA in English literature from Stanford University
and law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.
He is the author of The Book of Want: A Novel (University of Arizona Press, 2011), Anywhere But L.A.: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2009), Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2004), Assumption and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, 2003), The Courtship of María Rivera Peña (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000), and a children’s book, Benjamin and the Word / Benjamin y la palabra (Arte Público Press, 2005).
His fiction, poetry, essays and book reviews have appeared in many publications including the Los Angeles Times
, The Jewish Journal, MacGuffin
, Exquisite Corpse, THEMA, California Lawyer, and the El Paso Times
.
Olivas is a contributing writer to several anthologies including Fantasmas: Supernatural Stories by Mexican American Writers, edited by Rob Johnson (Bilingual Press, 2001), and Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers, edited by Pat Mora
(Lee & Low Books, 2001). He is the editor of Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature (Bilingual Press, 2008). Olivas is featured in Spilling the Beans in Chicanolandia: Conversations with Writers and Artists (University of Texas Press, 2006) edited by Frederick Luis Aldama
. Olivas is a member of Con Tinta and shares blogging duties on La Bloga.
As a law student at UCLA, Olivas was elected co-chair of La Raza Law Students Association (1982–1983), and served as editor-in-chief of the Chicano Law Review
(1983–1984). Before becoming a fiction writer, he authored numerous legal articles, essays and book reviews for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He started writing fiction in 1998. Since then, Olivas has been recognized as "one of the best and most original Hispanic American authors working today." (The Midwest Book Review.) Much of his writing reflects his identity as a Chicano
and a convert to Judaism
.
Olivas has practiced law with the California Department of Justice
as a deputy attorney general since 1990. Prior to 1990, he was in private practice. Olivas makes his home in the San Fernando Valley
with his wife and son.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.
He is the author of The Book of Want: A Novel (University of Arizona Press, 2011), Anywhere But L.A.: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2009), Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2004), Assumption and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, 2003), The Courtship of María Rivera Peña (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000), and a children’s book, Benjamin and the Word / Benjamin y la palabra (Arte Público Press, 2005).
His fiction, poetry, essays and book reviews have appeared in many publications including the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, The Jewish Journal, MacGuffin
MacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
, Exquisite Corpse, THEMA, California Lawyer, and the El Paso Times
El Paso Times
The El Paso Times is the English-language newspaper for the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas. The paper was founded in 1881 by Marcellus Washington Carrico. It originally started out as a weekly but within a year's time, it became the daily newspaper for the frontier town.The newspaper has a daily...
.
Olivas is a contributing writer to several anthologies including Fantasmas: Supernatural Stories by Mexican American Writers, edited by Rob Johnson (Bilingual Press, 2001), and Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers, edited by Pat Mora
Pat Mora
Pat Mora is a Chicana author known primarily for her poetry and children's books.- Writer's Life and Work:Pat Mora is a writer and cultural preservationist who seeks to document the lives of Mexican Americans and U.S. Latinas and Latinos through varying genres such as children's books, poetry, and...
(Lee & Low Books, 2001). He is the editor of Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature (Bilingual Press, 2008). Olivas is featured in Spilling the Beans in Chicanolandia: Conversations with Writers and Artists (University of Texas Press, 2006) edited by Frederick Luis Aldama
Frederick Luis Aldama
Frederick Luis Aldama is Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor of English at The Ohio State University, United States, where he teaches Latino/a and Latin American post-colonial literature, film, and comics, as well as narrative theory and cognitive science.Aldama obtained his Ph.D. from...
. Olivas is a member of Con Tinta and shares blogging duties on La Bloga.
As a law student at UCLA, Olivas was elected co-chair of La Raza Law Students Association (1982–1983), and served as editor-in-chief of the Chicano Law Review
Chicano Law Review
The Chicana/o Latina/o Law Review is a student-edited and produced law journal at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law....
(1983–1984). Before becoming a fiction writer, he authored numerous legal articles, essays and book reviews for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He started writing fiction in 1998. Since then, Olivas has been recognized as "one of the best and most original Hispanic American authors working today." (The Midwest Book Review.) Much of his writing reflects his identity as a Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
and a convert to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
.
Olivas has practiced law with the California Department of Justice
California Department of Justice
The California Department of Justice is the department in the California executive branch under the leadership of the California Attorney General.-Description:It has 5344 employees and a budget of $791 million...
as a deputy attorney general since 1990. Prior to 1990, he was in private practice. Olivas makes his home in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
with his wife and son.
Books
- The Book of Want: A Novel (University of Arizona PressUniversity of Arizona PressThe University of Arizona Press, a publishing house founded in 1959 as a department of the University of Arizona, is a nonprofit publisher of scholarly and regional books...
, 2011) - Anywhere But L.A.: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2009)
- Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2004)
- Assumption and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, 2003)
- The Courtship of María Rivera Peña (Silver Lake Publishing, 2001)
Children's Picture Book
- Benjamin and the Word / Benjamin y la palabra (Arte Público PressArte Público PressArte Público Press, in Houston, Texas, is the largest US publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Hispanic authors, part of the University of Houston. It publishes approximately 30 titles per year....
, 2005)
Anthologies (contributing author)
- You Don't Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens (Arte Público PressArte Público PressArte Público Press, in Houston, Texas, is the largest US publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Hispanic authors, part of the University of Houston. It publishes approximately 30 titles per year....
, 2011) - Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer (W. W. NortonW. W. NortonW. W. Norton & Company is an independent American book publishing company based in New York City. It is well known for its "Norton Anthologies", particularly the Norton Anthology of English Literature and the "Norton Critical Editions" series of texts which are frequently assigned in university...
, 2010) - Sudden Fiction Latino: Short-Short Stories from the United States and Latin America (W. W. NortonW. W. NortonW. W. Norton & Company is an independent American book publishing company based in New York City. It is well known for its "Norton Anthologies", particularly the Norton Anthology of English Literature and the "Norton Critical Editions" series of texts which are frequently assigned in university...
, 2010) - A Poet’s Haggadah: Passover Through the Eyes of Poets (CreateSpace, 2008)
- Social Issues Firsthand: Hate Crimes (Thomson/Greenhaven, 2007)
- You Have Time for This: Contemporary American Short-Short Stories (Ooligan Press, 2007)
- Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers (Lee & Low BooksLee & Low Books-History:Lee & Low was founded in 1991 by Chinese Americans Tom Low and Philip Lee as a children's book publisher specializing in books featuring people of color and one of the few minority-owned publishing companies in the United States. Low says, "There was a void in children's books. Most of the...
, 2001) - Fantasmas: Supernatural Stories by Mexican American Writers (Bilingual Press, 2000)
- Nemeton: A Fables Anthology (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000)
Anthology (editor)
- Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature (Bilingual Press, 2008)
Interviews, Press Coverage and Profiles
- Poets & Writers Magazine: http://www.pw.org/content/daniel_a_olivas?cmnt_all=1
- Dark Sky Magazine: http://darkskymagazine.com/daniel-olivas
- Cellar Door: http://www.stanford.edu/group/cellardoor/cgi-bin/home/2010/03/interview-with-stanford-english-graduate
- The Loyalist: http://www.loyalistnews.org/arts/2010/04/olivas-headline.html
- Stanford Magazine: http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2005/marapr/show/olivas.html
- Margin: http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/margin/Olivas.html
- Ink Byte: http://inkbyte.com/target/c_Melinda_Palacio/051023-Olivas/index.html
- LAist: http://www.laist.com/archives/2005/08/22/_laist_interview_daniel_olivas.php
- Critical Mass: http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com/2008/05/small-press-spotlight-daniel-olivas.html
- LAObserved on KCRW: http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/lo/lo080425bookish_la