Notes and Links to Melissa Lozada-Oliva’s Work      Melissa Lozada-Oliva is a Guatemalan-Colombian-American writer. Her chapbook peluda (Button Poetry 2017) explores the intersections of Latina identity and hair removal. In her novel-in-verse Dreaming of You (2021, Astra House), a poet brings Selena back to life through a seance and deals with disastrous consequences. Candelaria (Astra House, 2023) follows a Guatemalan grandmother at the end of the world and her three lost American granddaughters who started it. Candelaria was named one of the best books of 2023 by VOGUE and USA Today. Her collection of short stories BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT, JESUS IS ALIVE! will be released on September 2 through Astra House. Her newsletter READING SUCKS tracks the books she’s read and the distractions she had while reading them, while interviewing authors about their relationship to reading.  She is currently adapting Dreaming of You into a film and working on a new novel. Melissa has done brand work with Facebook, Instagram, Google, Armani, and Topo Chico Hard Seltzer. Melissa’s work balances the line between horror and humor. Her work has been featured or is forthcoming in NPR, VOGUE, REMEZCLA, PAPER, The Guardian, BreakBeat Poets, Kenyon Review, Vulture, Bustle, Glamour Magazine, The Huffington Post, Muzzle Magazine, The Adroit Journal, and BBC Mundo. She teaches fiction and poetry at the Center for Fiction and the Red Hook Public Library.   Buy Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, JESUS IS ALIVE   Melissa's Website   Review of Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, JESUS IS ALIVE from Kirkus Reviews At about 0:55, Melissa talks about her mindset in the runup to publication and gives purchasing info and info about book events At about 3:35, Melissa responds to Pete’s questions about formative reading and writing from her childhood At about 5:40, Pete and Melissa talk "Usted" and "Tu" and "Vos" and writing in Spanish At about 7:10, Melissa talks about the “real-time satisfaction” of seeing/hearing her work “resonate” with people as a catalyst for her writing career At about 8:20, Melissa expands on what Button Poetry is and how she worked with the organization-here’s one of her viral videos At about 9:45, Melissa talks about the difference in performing writing and then writing in a more solitary way At about 10:50, Melissa talks about writers who have inspired and thrilled her, including Sandra Cisneros, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kelly Link, Julia Alvarez, and Octavia Butler At about 12:50, Melissa shouts some Kelly Link writing to start with in exploring her great work At about 13:15, Melissa responds to Pete's questions about throughlines in the story collection and any seeds for the writing At about 14:35, The two discuss the epigraph’s importance, with another Kelly Link shoutout, and discussion of “nothingness”  At about 16:40, Pete traces the collection’s opening and asks Melissa about her usage of second-person At about 18:20, Pete makes a Soulja Boy/Spanish joke…does it hit? At about 18:45, Melissa replies to Pete’s questions about the idolized teacher in the first story At about 20:45, Melissa reflects on ideas of “cancel culture” as seen in the world and in her collection At about 22:00, Pete wonders about the inspiration for the collection’s title and the titular story At about 26:05, “Pobrecito” is discussed as a “curdled short king story” and Melissa responds to Pete’s questions about the storyteller as trustworthy At about 29:10, “Heads” and the story collection’s “absurd humor” and privilege are discussed, especially through ideas of admiration and connection At about 32:15, Pete compliments Melissa flashback work At about 33:00, Melissa talks about inspiration from Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?” for her poolhouse story At about 35:15, The body horror story “Tails” is discussed, with its themes of misogyny and competition among women brought on by this systemic misogyny At about 38:40, Melissa expands on