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Ep. 54 Daniel A. Olivas | Short stories, playwriting, and Chicanos in the arts

Hi there,

Today I am so honored to be arts calling Daniel A. Olivas!

About:
Daniel A. Olivas is the author of ten books and editor of two anthologies. His latest books are How to Date a Flying Mexican: New and Collected Stories (University of Nevada Press, 2022), The King of Lighting Fixtures: Stories (University of Arizona Press, 2017), and Crossing the Border: Collected Poems (Pact Press, 2017).

Widely anthologized, Daniel has also written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Guardian, La Bloga, BOMB, High Country News, Huffington Post, Alta Journal, Los Angeles Times, El Paso Times, The Rumpus, and the Jewish Journal.

Daniel is also a playwright. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild, and his plays may be read at New Play Exchange. Daniel’s first full-length play, Waiting for Godínez, was selected for the Playwrights’ Arena Summer Reading Series (2020), and The Road Theatre’s 12th Annual Summer Playwrights Festival (2021), and was a Semi-Finalist for the 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award (American Blues Theater). Daniel was selected for Circle X Theatre’s inaugural Evolving Playwrights Group where he adapted his novel, The Book of Want, for the stage, culminating in a streamed reading (2021). Daniel’s play, Waiting, had its world premiere with Playwrights’ Arena on July 24, 2021.

Daniel, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, grew up near downtown Los Angeles. He now makes his home in Southern California with his wife, and they have an adult son. Daniel received his degree in English literature from Stanford University and law degree from UCLA. By day, he is an attorney.

Visit https://www.danielolivas.com/ for more information.

Read Daniel’s plays at the New Play Exchange! https://newplayexchange.org/users/35649/daniel-olivas

Thanks for this incredible conversation, Daniel!

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Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. If you like the show: consider reviewing the podcast and sharing it with those who love the arts, your support truly makes a difference! Check out cruzfolio.com for more podcasts about the arts and original content!

Make art. Much love,

j

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