Los Angeles Literature Presents An Afternoon with Riot of Roses

Bel Canto Books and Los Angeles Literature are delighted to host An Afternoon with Riot of Roses, featuring Riot of Roses authors: Diosa Xochiquetzalcoatl (WEST OF THE SANTA ANA AND OTHER SACRED PLACES), Carlos Ornelas (VILLAIN'S VERNACULAR), Juan Amador (PIMPING MY TRAUMA), VOTH | Voice of the Harbor (DIEAGNOSIS),Annalicia Aguilar (BROKEN, BUT HOLDING), Sandy Shakes (SCRIBBLE SCRABBLES), and Anastasia Helena Fenald (THE ART OF JOB HUNTING: A DRAMEDY IN VERSE).

Kindly RSVP so we can plan accordingly. Please stay home if you feel sick.

This event will be held indoors at KUBO LB (3976 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach CA).

EVENT SCHEDULE

3:45PM - Event check-in begins

4:00pm - Welcome & event start

4:15-5:00pm - Writers reading, conversation, and Q&A

5:00pm-6:00pm - Book signing & shopping time

6:00pm - Event ends

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl, or Diosa X for short, is a multilingual and multidimensional spoken word artist, workshop facilitator, and international poetiza. She is a seasoned language arts educator with a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s in Cross-Cultural Teaching. This Pushcart and Best in Fiction nominee was selected Regional 2nd Runner Up in Inlandia’s Hillary Gravendyke’s Poetry Prize in 2023 for her poetry collection titled, When the Leaves Come Tumbling Down: An A to Z Poetry Collection About Loss. She was also selected as finalist for Somos en escrito’s Best Raza Short Story Award in 2023 for her piece titled, The Weight of the Scales. Diosa X has been published in a variety of anthologies and literary magazines in the U.S. and in Mexico and is the author of six poetry collections: A Church of My Own (2021), Hechizera: Sus Sultry Spells (Editorial Raíces, 2022), West of the Santa Ana and Other Sacred Places (Riot of Roses Publishing, 2023), Felices Fiestas (Read or Green Books, 2023), Conversations with the Dead / Conversaciones con los difuntos (Editorial Desierto Mayor, 2024), and When the Leaves Come Tumbling Down: An A to Z Poetry Collection About Loss (Hawkeye Publishing, 2024). To learn more about Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl’s work, feel free to visit http://www.diosax.net.

Carlos Ornelas is a Mesoamerican artist and author from Lynwood, California. His poetry is a vivid representation of the smiles and cries experienced growing up in Los Angeles as an underpriviledged youth. Love, loss, and hope as well as the multi flavored taste of the streets are themes that are everpresent in his works. His Mexican roots mixed with his Chicano upbringing and hiphop influence make Ornelas a unique voice in the world of poetry and words. His first book, "Ketchup: Sopa de Gato", has been a part of classrooms in underserved communities throughout southern California. His newest poetry collection, "Villains Vernacular", was released Aug 6th 2024 by Riot of Roses Publishing House

Juan Amador is a writer and performer from South Central Los Angeles. He graduated with a B.A. in Theater Arts at Loyola Marymount University. He has performed on stages around LA. His poems have included the literary journal Mobile Data Mag and anthologies from Beyond The Veil Press, Golden Foothill Press and Poetic Underground LLC Press.

Drinking coffee and tea by the sea, a student of Psychology, VOTH is dedicated to using his lighthouse energy guiding lost travelers “home.” He released his first book Dieagnosis in 2023 with Riot of Roses Publishing House. He’s contributed to a zine, Beneath the Soil vol iii: Queer Survivors of Sexual Assault released with Time to Tell and Braver Collective has his own virtual show, Coffee, Waffles, and Poetry where he holds space for survivors of trauma to share stories and healing workshops.

Annalicia Aguilar is a Mexican American/mixed-race indigenous poet, screenwriter, playwright, producer, and educator. She has her MFA in Screenwriting for Film and Television and her BFA in Acting from AMDA College of the Performing Arts. She has been a featured poet for the Trenches Full of Poets Series, the Los Angeles Poet Society, Sim's Library of Poetry, and The Community Literature Initiative. She teaches Performance Techniques for Poets workshops and guest lectures about topics such as Social Media Marketing for Poets. Her debut book of poetry, Broken, But Holding, will be published in April 2025 with Riot of Roses Publishing House.

Sandy Shakes is a spoken truth artist home grown in Boyle Heights. She has shared microphones all over LA county, San Diego, New Mexico and El Paso. She has collaborated and performed for many poetic organizations and has had her work honored in their powerful anthologies. In the last few years she has led poetry workshops, spoken in classrooms and has had her stories featured in up and coming podcasts. In 2024 she released her first poetry chapbook baptized “Scribble Scrabbles”. You can follow all her upcoming projects and performances on Instagram @‌sandyshakes_themic.

Anastasia Helena Fenald (b.1992) is a second-generation Ukrainian-Hispanic-American poet from California’s windy High Desert. She has a B.A. in Global Studies from the University of Riverside, California (2014) and an M.A. in Globalization and Development from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (2015). Known for her comedic spitfire attitude and poignant poems, she spends most of her free time devouring fanfiction and forgetting to drink water until bedtime. Her second collection "The Art of Job Hunting: A Dramedy in Verse" is out now by Riot of Roses Publishing House.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Brian Dunlap is a native Angeleño living in Los Ángeles. He explores and captures the city’s stories hidden in plain sight. He is the author of the chapbook Concrete Paradise (Finishing Line Press, 2018) and the winner of a Marvin Bell Memorial Poetry Prize from december magazine judged by former Los Ángeles Poet Laureate Luis J. Rodríguez. He's also an Accociate Editor for december magazine. His poems, book reviews and nonfiction have been published in PacificREVIEW, California Quarterly, Lit Pub, L.A. Parent, and the anthology Reimagine America (Vagabond, 2022), among others. He’s the Editor-in-Chief of Los Angeles Literature,an independent, online magazine covering the Greater Los Ángeles literary community.

ABOUT RIOT OF ROSES

Riot of Roses Publishing House was established in the autumn of 2021 when author and founder, Brenda Vaca, decided to publish her first poetry collection.​

It became not just important to publish her own work, but to also create space for other storytellers to create their books.

Riot of Roses Publishing House was founded specifically to amplify the stories of historically silenced voices.

Xicana owned. Mujerista focused. For the people.

We publish books to heal and liberate others.

Read our rebellion.

Brenda Vaca is a Xicana poet, author, and independent publisher from Sejatnga, Unceded Tongva Territory, known as South Whittier, CA. She earned her B.A. in English at U.C. Berkeley with a Minor in Creative Writing and later earned a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Biblical Languages at the Pacific School of Religion/Graduate Theological Union. Riot of Roses is her debut collection of poetry published by her indie press, Riot of Roses Publishing House.

ABOUT BEL CANTO BOOKS

Founded by Jhoanna Belfer, a Filipina-American poet and former hospitality executive, Bel Canto Books offers a curated selection of fiction, nonfiction and children's books, organized around a theme of the month, in particular celebrating books by women and people of color. Learn more at belcantobooks.net.

ABOUT KUBO LB

KUBO LB is a creative community space for Filipinx, BIPOC, LGBTQ, and Women led small businesses. KUBO LB is a space to support and educate small businesses through retail, business workshops and more. Learn more at kubolb.com.

Host or Publisher Bel Canto Books - Long Beach, CA