Melissa Lozada-Oliva Explained

Melissa Lozada-Oliva
Birth Date:7 September 1992
Birth Place:Newton, Massachusetts
Occupation:Writer
Alma Mater:Simmons University
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Melissa Lozada-Oliva (born September 7, 1992)[1] is an American poet and educator based in New York. Her poem "Like Totally Whatever" won the 2015 National Poetry Slam Championship and went viral.[2] [3] [4] [5]

Life and career

Lozada-Oliva was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, by immigrant parents; her mother is Guatemalan and her father is Colombian.[6] [7] She attended college at Simmons University, where she began to perform slam poetry, and graduated in 2014.[8]

After graduation, she published the chapbooks Plastic Pajaros in 2015 and Rude Girl is Lonely Girl! in 2016. Her performance of a poem called "Like Totally Whatever" won the 2015 National Poetry Slam Championship and received mainstream media coverage.

Lozada-Oliva enrolled in New York University's MFA program for Creative Writing in fall 2017. As of spring 2019, she was also teaching a class there.[9] She published Peluda through Button Poetry shortly after enrollment. In it, Lozada-Oliva "explores, interrogates and redefines the intersections of Latina identity, feminism, hair removal & what it means to belong."

In December 2018, Lozada-Oliva started a podcast called Say More along with her best friend and fellow poet Olivia Gatwood. The pair interview each other on topics and answer questions from listeners.[10]

Her verse novel Dreaming of You was published by Astra House in 2021.[11] [12] In 2023, her first prose novel Candelaria was published by Astra House.[13]

Works

Novels

Poetry

Chapbooks

Awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Latina Poet Has a Powerful Answer to 'Are You Fluent in Spanish?'. Moreno. Carolina. 2015-07-09. Huffington Post. 2018-07-25. en-US.
  2. News: This Powerful Poem Takes On The Speech Police. Cueto. Emma. Bustle. 2018-07-25. en.
  3. Web site: STRENGTH OF DOVES Melissa Lozada-Oliva. STRENGTH OF DOVES Spoken Word Poetry. en. 2018-07-25.
  4. News: The Way Women Speak: Melissa Lozada-Oliva's Poetry Will Inspire You. Lo. Danica. Glamour. 2018-07-25. en.
  5. News: Melissa Lozada-Olivia (@ellomelissa) on Nihilistic Humor and Being an Alien. Nelson. Jenny. Vulture. 2018-07-25. en.
  6. Web site: Interview: Melissa Lozada-Oliva. HerStry. en-US. 2019-07-18.
  7. Web site: Melissa Lozada-Oliva. 2018-10-11. Washington Square News. en-US. 2019-07-18.
  8. Web site: 10 Questions With Melissa Lozada-Oliva. Mad Girl's Collective. en-US. 2019-07-18.
  9. News: About Melissa Lozada-Oliva. Lozado-Oliva. Melissa. 2018-04-09. en.
  10. Web site: SAY MORE. saymore.libsyn.com. en. 2019-09-25.
  11. News: In 'Dreaming of You,' poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva reimagines Selena's legacy. en. NPR.org. 2021-11-04.
  12. Web site: Oliva. Alejandra. In 'Dreaming of You,' Author Melissa Lozada-Oliva Uses Selena's Ghost to Deconstruct the Myth of Latinidad. 2021-11-04. www.refinery29.com. en.
  13. Web site: August 12, 2023 . CANDELARIA Kirkus Reviews . November 20, 2023 . Kirkus Reviews.

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