Eat the Mouth That Feeds You

Debut collection of stories by Carribean Fragoza, who is poised to break out as one of Chicanx writing’s «new stars.» This short-story collection is especially timely, since it confronts the United States-Mexico border crisis, the dominance of patriarchal society, and the political projects that are at odds with healthy democracy. Fragoza’s work pushes on the pressure points of our current climate, and offers up feminist takes on our era’s most urgent debates. Her work is comparable to that of classic Chicana writers like Sandra Cisneros and Helena Maria Viramontes; thematic similarities and use of allegory harken back to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” too, and even Jamaica Kincaid’s “Lucy.” In February 2020, her first book, a collection of writings by and about the people and culture of El Monte, California titled East of East was published by Rutgers University Press. Book cover features a photo by Graciela Iturbid, renowned Mexican photographer. Fragoza’s short stories have published in BOMB Magazine, Huizache , Entropy , the Los Angeles Review of Books , and Tropics of Meta . Her work as a journalist covering art, culture, and social justice issues was recognized with a prestigious LA Press Club Award. She was named co-editor of BOOM Magazine , an important journal of California culture published by the University of California Press. She has worked alongside acclaimed and respected purveyors of literary fiction, including Maggie Nelson, Sesshu Foster and Ben Ehrenreich. Fragoza’s work will appeal to readers of adult literary fiction, and more specifically readers interested in the categories of Latinx/Latino, Chicanx/Chicana/o literature, Latin American Literature, Cultural Studies, and Women Studies and it is a strong fit for college level courses in those subject areas.