I was born on
the East Coast in 1975 to a pair of science nerds with stars in their
eyes and
flowers in their hair, and I was raised by an extended network of familia
in the OVC (Orange Barrio, Cypress Street) of Southern California.
We lived next
door to the Sunkist packing house and the railroad tracks, and I spent
many an afternoon bouncing a handball against the old-school cholo
murals that adorned the streetside wall of my great-grandparents' little
neighborhood store. That beginning has defined everything about who I
am. I have hippie-dippy Technicolor dreams, crave pan dulce each
morning and feel most at home in the urban borderlands where nopales
and
concrete meet.
I am the author of two novels. The first, Trace
Elements of Random Tea Parties (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003;
Seal Press, 2004), was described by The San Francisco Chronicle as "bursting at the seams with pizazz and
invention." Kirkus Reviews called it "A spry debut from a
writer who's got the skills," and Library
Journal added "Lemus is a truly talented storyteller. Highly
recommended." The second, Like Son
(Akashic Books, 2007; Iambik Audio, 2010),
was called a
"powerfully written chronicle of love" by Booklist. Publishers Weekly said "Lemus
doesn't waste a word in this smart novel,” and Latina Magazine
declared it a "must read book."
My writing has also appeared in anthologies,
including Lengua
Fresca: Latinos Writing on the Edge (Mariner Books) and Fifteen Candles: 15 Tales of
Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and other Quinceañera Stories (HarperCollins),
as
well as in magazines such as BOMB, ZYZZYVA, The Believer and Latina.
I am an
elementary school teacher in urban Los Angeles, and I have taught at The New
School, the UCLA Writers’ Program, and Antioch University’s Master of
Fine Arts in Creative
Writing Program. I have also been a featured speaker at universities
including Stanford, Yale, Cornell and Harvard. I am at work on my third book.
Sharpie
Ultra Fine black markers, strong coffee, and mountain wildflowers are
among my favorite things. I live in Northeast Los
Angeles with my partner, our two dogs, two cats, countless hummingbirds,
lizards, hawks and a pair of Great Horned owls.