Daniel Olivas

Praise for Anywhere But L.A.:

"Like the cities they describe, the stories in Anywhere But L.A. shift and slide and refuse to be pinned down. Daniel Olivas is an exciting writer, whose prose rings with humor, insight, and power."

-- Daniel Alarcón, author of Lost City Radio and War by Candlelight

"Funny yet touching, these skillfully rendered characters remind us of our own vulnerability. Individually, the stories are punchy and sharp; collectively, the stories create a colorful mural of a thriving Latino community."

-- Kathleen de Azevedo, author of Samba Dreamers

"Daniel Olivas has mastered the knack of telling intricate tales that are natural, never labored, and a genuine pleasure to read."

-- Manuel Ramos, author of The Ballad of Rocky Ruiz

"Olivas is a writer who will take risks and surprise you. His stories delve into the topical themes of Latino and Chicano literature and beyond."

-- Sergio Troncoso, El Paso Times

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"Anywhere But L.A. completes a satisfying California trilogy that observes, interacts and imagines the many dimensions of the American Southwest through an honest and genuine lens."

-- Rigoberto Gonzalez, My Latino Voice

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"The stories in Anywhere But L.A. are unique and accessible, revealing of richly nuanced worlds. At the same time, the characters are effectively universal, their trysts with loneliness and the confessional quality of their narratives instantly recognizable. Short story collections have to offer enough variety that the whole book warrants reading, and enough cohesion to be called a collection. Anywhere But L.A. accomplishes this dual goal admirably and remarkably."

-- Vinoad Senguttuvan, The Rumpus

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“[His] effortless writing style and ability to capture a character in broad, descriptive strokes engage readers as they switch from story to story in his new book. No two stories are the same stylistically or rhetorically, and this diversity of presentation keeps the reader on his or her toes.”

--Thelma Reyna, American Latina/o Writers Today

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Anywhere But L.A. was a Vroman's Bookstore bestseller for the week of February 8, 2010.

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Daniel A. Olivas is "one of the best and most original Hispanic American authors working today." --The Midwest Book Review

"Olivas is adept at establishing character in a sentence or two; he creates an image, a moment of self-deception, in which we come to know these characters intimately and easily imagine their entire lives..."

--The Los Angeles Times

"Daniel A. Olivas is the unofficial literary ambassador of Latino L.A."

-- My Latino Voice

Daniel is the author of five books of fiction and editor of the landmark anthology, Latinos in Lotusland. His first full-length novel, The Book of Want, will be published by the University of Arizona Press in spring 2011. Daniel's writing has been widely anthologized (including in two Norton anthologies), and has also appeared in such publications as the Los Angeles Times, THEMA, The Jewish Journal, Exquisite Corpse, New Madrid, MultiCultural Review, The Elegant Variation, LatinoLA, and the El Paso Times. He blogs each Monday on La Bloga.

Daniel, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, grew up near the Pico-Union and Koreatown neighborhoods of Los Angeles. He now makes his home in the San Fernando Valley with his wife and son. Daniel received his degree in English literature from Stanford University and law degree from UCLA. He is an attorney with the California Department of Justice in the Public Rights Division.