Alma Luz Villanueva

I was raised in San Francisco's Mission District by my Yaqui grandmother, Jesus Villanueva... with the assitance of my mother, Lydia Villanueva and her sister Ruth Villanueva. Jesus taught me to recite poetry by heart (in Spanish) for church and she often read me poetry in Spanish. So, though I write in English, the language/meaning is rooted in Spanish.

I began to publish poetry first in the late 1970s, winning first place in poetry with the University of California at Irvine's Chicano Literary Prize. My books of poetry: BLOODROOT- MOTHER, MAY I?- LIFE SPAN- PLANET (which won the Latin American Writers poetry prize, N.Y.)- DESIRE (poetry chosen for THE BEST AMERICAN POETRY, 1996)- VIDA.

My three novels: THE ULTRAVIOLET SKY (won an American Book Award, listed in 500 GREAT BOOKS BY WOMEN)- NAKED LADIES (won the PEN Oakland fiction award, anthologized in CALIENTE, The Best Erotic Latin American Writing)- LUNA'S CALIFORNIA POPPIES. And WEEPING WOMAN, LA LLORONA AND OTHER STORIES, a collection of short stories. The fiction and poetry has been widely anthologized in the USA and abroad, and is included in textbooks from grammar to university level. All my work can be found on Amazon.

I taught fiction/poetry at UC Santa Cruz for four years, as well as Cabrillo College in Aptos for two years- have done guest teaching at Naropa Institute (in Boulder, Colorado)...Mesa College, UC San Diego (in San Diego, California)...Stanford University, Pacific University, to name a few. I now teach in the MFA in Creative Writing program with Antioch University in Los Angeles www.antiochla.edu- a low residency program that meets in June/December for ten days, then in intimate, one-on-one, contact with eight students for the semester. I've taught at Antioch for six years at this date 6/06- and I also work with up to two writers via the internet freelance as well during the year. I can either work with a writer via monthly packages (contact me for fees, further details), or I can take a look at an entire manuscript- but first I'd like to see a sample of the work. I now live in San Miguel de Allende (Mexico), and travel during the year to do readings, workshops- www.sanmiguelworkshops.com.
I'd like to add that I've been doing readings of my work, presentations, for thirty plus years as of 2006-in an online review of a reading I gave in February 2000 by Elisabeth Sherwin at UC Davis (which I keep expecting to finally disappear)- she neglects to add that I received a standing ovation from the audience, that members of the audience came to the stage to speak with me, and that I signed books for a very long time. Also, that native flute she refers to: "...blasting a few notes on a native flute with I'm not sure what purpose in mind..."...I led the audience in a guided visualization to the top of the Pyramid of The Sun in honor of the Mayan Long Count Calendar's ending/beginning on December 21, 2012 (when they foretold an unfolding of human spirit, and the Hopi very challenging times). I used the flute, I'd bought years ago at the foot of the Pyramid of The Sun, as a guide to the top, that view, that vision. In my thirty plus years of doing readings, I've had quite a few standing ovations with some Ph.D.s in the audience I'm sure(and my work has been the subject of Masters/Ph.D. thesis papers). But most of all, I believe poetry is from the heart/spirit to the heart/spirit of another human being- and if they stand to honor that, I'm very happy. Again, I travel during the year to do readings, seminars, workshops- please feel free to contact me directly at the email on this site for available dates, gracias.

My email: almaluz.villanueva@gmail.com