Daniel Olivas

Daniel Olivas (born on April 8, 1959 in Los Angeles, California) is a United States author and attorney. Olivas was raised near downtown Los Angeles. He is the middle of five children and the grandson of Mexican immigrants. Olivas received his BA in English literature from Stanford University and law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.

He is the author of The Book of Want: A Novel (University of Arizona Press, 2011), Anywhere But L.A.: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2009), Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2004), Assumption and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, 2003), The Courtship of María Rivera Peña (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000), and a children’s book, Benjamin and the Word / Benjamin y la palabra (Arte Público Press, 2005).

His fiction, poetry, essays and book reviews have appeared in many publications including the Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal, MacGuffin, Exquisite Corpse, THEMA, California Lawyer, and the El Paso Times.

Olivas is a contributing writer to several anthologies including Fantasmas: Supernatural Stories by Mexican American Writers, edited by Rob Johnson (Bilingual Press, 2001), and Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers, edited by Pat Mora (Lee & Low Books, 2001). He is the editor of Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature (Bilingual Press, 2008). Olivas is featured in Spilling the Beans in Chicanolandia: Conversations with Writers and Artists (University of Texas Press, 2006) edited by Frederick Luis Aldama. Olivas is a member of Con Tinta and shares blogging duties on La Bloga.

As a law student at UCLA, Olivas was elected co-chair of La Raza Law Students Association (1982–1983), and served as editor-in-chief of the Chicano Law Review (1983–1984). Before becoming a fiction writer, he authored numerous legal articles, essays and book reviews for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He started writing fiction in 1998. Since then, Olivas has been recognized as "one of the best and most original Hispanic American authors working today." (The Midwest Book Review.) Much of his writing reflects his identity as a Chicano and a convert to Judaism.

Olivas has practiced law with the California Department of Justice as a deputy attorney general since 1990. Prior to 1990, he was in private practice. Olivas makes his home in the San Fernando Valley with his wife and son.

Bibliography

Books

• The Book of Want: A Novel (University of Arizona Press, 2011)
• Anywhere But L.A.: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2009)
• Devil Talk: Stories (Bilingual Press, 2004)
• Assumption and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, 2003)
• The Courtship of María Rivera Peña (Silver Lake Publishing, 2001)

Children's Picture Book

• Benjamin and the Word / Benjamin y la palabra (Arte Público Press, 2005)

Anthologies (contributing author)

• You Don't Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens (Arte Público Press, 2011)
• Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer (W. W. Norton, 2010)
• Sudden Fiction Latino: Short-Short Stories from the United States and Latin America (W. W. Norton, 2010)
• A Poet’s Haggadah: Passover Through the Eyes of Poets (CreateSpace, 2008)
• Social Issues Firsthand: Hate Crimes (Thomson/Greenhaven, 2007)
• You Have Time for This: Contemporary American Short-Short Stories (Ooligan Press, 2007)
• Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers (Lee & Low Books, 2001)
• Fantasmas: Supernatural Stories by Mexican American Writers (Bilingual Press, 2000)
• Nemeton: A Fables Anthology (Silver Lake Publishing, 2000)

Anthology (editor)

• Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature (Bilingual Press, 2008)

External links

• Web page: http://www.danielolivas.com
• La Bloga: http://labloga.blogspot.com

Interviews, Press Coverage and Profiles

• Poets & Writers Magazine: http://www.pw.org/content/daniel_a_olivas?cmnt_all=1
• Dark Sky Magazine: http://darkskymagazine.com/daniel-olivas
• Cellar Door: http://www.stanford.edu/group/cellardoor/cgi-bin/home/2010/03/interview-with-stanford-english-graduate
• The Loyalist: http://www.loyalistnews.org/arts/2010/04/olivas-headline.html
• Stanford Magazine: http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2005/marapr/show/olivas.html
• Margin: http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/margin/Olivas.html
• Ink Byte: http://inkbyte.com/target/c_Melinda_Palacio/051023-Olivas/index.html
• LAist: http://www.laist.com/archives/2005/08/22/_laist_interview_daniel_olivas.php
• Critical Mass: http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com/2008/05/small-press-spotlight-daniel-olivas.html
• LAObserved on KCRW: http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/lo/lo080425bookish_la

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Name	Olivas, Daniel
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Date of birth	April 8, 1959
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