Contemporary Central American Voices
Date and Time
Sep 23, 2026 6:30 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Sep 23, 2026 6:30 pm
14th & V
Teaching for Change and Busboys and Poets invite you to an evening with five Central American authors — Anna Lapera, John Manuel Arias, Ana Patricia Rodríguez, Diana Rojas, and Jared Lemus. Come sit together, listen, and celebrate Central American stories as a community with readings, conversation, book signings, food, drinks, and great company. REGISTER
We’re lucky to have the authors of these five books in person:
Crocodilopolis: A Novel is a darkly intoxicating novel, at once mythic and wickedly contemporary…Here is a writer in full command of his world, delivering a ferocious meditation on masculinity, legacy, and national myth through an audacious, unforgettable book.
- Ocean Vuong, author of The Emperor of Gladness and On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
In Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice, Anna Lapera expertly voices a young girl’s middle school trials, but with a voice so unique and heartfelt you will be cringing one moment and cheering the next. She weaves a distinctive story filled with humor, family heartache, and secrets while a young girl releases the fear of her voice and grasps its power.
- Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera
Avocado Dreams provides a much-needed examination of an underrepresented community within Latino studies generally and American studies more broadly. Important to this work is that Rodríguez’s study is not born out of dehumanized, sanitized documents and statistics but instead from the arts. Doing so shifts the narrative about Salvadoran communities by emphasizing the criticality with which people are considering their positions and their histories, and challenging attempts at erasure.
- Robert Hurtado, Latino Studies, SUNY Oswego
In Guatemalan Rhapsody, Jared Lemus has tapped into his roots, his soul, his artistry. Whether unfolding in the United States or in Guatemala, the physical location of these stories doesn’t matter as much as their characters — distinctly Central American, distinctly Guatemalan — and their voices matter. Through these characters, we learn how to be human. Lemus is a voice to watch. I’m honored to share this literary life alongside him.
- Javier Zamora, author of Solito
Sharp and keenly observed, They Hold Grudges is a page-turner, voice-driven gem. Diana Rojas writes with fearless honesty, prodding us to question and examine the power those closest to us hold over our lives. Rojas captures the beautiful and the ugly in our midst with propulsiveness, humor, and intensity. Layered and intelligent, this novel is worth your time.
- Annell López, PEN/Robert Bingham Award Finalist and author of I’ll Give You a Reason
During Latinx Heritage Month, we often celebrate influential figures from the Southwest, South America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, like Sandra Cisneros, Gabriel García Márquez, Julia Alvarez, Frida Kahlo, César Chávez, and Dolores Huerta. But how often do we hear the names of Central American authors? Can you even name any? That is why we are going beyond the traditional heroes and holidays approach to Latinx Heritage Month by spotlighting Central American authors of literature about the region and the diaspora.
Central American communities in the United States are among the most targeted for ICE raids — and they are bravely taking the lead on challenging the arrests and deportations. This event is a powerful counter-narrative to the fear mongering about immigration.
This author conversation is part of the Beyond Heroes & Holidays series, co-hosted by Busboys and Poets and Teaching for Change. It is also one of several activities leading up to Teach Central America Week (October 5–9, 2026). Read about our Central America author events in 2025 and 2024.
