Alex Espinoza is an acclaimed queer writer and educator whose works explore themes of identity, migration, and cultural heritage. His debut novel, "Still Water Saints," received widespread critical praise, establishing him as a distinctive voice in contemporary literature. His second novel, "The Five Acts of Diego León," earned the 2014 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. Espinoza also authored the nonfiction work "Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime," examining LGBTQ+ history. His short story "Detainment" was featured in the 2022 Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories, showcasing his versatility across genres.
Born in Tijuana, Mexico, to Purepécha parents from Michoacán, Espinoza was raised in Southern California, grounding much of his writing in the intersections of Mexican-American life. His essays and reviews have appeared in prominent publications such as the New York Times Sunday Magazine, Los Angeles Times, and NPR. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and MacDowell, Espinoza’s work is celebrated for its lyrical prose and intimate storytelling.
Currently, Espinoza serves as the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair and Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. He resides in Los Angeles with his husband, Kyle. His forthcoming novel, "The Sons of El Rey," is set for release in June 2024 by Simon & Schuster, further expanding his literary contributions.
Standalone Novels
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Still Water Saints
2007
2
The Five Acts of Diego Leon
2013
3
The Sons of El Rey
2024
Non-Fiction Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Cruising
2019
Latinidad: Transnational Cultures in the United States Books (by with T. Jackie Cuevas)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Homecoming Queers: Desire and Difference in Chicana Latina Cultural Production (By: Marivel T. Danielson)
2009
2
Day of the Dead in the USA: The Migration and Transformation of a Cultural Phenomenon (By: Regina M. Marchi)
2009
3
Day of the Dead in the USA, Second Edition: The Migration and Transformation of a Cultural Phenomenon (By: Regina M. Marchi)
2009
4
Dance and the Hollywood Latina: Race, Sex, and Stardom (By: Priscilla Peña Ovalle)
2010
5
The Making of Chicana/o Studies: In the Trenches of Academe (By: Rodolfo F. Acuña)
2011
6
The Rise of Spanish-Language Filmmaking: Out from Hollywood's Shadow, 1929-1939 (By: Lisa Jarvinen)
2012
7
Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego (By: Rudy P. Guevarra Jr.)
2012
8
Disenchanting Citizenship: Mexican Migrants and the Boundaries of Belonging (By: Luis F.B. Plascencia)
2012
9
Zapotecs on the Move: Cultural, Social, and Political Processes in Transnational Perspective (By: Adriana Cruz-Manjarrez)
2013
10
Domestic Negotiations: Gender, Nation, and Self-Fashioning in US Mexicana and Chicana Literature and Art (By: Marci R. McMahon)
2013
11
Troubling Nationhood in U.S. Latina Literature: Explorations of Place and Belonging (By: Maya Socolovsky)
2013
12
Hidden Chicano Cinema: Film Dramas in the Borderlands (By: A. Gabriel Meléndez)
2013
13
Borderlands Saints: Secular Sanctity in Chicano/a and Mexican Culture (By: Desirée A. Martín)
2013
14
Salvadoran Imaginaries: Mediated Identities and Cultures of Consumption (By: Cecilia M. Rivas)
2014
15
Mexican Hometown Associations in Chicagoacán: From Local to Transnational Civic Engagement (By: Xóchitl Bada)
2014
16
Dream Nation: Puerto Rican Culture and the Fictions of Independence (By: Maraia Acosta Cruz)
2014
17
The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Conversos: Uncovering Hidden Influences from Spain to Mexico (By: Marie-Theresa Hernandez)
2014
18
Family Activism: Immigrant Struggles and the Politics of Noncitizenship (By: Amalia Pallares)
2014
19
Mexico on Main Street: Transnational Film Culture in Los Angeles before World War II (By: Colin Gunckel)
2015
20
Of Forests and Fields: Mexican Labor in the Pacific Northwest (By: Mario Jimenez Sifuentez)
2016
21
Southwest Asia: The Transpacific Geographies of Chicana/o Literature (By: Jayson Gonzales Sae-Saue)
2016
22
From the Edge: Chicana/o Border Literature and the Politics of Print (By: Allison E. Fagan)
2016
23
In Search of the Mexican Beverly Hills: Latino Suburbanization in Postwar Los Angeles (By: Jerry Gonzalez)
2017
24
LatinAsian Cartographies: History, Writing, and the National Imaginary (By: Susan Thananopavarn)
2018
25
Post-Borderlandia: Chicana Literature and Gender Variant Critique (By: T. Jackie Cuevas)
2018
26
Constituting Central American–Americans: Transnational Identities and the Politics of Dislocation (By: Maritza E. Cárdenas)
2018
27
Forging Arizona: A History of the Peralta Land Grant and Racial Identity in the West (By: Anita Huizar-Hernandez)
2019
28
Parcels: Memories of Salvadoran Migration (By: Mike Anastario)
2019
29
Becoming Transnational Youth Workers: Independent Mexican Teenage Migrants and Pathways of Survival and Social Mobility (By: Isabel Martínez)
2019
30
East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte
2020
31
Deportes: The Making of a Sporting Mexican Diaspora (By: José M Alamillo)
2020
32
Precarity and Belonging: Labor, Migration, and Noncitizenship (By: Juan Poblete, Catherine S. Ramírez, Sylvanna M. Falcon, Steven C. McKay, Felicity Amaya Schaeffer)
2021
33
Latinas on the Line: Invisible Information Workers in Telecommunications (By: Melissa Villa-Nicholas)
2022
34
Embodied Economies: Diaspora and Transcultural Capital in Latinx Caribbean Fiction and Theater (By: Israel Reyes)
2022
Akashic Noir Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
San Francisco Noir
2002
2
Seattle Noir
2003
3
Bronx Noir
2003
4
Brooklyn Noir
2004
5
Brooklyn Noir 2
2005
6
Chicago Noir
2005
7
Dublin Noir
2005
8
Manhattan Noir
2006
9
Miami Noir
2006
10
D.C. Noir
2006
11
Dublin Noir: The Celtic Tiger vs. the Ugly American