Juliet Takes a Breath (27 page)

This book wouldn't have even begun if it wasn't for Ariel Gore and her push to get me to submit a short story for the anthology,
Portland Queer: Tales from the Rose City
. 2009 birthed Juliet in her first form. And Ariel, I can't thank you enough for editing the first version of this book while letting me crash in the mini trailer on your desert property in New Mexico.

Forever thanks to Don Weise, the editor who heard me read at an event and told me he'd publish me if I gave Juliet a full-length novel. Don, thanks for your wisdom and expertise. The gentle but honest way you edited
Juliet Takes a Breath
brought us here.

Thanks to my dear friend, Caitlin Corrigan, who's written and free styled with me since we were freshmen in college. You've read this book at almost every stage. Thank you for your love and time.

Much love to Titi Nereida and Uncle Carmelo for sending me prayers and cards of love dedicated to my writing process and their never-ending belief in me and in this work.

Laura Wooley, you're a gem from heaven. The care with which you read and edited this book will always break my heart wide open. And all the nights you sat listening to me read, reading pages I sent panicked at all hours, and listening to me ask a million rhetorical questions while pulling me out of self-doubt, girl you deserve a medal. All I have is my heart. It is yours.

Phoenix Danger, your Phresh Cutz parties inspired the chapter
Undercuts and Transformations
. You're my brother in spirit. No one on this planet has a heart like yours. May it beat forever and nourish the universe.

Autostraddle, you saved my life. No hyperbole. Every single one of you glorious humans has kept me rooted to this earth during the worst times. Without Autostraddle, this book would have floundered due to lack of self-analysis, connection to queer community, and the fact that I just didn't think I was worthy of love.

Riese Bernard, you are my sister from another mister. Thank you for giving all the f*cks about this book.

Vanessa Martir, your first writing workshop helped me further develop Juliet's voice. Without those early edits and direction, I may not have ever found it. Camaradas por siempre.

Glendaliz Camacho, you were down to read and blurb this book in a pinch. You're a powerhouse and I know you'll be the greatest one of us all.

Charlie Vazquez, thanks for pushing me to scaffold this work and put the hours into my editing process.

Kristin Russo, glad to know you and can't believe you put time into reviewing this book. Let's throw queer youth pride parties forever.

Cristy C. Road, I can't believe I got to work with you! Thank you for the gorgeous cover. You are a legend.

Lori Perkins and Riverdale Avenue Books, thanks for publishing me.

Much respect to Walida Imarisha and Adrienne Maree Brown for hosting the
Black and Brown Girls Write a New World
workshop at the 2013 Allied Media Conference. Their workshop inspired the chapter
Ain't No Party Like An Octavia Butler Writer's Workshop
. It also got me writing science fiction for the first time. Queer brown futurism for life.

To every library from the Bronx to Connecticut to Ohio and back around to Portland, Oregon, thanks for existing. Without libraries, I wouldn't have found sanctuary in different places to pour myself into this work.

And finally, thank you to the universe for being chaotic, magnificent, and unrelenting.

 

 

 

Gabby Rivera is so damn thankful she was able to finish this book. She wants queer brown girls to see themselves everywhere and to be proud of who they are. Gabby was a nerdburger who always wrote in journals, on stray napkins, and even on her sneakers when it was cool to do that. She's been published in anthologies and journals put together by other radical, creative folks who also see a world that strays far from the mythic norm.

Gabby has worked with Autostraddle for almost five years. In that time, she's written about feminism, kissing girls, Nicki Minaj, radical politics and falling in love with queer brown communities.

She currently works in the non-profit world with national organizations focused on LGBTQ-identified youth and social justice.

She's gonna write more books, y'all. Please read them. It's very important. Be on the lookout for her latina punk band sci-fi epic,
Supermoon.
Coming some time in the distant but gorgeous future.

 

 

 

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