"I want to tell you...this story."On a Thursday evening in Pasadena at the locally iconic Vroman's Bookstore, author and Loyola alumnus Daniel Olivas carefully picks a story from his new book Anywhere But L.A., his fifth published work of fiction, to share with the small crowd attending the reading.
"I titled this story 'Blue' after the Joni Mitchell album," said Olivas after finishing his somber first selection. He paused and added jokingly, "Don't worry, I never read the depressing story last or people won't buy the book."
Daniel Olivas graduated from Loyola in 1977. He shares an implicit fellowship with many present-day Cubs in that he, too, was once taught by English teacher Mr. Terry Caldwell, a fairly new member of Loyola's faculty at the time. Once the art director for The Loyalist and a contributor to Windowpanes, Olivas has since been published in several anthologies, periodicals and well-known publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the El Paso Times and California Lawyer.
"Writing--it's something I can't stop myself from doing," said Olivas. "I find it extremely fun, getting lost in the story, the characters."
Olivas' early love for literature, a fascination cultivated in part by Mr. Caldwell's lessons on poetry and prose, has allowed him to find considerable success as a writer. His work has received much praise and has been taught in college courses at Rutgers, Ohio State, UC Riverside and other institutions. His story "La Guaca" was included in Sudden Fiction Latino, a Norton Anthology--not unlike those required by Loyola's Honors English 2 or AP English 3 classes--containing the works of diverse and talented Latino authors.
"My work will also be appearing in a second Norton anthology this year called Hint Fiction," said Olivas. "It features a bunch of different stories, all of which are fewer than 25 words." He described the prospect of appearing in two Norton anthologies in the same year as "an English major's dream."
Olivas recalls his time at Loyola as a crucial period in his life. "Being part of that community gave me a basis to think for myself and find my own path as a person," he said. "I remember being unsure about college. I knew I wanted to go, but the concept of going away out of L.A. was kind of alien to me."
In the end, along with support from his family, Fr. Mario Prietto, S.J., recipient of the Cahalan Award in 2009, encouraged him to consider Stanford University, the college Olivas eventually chose to attend.
Majoring in English at Stanford and later attending law school at UCLA, Olivas first got settled in law as a career before writing any fiction. "Over time, the legal articles I used to write," said Olivas, "became more like short stories." But he has not given up his day job. After a short stint in private practice, Olivas has been practicing law in the Public Rights Division of the California Department of Justice since 1990. He finds the practice of law in the public interest very gratifying.
Anywhere But L.A. contains 20 short stories that pertain to Los Angeles not only as a physical location but also as a cultural identity and as a mindset. Referring to the title, Olivas said, "There is a love-hate relationship with the city that anyone who lives in L.A. can understand. These stories address that." Olivas, who grew up two blocks from Loyola, has lived in the San Fernando Valley with his wife and son for the last two decades.
Olivas shared two more stories after "Blue"--pieces entitled "Franz Kafka in Fresno" and "Later Days"--before answering questions from the audience. He spoke briefly of his previous books--a children's book, a novella, and two other short story collections. His first full-length novel, The Book of Want, will be published in the Spring of 2011 by the University of Arizona Press.
For more information on Daniel Olivas and his work, visit his website at http://www.danielolivas.com/.
Daniel Olivas graduated from Loyola in 1977. He shares an implicit fellowship with many present-day Cubs in that he, too, was once taught by English teacher Mr. Terry Caldwell, a fairly new member of Loyola's faculty at the time. Once the art director for The Loyalist and a contributor to Windowpanes, Olivas has since been published in several anthologies, periodicals and well-known publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the El Paso Times and California Lawyer.
"Writing--it's something I can't stop myself from doing," said Olivas. "I find it extremely fun, getting lost in the story, the characters."
Olivas' early love for literature, a fascination cultivated in part by Mr. Caldwell's lessons on poetry and prose, has allowed him to find considerable success as a writer. His work has received much praise and has been taught in college courses at Rutgers, Ohio State, UC Riverside and other institutions. His story "La Guaca" was included in Sudden Fiction Latino, a Norton Anthology--not unlike those required by Loyola's Honors English 2 or AP English 3 classes--containing the works of diverse and talented Latino authors.
"My work will also be appearing in a second Norton anthology this year called Hint Fiction," said Olivas. "It features a bunch of different stories, all of which are fewer than 25 words." He described the prospect of appearing in two Norton anthologies in the same year as "an English major's dream."
Olivas recalls his time at Loyola as a crucial period in his life. "Being part of that community gave me a basis to think for myself and find my own path as a person," he said. "I remember being unsure about college. I knew I wanted to go, but the concept of going away out of L.A. was kind of alien to me."
In the end, along with support from his family, Fr. Mario Prietto, S.J., recipient of the Cahalan Award in 2009, encouraged him to consider Stanford University, the college Olivas eventually chose to attend.
Majoring in English at Stanford and later attending law school at UCLA, Olivas first got settled in law as a career before writing any fiction. "Over time, the legal articles I used to write," said Olivas, "became more like short stories." But he has not given up his day job. After a short stint in private practice, Olivas has been practicing law in the Public Rights Division of the California Department of Justice since 1990. He finds the practice of law in the public interest very gratifying.
Anywhere But L.A. contains 20 short stories that pertain to Los Angeles not only as a physical location but also as a cultural identity and as a mindset. Referring to the title, Olivas said, "There is a love-hate relationship with the city that anyone who lives in L.A. can understand. These stories address that." Olivas, who grew up two blocks from Loyola, has lived in the San Fernando Valley with his wife and son for the last two decades.
Olivas shared two more stories after "Blue"--pieces entitled "Franz Kafka in Fresno" and "Later Days"--before answering questions from the audience. He spoke briefly of his previous books--a children's book, a novella, and two other short story collections. His first full-length novel, The Book of Want, will be published in the Spring of 2011 by the University of Arizona Press.
For more information on Daniel Olivas and his work, visit his website at http://www.danielolivas.com/.
