Transnational Series: Krystal Anali Vazquez

Join the for an in-store event with author Krystal Anali Vazquez to discuss and celebrate the release of her debut novel , winner of the 2023 George Garrett Fiction Prize, selected by Manuel Muñoz.

“Sharp and ferocious, uncompromising and funny, Lady Without Land is a maddening and compulsively readable novel, filled to the brim with brash anecdotes and tender insights, too, about family, sex, doubt, and the search for self. Proof positive that we all have stories we read and hear, desperate to find something to drown out our sorrows, and find ourselves serving up straight shots of our own defiant music.” —Manuel Muñoz

Lady without Land is a story told in fragments about señorita who feels lost in and lost without Los Angeles. She uses classic literature and cocktail recipes to organize and populate bits and pieces of a life: growing up as a Mexican middle-class girl in a predominantly white suburb where neighbors labeled her family the “dirty” Mexicans; being bullied by an older sister on car rides from Los Angeles to Mexico, grappling with a father’s gambling addiction, and, later, his death; journeying on the continuous carousel of lovers the Pacific and Atlantic coasts have to offer. A shaken and stirred abecedarian, a sloppy yet put-together künstlerroman, about charting one’s life path amid cultural pressures and the grip of the ever-present past, the book can be read forwards or backwards and, with any hope, completely out of sequence so that no reader can read this novel the same way twice.

Krystal Anali Vazquez is a writer and an attorney from Los Angeles living in Brooklyn. She holds degrees from Loyola Marymount University, Georgetown, and Columbia Law School. At Georgetown, she was a fellow in the Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice. As part of her legal practice, she works primarily on government and internal investigations and is also a member of her firm's team that defends the legality of the DACA program. Lady without Land, winner of the 2023 George Garrett Fiction Prize, selected by Manuel Muñoz, is her first novel.

The Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith

The Transnational Series focuses on stories of migration, the intersection of politics and literature, and works in translation and is supported by the independent bookstore Brookline Booksmith. Subscribe to the Transnational Series newsletter for information on upcoming events, book recommendations, and more.

What You Need to Know to Attend

RSVP to let us know you're coming! RSVPs don't guarantee a seat, but you'll be alerted to important details about the program, including safety requirements, cancellations, and book signing updates.

Reserve a Book

• Books will be available for purchase at the event, but you can ensure that you get a copy by preordering on this page. You can pick your book up after 6:30PM on the day of the event.
• Can't make it to the event? Preorder the book here to have it signed, and choose to have it held or shipped from the store! Book orders are processed for pickup or shipping after ticket sales have closed.

Livestream!

Barring technical difficulty, this event will be livestreamed to our store YouTube channel.

Event Accesibility

This event will take place at street level. If possible, the event will be livestreamed to YouTube. ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event. Seats are limited. Please email [email protected] as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. We will do our best to serve your needs!

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING COVID & IN-PERSON EVENTS:

Please note that any Brookline Booksmith in-person event may be canceled by the bookstore, publisher, or author based on concerns about health and safety around the time of the event. Wherever possible, any in-person appearance canceled due to COVID will be moved to the Brookline Booksmith Zoom as a Webinar at the same date and time, and all tickets & registrations will be transferred to the online event. Book signing details may change. Refunds may be requested in the case of a virtual pivot or event cancelation.

Event Venue

Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, United States