Tag: Mona Alvarado Frazier

Local Author Mona Alvarado Frazier Shines Light on Untold Stories of Oxnard

by Community Contributor • May 31, 2024 • Comments Off

OXNARD — Mona Alvarado Frazier, Oxnard author of “The Garden of Second Chances,” a novel inspired by her career at the California Youth Authority, brings her passion for storytelling and advocacy to her second novel, “A Bridge Home,” a YA historical novel published by Arte Público Press, University of Houston. The story is inspired by the community of La Colonia, where the author grew up, and the establishment of the Third Street Bridge in the early 1970s.

Readers will meet Jacqui Bravo, a determined 17-year-old Mexican American whose journey is marked by the tragic loss of her father in Vietnam. The subsequent financial and emotional hardships unfold against the backdrop of a barrio filled with community, hope, and resilience.

‘Latina Characters & Women’s Voices’ featuring local authors Cara Lopez Lee and Mona Alvarado Frazier to be held on May 29 at Timbre Books in Ventura

by Community Contributor • May 27, 2024 • Comments Off

VENTURA — “Latina Characters & Women’s Voices” featuring local authors Cara Lopez Lee and Mona Alvarado Frazier to be held from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29 at Timbre Books, 1910 E. Main St., Ventura.

Cara Lopez Lee is the author of the historical novel, Candlelight Bridge (May 28, FlowerSong Press). She’s also the author of the memoir, They Only Eat Their Husbands, and coauthor of the veteran-acclaimed Unexpected Prisoner: Memoir of a Vietnam POW (with Robert Wideman). Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Rivet and Manifest-Station.

After decades of working with incarcerated youth in Ventura County, Mona is fulfilling her passion for writing fiction. When she’s not exploring new destinations or writing, you can find her lost in a book or binge-watching K-dramas.

She is a member of SCBWI, Macondo Writers, and a co-founder of #LatinxPitch, an annual X pitch event.

May 29 — ‘Latina Characters & Women’s Voices’ featuring local authors Cara Lopez Lee and Mona Alvarado Frazier to be held at Timbre Books in Ventura

by Community Contributor • January 1, 2024 • Comments Off

VENTURA — “Latina Characters & Women’s Voices” featuring local authors Cara Lopez Lee and Mona Alvarado Frazier to be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 29 at Timbre Books, 1910 E. Main St., Ventura.

Juvenile criminal justice, immigration, and refuge — a powerful YA must-read for summer by Oxnard author Mona Alvarado Frazier

by Community Contributor • May 19, 2023 • Comments Off

This summer, Oxnard local Mona Alvarado Frazier uses her thirty-year career of working with incarcerated youth to paint a powerful picture of the juvenile criminal justice system, the importance of education, and the challenges faced by low-income families.

Perfect for fans of Punching the Air and Allegedly, THE GARDEN OF SECOND CHANCES (June 6, SparkPress, STEP scholarship winner) follows 17-year-old undocumented mother Juana as she is wrongfully incarcerated. Navigating gangs and prison rules in a correctional facility almost drowns her in despair, anger and depression until she creates a prison garden where she finds the strength to advocate for herself and maintain her humanity.