Liza Monroy

cool blog alert

liza — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:08:08 +0000

I love this recently stumbled-upon blog called Drew Haciendo Trabajo by a U.S. Midwesterner who lives in Mexico City. He posts a photograph a day, some of which are stunning. (re-posting my personal favorite.) They all capture a slice of el D.F., where unusual sights are endless. He also wrote about Mexican High, so thanks, Drew!

Mexico City’s Pink Taxis Give Women a Ride on the Safer Side

liza — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:39:40 +0000

I wrote about the city of Puebla’s controversial all-women taxis for the February/March issue of BUST magazine.
Check out the article here: pink-taxis-in-bust

Mexican High reviewed in the Foreign Service Journal

liza — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:28:23 +0000

The Foreign Service Journal included Mexican High in its annual round-up of books by Foreign Service employees (thanks, Mom!) and their relations. Check it out here:
mexican-high_fsj-review

Review of Mad, Bad, and Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors by Lisa Appiganesi

liza — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:50:28 +0000

From December/January’s issue of BUST:
bust-book-review

The Faster Times: first in a series

liza — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:02:37 +0000

here is my story starring Ava of the Upper East Side (and beside her, the humble Jack)

Jonathan Lethem profile

liza — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:31:40 +0000

My profile of Jonathan Lethem is the cover story of the November/December issue of Poets & Writers magazine. It’s not available online so I won’t post it until the issue goes off the stands, but a little preview can be found here. Check it out in the magazine if you can!

Lethem’s brilliant new novel Chronic City was published this week.

Inaugurating the Celebrate Mexico Now Festival

liza — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:00:34 +0000

At last night’s reading and signing to kick off this year’s Celebrate Mexico Now, I met alumni from my own Mexican high school, and even the Consul General of Mexico, seen after the jump at his speech afterwards. Such a fun evening and now I can’t wait to check out the festival’s events happening throughout the month…up next for me, El Grito in Brooklyn. And probably another one of those jalapeno-infused margaritas.

in today’s NY Daily News

liza — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:56:19 +0000

Check it out!

Celebrate Mexico Now

liza — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:37:25 +0000

Some news I’m excited about: I’m reading on the opening night of the Celebrate Mexico Now festival in New York City, with a reading and discussion at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center at NYU.

There’s a reception afterwards to kick off the series of events that happen throughout the month. I’m definitely not going to miss the film series, Sweet Electra playing at Joe’s Pub, and the Mexican Restaurant week (HECHO EN DUMBO!) Best food ever!.

Here are the details for my reading:

Mexican High
Tuesday , September 8 , 6:00 pm

A book reading and signing with Liza Monroy, author of ‘Mexican High’ (Spiegel & Grau). Monroy’s debut novel, ‘Mexican High’ is a coming of age story that marvelously captures the challenges of the teenage life at one of Mexico City’s most elite private schools.

Followed by an opening reception for Celebrate México Now 2009.

Location: King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center at New York University
Address: 53 Washington Square South
Information & Reservations: 212.998.3650
Website: http://www.nyu.edu/kjc
Details: Free Admission

Getting back to it

liza — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:09:11 +0000

Qu’est-ce que c’est? Read on…

Welcome to September! It’s back-to-school month, officially, and autumn seems to have already returned to Brooklyn, with a crispness in the air and cooler days. Looking back, it was actually an eventful summer. (It having been the “last summer of my twenties,” I was keeping tabs.) After a dreary June spent finishing a certain manuscript (900 pages later…) I decided to revamp the entire thing and chucked it. In July, I vaguely vented about this to Jonathan Lethem, who I had the chance to interview in Maine for an upcoming profile that will appear in November in the print version of this excellent magazine. Lethem said, “well, it’s probably going to be much, much more interesting.” (I have this on tape. It is tempting to replay it when I’m feeling stuck.) Here’s hoping so. I’m about a third of the way and feeling so much more eager to spend time with these characters and exploring where the plot might take them than I ever was writing about “myself.” Writing lessons: a lifelong thing.
After that, I drove to Montreal (7.5 hours of dark, twisting New England backroads!) and met up with Em and Ilter; beautiful city, I felt as though I should have been jetlagged, it’s so European. Vive la Canada. And August…well, that went by fast. Baxter the pug learned to swim in Lake Washington and mastered the skill on Fire Island.

Next week it’s back to Columbia to teach a new class and wrap up my thesis…