Description
The First Amelia by Amelia Rodriguez was selected by Alexandra Lytton Regalado as winner of the Alta California Chapbook Prize and published in a bilingual edition.
“The flowing, associative poems of The First Amelia sing with confidence and travel through the veins of memory, family, and the landscapes of Colima. Amelia Rodriguez conjures images of sparring hawks, crushed rubies, trees glassed with ice, a snared kite, and other wondrous and unique visions. She converses with the men and women of her past, and at the center is a twinned self, “two Amelias hovering / above the turning earth,” that is hungry and ever-present.
-Alexandra Lytton Regalado, Final Judge, Alta California Prize
Amelia Rodriguez is a lesbian writer from the Coachella Valley, California. The 2023 recipient of the San Diego Press Club’s Rising Star Journalist Award, she is the associate editor at San Diego Magazine, where she covers art, culture, and obscure women’s sports. Her articles and poetry have also appeared in Rolling Stone, Spectrum Literary Journal, and other publications.
