Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse by Melissa Lozado-Oliva (Paperback)

Fiction - Poetry 

Published: 9/27/2022 (in Paperback)

Melissa Lozada-Oliva's Dreaming of You is an absurd yet heartfelt examination of celebrity worship.

A young Latinx poet grappling with loneliness and heartache decides one day to bring Tejano pop star Selena Quintanilla back to life. The séance kicks off an uncanny trip narrated by a Greek chorus of gossiping spirits as she journeys through a dead celebrity prom, encounters her shadow self, and performs karaoke in hell.

In visceral poems embodying millennial angst, paragraph-long conversations overheard at her local coffeeshop, and unhinged Twitter rants, Dreaming of You reveals an eerie, sometimes gruesome, yet moving love story. Playfully morbid and profoundly candid, an interrogation of Latinidad, womanhood, obsession, and disillusionment, it grapples with the cost of being seen for your truest self.

NOW IN PAPERBACK FEATURING A SHORT STORY FROM THE FORTHCOMING COLLECTION BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT, JESUS IS ALIVE

"Melissa Lozada Olivia’s novel-in-verse Dreaming of You is the most beautiful love letter to Selena fans all over the world. . .Toeing the line between horror and magical realism, this will undoubtedly frighten as it will bring back memories and inspire joy."
—Sofía Aguilar, HipLatina

"Crackly and energetic, with poignancy beneath; for Latinx and millennial readers, plus poetry lovers interested in new voices."
—Library Journal

"An enjoyably madcap journey through the wasteland of fame, popular culture, and feminine identity in a post-colonial world."
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review