LOVE LETTERS IN LIGHT JURY

The Love Letters in Light jury was selected with the support of the Los Angeles office of PEN America and in association with the LA County Library. The jury includes a core group of five writers (Victoria Chang, féi hernandez, Jerry Quickley, Yesika Salgado, and Imani Tolliver) who produced content for the project. Together with the organizers of the project, Leila Hamidi and Caroline Chang, the full group juried the public submissions.


*Love Letters in Light is supported by WE RISE – an initiative of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, funded by sponsorships and Prop 63. To learn more visit werise.la.


INVITED GUEST WRITERS


VICTORIA CHANG

Victoria Chang is a poet and writer. Her recent book of poems, OBIT, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2020. It was named a best book of the year by the New York Times, NPR, TIME Magazine, and The Boston Globe. It was long-listed for the National Book Award and a Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

FÉI HERNANDEZ

féi hernandez is a trans, Inglewood-raised, immigrant artist, writer, and healer. They are a 2021 Define American Fellow and current Board President of Gender Justice L.A. féi’s recent book, Hood Criatura, was on NPR’s Best Books of 2020. 

JERRY QUICKLEY

Jerry Quickley is a poet, playwright, journalist, and activist whose most recent project, Whistleblower, is a spoken word opera in collaboration with composer Philip Glass on Edward Snowden and surveillance.

YESIKA SALGADO

Yesika Salgado is a Los Angeles based Salvadoran poet who writes about her family, her culture, her city, and her fat brown body. She is the author of the best-sellers Corazón, Tesoro, and Hermosa, published with Not a Cult.

IMANI TOLLIVER

Imani Tolliver (she / her) is an award-winning poet, artist, educator, public speaker, and event producer. She’s a graduate of Howard University, a Cave Canem Fellow and served as Poet Laureate for the Watts Towers Arts Center.

LEILA HAMIDI

Leila Hamidi is an artist, writer, arts organizer, and curator of the Love Letters in Light project. She works collaboratively across disciplines in the arts, design, and architecture to create projects that imagine a more generous future.

CAROLINE CHANG

Caroline Chang is the Arts Program Manager at LA County Library, designing and implementing programs for youth and adults that focus on creating equitable access to arts programming and pathways into the creative economy.

As a bridge between the core writing group and the public open call, we reached out to a select group of writers to submit five to ten entries each. This group, assembled from recommendations by the jury, includes Lynell George, Matt Sedillo, Peter J. Harris, Kenji Liu, and Alicia Vogl Saenz.

Care appears on my doorstep: avocados, dogeared books, smoked chicken. A love note, unsigned.
~Lynell George (East LA Library, 5/23/21)

Photo by Elon Schoenholz Photography

OPEN CALL FINALISTS

We received over 1,100 submissions for the Love Letters in Light open call, and have been overwhelmed not only by the response, but the heartfelt messages and backstories in the submissions. Thank you Los Angeles (and beyond) for sharing your messages of love with us! Our jury has selected submissions from the following writers to be included in the project.

Alex Vásquez Dheming (May 29, Norwalk Library Library)
Amy Cannon (May 30, Compton Library)
Anonymous (May 28, Carson Library)
Anonymous (May 30, Topanga Library)
Anonymous (May 20, San Fernando Library)
Anonymous (May 17, Manhattan Beach Library)
Ariel Banayan (May 23, Compton Library)
Audrey Kim (May 19, Carson Library)
Benin Lemus (May 27, Rosemead Library)
Benin Lemus (May 28, San Fernando Library)
Carmen Argote (May 19, Topanga Library)
Christina Brown (May 20, Carson Library)
Claire George (May 30, Carson Library)
Cynthia Boorujy (May 28, Topanga Library)
Dawn Moreno-Freedman (May 18, East LA Library)
Dorothy Randall Gray (May 24, Carson Library)
Dorothy Randall Gray (May 17, Topanga Library)
Elaina Eller (May 26, Rosemead Library)
Elizabeth Rosner (May 20, Norwalk Library Library)
Elline Lipkin (May 19, Manhattan Beach Library)
Ericha Scott (May 23, Topanga Library)
Erika Ayon (May 23, Carson Library)
Erin Poole (May 17, Rosemead Library)
Felís Stella (May 28, Norwalk Library Library)
Ibeth Jaqueline Arriaga (May 30, San Fernando Library)
Ivan Hopkins (May 26, Manhattan Beach Library)
Jessica Alva (May 23, Norwalk Library Library)
John Shaw (May 27, Norwalk Library Library)
Jorge Vargas (May 17, Norwalk Library Library)
Kaitlyne Alvarado (May 17, San Fernando Library)
Lisa Locascio (May 20, East LA Library)
Lorilyn Luong (May 16, Manhattan Beach Library)
Lourdes Gomez (May 26, Compton Library)
Malina Adams (May 17, Compton Library)
Manu García (May 28, East LA Library)
Maria Jose Casazza Gonzalez (May 21, Manhattan Beach Library)
Marisol Lara (May 18, Topanga Library)
Marjeri Manguiat (May 22, Carson Library)
Marjeri Manguiat (May 24, Topanga Library)
Marjeri Manguiat (May 27, San Fernando Library)
Mark Liang (May 31, Manhattan Beach Library)
Martie Faye Agravante (May 29, Rosemead Library)
Mayra Blas (May 16, East LA Library)
Melody Melendez (May 18, San Fernando Library)
Michele Raphael (May 16, Rosemead Library)
Michele Raphael (May 26, San Fernando Library)
Michele Raphael (May 31, San Fernando Library)
Michele Raphael (May 18, Manhattan Beach Library)

Michelle Bracken (May 29, Manhattan Beach Library)
Miguel Salcedo (May 16, Topanga Library)
Mila Cuda (May 31, Compton Library)
Mila Ream (May 20, Compton Library)
Miró Justad (May 30, Rosemead Library)
Nancy Luo (May 27, Carson Library)
Natalie Do (May 26, Carson Library)
Natalie Sierra (May 20, Topanga Library)
Natallie Ciraulo (May 24, Manhattan Beach Library)
Nathalie Khankan (May 22, Compton Library)
Nicole Callihan (May 19, Rosemead Library)
Paola Gutierrez (May 29, Topanga Library)
Pattie Lin (May 22, San Fernando Library)
Pattie Lin (May 19, Norwalk Library Library)
Penelope Cosentino Baker (May 27, Topanga Library)
Peter Chiu (May 22, Topanga Library)
Reanna Liaw (May 23, Manhattan Beach Library)
Rebecca Cha (May 22, Norwalk Library Library)
Rebecca Galvan (May 30, Manhattan Beach Library)
Romus Simpson (May 24, Compton Library)
Romus Simpson (May 22, Manhattan Beach Library)
Rosalilia Mendoza (May 24, Norwalk Library Library)
Rosalina Padilla (May 18, Carson Library)
Rubén Esparza (May 17, East LA Library)
S. Pearl Sharp (May 24, East LA Library)
S. Pearl Sharp (May 30, East LA Library)
S. Pearl Sharp (May 21, Carson Library)
S. Pearl Sharp (May 26, Norwalk Library Library)
Sabrina Isabel Molina (May 21, Rosemead Library)
Sandra Martinez (May 24, Rosemead Library)
Shonda Buchanan (May 28, Compton Library)
Sophie Croucier (May 27, Manhattan Beach Library)
Stacey Menjivar (May 19, San Fernando Library)
Stephanie Preciado (May 26, East LA Library)
Sue Jean Woodmansee (May 21, Compton Library)
Susan Antolin (May 23, Rosemead Library)
Tina Ashrafzadeh (May 21, San Fernando Library)
V. Kali (May 31, Rosemead Library)
Victoria Jimenez (May 27, Compton Library)
Victoria Jimenez (May 29, Compton Library)
Yeimmi Lopez (May 18, Compton Library)
Yoyo Romero (May 22, Rosemead Library)