Josh Galarza

Finalist, 2024 National Book Awards

Josh Galarza, a longtime Montessori educator, writes fiction and creative nonfiction, and is a multidisciplinary visual artist specializing in printmaking and book arts. His research centers male gender performance, queer issues, body liberation, and Chicano issues. Learn more >

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About the book

The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky

ISBN 9781250907714
Henry Holt and Company (BYR) / Macmillan Publishers

Ever since cancer invaded his adoptive mother’s life, Brett feels like he’s losing everything, most of all control. To cope, Brett fuels all of his anxieties into epic fantasies, including his intergalactic Kid Condor comic book series, which features food constellations and characters not unlike those in his own life. More about this book >

Full Bio

Josh Galarza

Josh Galarza, a longtime Montessori educator, writes fiction and creative nonfiction, and is a multidisciplinary visual artist specializing in printmaking and book arts. His research centers male gender performance, queer issues, body liberation, and Chicano issues. His debut novel, The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky, was a Finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Galarza earned his BA in English and BFA in art from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he later taught printmaking. He lives in Richmond, VA, where he teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University while completing an MFA in creative writing.

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