A Bookshop Best Young Adult Book of 2024
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book of 2025
A 2025 Southwest Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An American Booksellers Association
Indies Introduce Selection
An American Booksellers Association
Kids Indie Next List Selection
An NECBA
Windows & Mirrors Shortlist Selection
Words about Me
Longtime Montessori educator Josh Galarza writes fiction and creative nonfiction, and is a multidisciplinary visual artist specializing in printmaking and book arts. His research centers around male gender performance, queer issues, body liberation, and Chicano studies. His debut novel, The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky (Henry Holt & Company), was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
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Galarza earned his BA in English and BFA in art from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he later taught printmaking. He currently lives in Richmond, VA, where he teaches in the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University while completing an MFA in creative writing.
Appearances
YA NOV CON 2025
February 8, 2025
Redwood City Public Library
11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
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We’re excited to kick off the 10th annual YANovCon convention with a Writing Workshop for Teens, led by novelist Kara H.L. Chen. Following the workshop, author Abigail Hing Wen will be joining as our keynote speaker in this free half-day celebration. The day's events include a teen-led Q&A session followed by three different panel discussions on topics related to this year's featured theme: Coming of Age in a Digital World. 
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The day concludes with author book signings, with books available to purchase on-site thanks to our wonderful partnership with Linden Tree Books.