Rhizome by Richard Zela

latinamericanliteraturetoday.org

translated by Libia Brenda and David Bowles

Libia Brenda (Puebla, 1974) studied Hispanic Language and Literature, has spent the last twenty years making books, and writes science fiction and fantasy short stories. She is the co-founder of the Cúmulo de Tesla collective (@Cumulodetesla), a multidisciplinary working group that promotes the dialogue between the arts and sciences, with a special focus on science fiction. She has published stories, reviews, and essays in online and printed magazines, as well as various anthologies, such as L’altra Penelope, Scrivere Donna; Especial Philip K. Dick, Así se acaba el mundo. Cuentos mexicanos apocalípticos, Futuros por cruzar: cuentos de ciencia ficción de la frontera México-Estados Unidos. She has a secret identity dedicated to gastronomy. She’s on Twitter: @tuitlibiesco. Illustrator and comic artist, born in Mexico City, Richard Zela studied Design and visual communication at ENAP. He has received some recognitions for his work: he was selected for the Young Creators FONCA scholarship, period 2012-2013 and 2017-2018 in the category of graphic narrative, he received first place in the 20th Catalog of Illustrators of the FILIJ and an honorable mention in the 16th catalog of illustrators of FILIJ, he was selected for the 18th Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art and the Catalog Expose 11 from Ballistic Publishing.  Zezolla, his first illustrated album, was selected to represent Mexico at the Bratislava Biennial and is part of the IBBY honor roll in the category of best illustration proposal of 2015. He currently divides his time between trying to lead a healthier life, illustration, and comics. A Mexican-American author from deep South Texas, David Bowles is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Recipient of awards from the American Library Association, Texas Institute of Letters and Texas Associated Press, he has written a dozen or so books, including Flower, Song, Dance: Aztec and Mayan Poetry, the critically acclaimed Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky: Mexican Myths, and They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems. In 2019, Penguin will publish  The Chupacabras of the Rio Grande, co-written with Adam Gidwitz, and Tu Books will release his steampunk graphic novel Clockwork Curandera. His work has also appeared in multiple venues such as Journal of Children's Literature, Rattle, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Nightmare, Asymptote, Translation Review, Metamorphoses, Huizache, Eye to the Telescope, and Southwestern American Literature.