Fiction. African American Studies. Gay & Lesbian Studies. Set in the age of urbanization in the Dominican Republic over the course of several lifetimes, ERZULIE'S SKIRT is a tale of how women and their families struggle with love, tragedy and destiny. Told from the perspectives of three women, ERZULIE'S SKIRT takes us from rural villages and sugar cane plantations to the poor neighborhoods of Santo Domingo, and through the journey by yola across the sea between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. It is a compelling love story that unearths our deep ancestral connections to land, ritual and memory.

About the author: Ana-Maurine Lara's poetry and short fiction has appeared in several literary journals including Blithe House Quarterly, The Encyclopedia Project, Sable LitMag and Torch Magazine. She has received awards from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Puffin Foundation, the Brooklyn Arts Council and PEN Northwest. Her debut novel, Erzulie's Skirt, was selected as a Lambda Literary finalist in 2006; her second (unpublished) novel, Anacaona's Daughter, won Third Place Prize in the National Latino/Chicano Literary Prizes. Ana-Maurine is a Cave Canem Fellow and a member of The Austin Project, a collaborative workshop between artists, activists and scholars out of UT-Austin. She coordinates an oral history project documenting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender artists titled: We are the Magicians, the Path Breakers and the Dream Makers (http://themagicmakers.blogspot.com) and is also co-author of bustingbinaries.com: a website dedicated to addressing binary thinking in U.S. based social justice movements. She is a graduate of Harvard University. Currently she resides in Austin, TX.