A House of Our Own: A Literary Column

Bi-monthly pieces with snippets of author interviews woven in.

"there’s so much in front of us, so much beyond us": Interview with Sarah Yanni

Sarah Yanni’s “August” is a meditation on care, nature, and the passage of time. She wrote her first draft, as she does everything she writes, in her notebook. An experimentation with form, which follows the scanned journal page below, brought her out of free verse. But she didn’t stay in couplets, finding her own rhythm the way Californians find a new way to mark the passage of time. I had an email interview with Yanni to discuss her editorial process with this poem. Brittan

"If there’s a god who is writing the book of my life, they would probably have a pretty good sense of humor": Interview with David Villaverde

David Villaverde’s “Gnomon” is a multimodal, layered poem that began with a “two truths and one lie” conceit about the environment and ended up as a meditation on the human capacity for horror, both causing and grappling with it. The PDF below gathers some of the drafts that resulted in the final poem, published in The Adroit Journal. I spoke with Villaverde over Zoom about the function of poetry and how the personal becomes the universal. Brittany Torres Rivera (BTR): The fi

"Other people’s input can be scary, but it was a gift." Interview with Isabel Duarte-Gray

Isabel Duarte-Gray talks about the revision process for her poem “The Shrew Ash.”

"poems are so much better if I let them inhabit the best potential of themselves" Francisco Márquez on Revising "Lullaby"

Francisco Márquez on Revising "Lullaby"

Michael Torres on Revising “Pockets”

Michael Torres on the drafting and process of revising his poem “Pockets.”

A House of Our Own Will Delve Deep Into the Drafts and Revisions of Emerging Writers

The 2026 season of A House of Our Own will focus on the editorial process of emerging writers.

“'What if' is such a powerful question.": A Conversation with Ruben Reyes Jr. on Archive of Unknown Universes

Brittany Torres River talks with Ruben Reyes Jr. about his latest book Archive of Unknown Universes.

"I wanted to communicate her strength . . . her agency, and I was not interested in a story about a passive woman who was just a mouthpiece.": A Conversation with Veronica Chapa on Malinalli

Brittany Torres Rivera talks to Veronica Chapa about her debut novel Malinalli.

"To what lengths is this group of women willing to go to get some sort of control": A Conversation with Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro on Bochica

Brittany Torres Rivera interviews Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro on Bochica.

"If trauma is a seed...you can decide to keep burying it or learn to tend to the thing it grows into.": A Conversation with Steven Espada Dawson on Late to the Search Party

Brittany Torres Rivera talks to Steven Espada Dawson about his debut poetry collection Late to the Search Party.

"Trying to capture that reaching is the whole point": A Conversation with Austin Araujo on At the Park on the Edge of the Country

Brittany Torres Rivera interviews Austin Araujo about his debut collection At the Park on the Edge of the Country.

A House of Our Own: A New Direction in the New Year

A House of Our Own shifts its focus in 2025.

YOU by Rosa Alcalá

Brittany Torres Rivera reviews YOU and weaves in interview conversation with author Rosa Alcalá

In Vitro: On Longing And Transformation by Isabel Zapata translated by Robin Myers

Brittany Torres Rivera reviews In Vitro and weaves in interview conversation with author Isabel Zapata and translator Robin Myers.

Santa Tarantula by Jordan Pérez

Brittany Torres Rivera reviews Santa Tarantula by Jordan Perez.

Liliana’s Invincible Summer by Cristina Rivera Garza

Brittany Torres Rivera reviews Liliana’s Invincible Summer & weaves in an interview with Cristina Rivera Garza.

Grand Tour by Elisa Gonzalez

Brittany Torres Rivera reviews Grand Tour & weaves in an interview with Elisa Gonzalez

Extended Stay by Juan Martinez

Brittany Torres Rivera reviews Extended Stay & weaves in an interview with Juan Martinez

Iron into Flower by Yvette Neisser

Brittany Torres Rivera reviews Iron into Flower & weaves in an interview with Yvette Neisser.

Fixed Star by Suzanne Frischkorn

Brittany Torres Rivera writes about Fixed Star & weaves in an interview with Suzanne Frischkorn.

Rituals for Climate Change: A Crip Struggle for Ecojustice by Naomi Ortiz

Brittany Torres Rivera writes about Rituals for Climate Change: A Crip Struggle for Ecojustice & weaves in an interview with Naomi Ortiz.

Delicates by Wendy Guerra Translated by Nancy Naomi Carlson and Esperanza Hope Snyder

Brittany Torres Rivera writes about Delicates by Wendy Guerra & weaves in an interview with one of the translators.

Quarantine Highway by Millicent Borges Accardi

Brittany Torres Rivera writes about Millicent Borges Accardi's Quarantine Highway & weaves in an interview with the poet.

Muse Found in a Colonized Body by Yesenia Montilla

Brittany Torres Rivera writes about Yesenia Montilla's latest collection Muse in a Colonized Body & weaves in an interview with the poet.