36: ‘Curtains of Rain’ Author Anel Flores Examines South Texas Environmental Racism in Queer Coming-of Age Story

About this episode

Marisol Cortez interviews Anel Flores about their novel that intertwines themes of queer identity and environmental issues in South Texas.

Send us Fan Mail Deceleration’s Marisol Cortez speaks with Anel Flores about their new novel Curtains of Rain/Cortinas de Lluvias (Jaded Ibis Press, 2025), a queer coming-of-age story that explores the intersections of homophobia and transphobia with environmental racism in South Texas, specifically the industrial contamination inflicted on Mission, Texas, for decades by companies like Monsanto. But it’s also a book about the beauty and sacredness of queer familia and the landscapes that hold...

People in this episode

Host: Marisol Cortez

Guest: Anel Flores

Topics covered

• environmental racism
• queer coming-of-age
• homophobia
• transphobia
• industrial contamination
• queer familia

Keywords

• Curtains of Rain
• Anel Flores
• environmental racism
• queer identity
• South Texas
• Monsanto
• coming-of-age
• homophobia
• transphobia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Monsanto

Books & works: Curtains of Rain

Places: South Texas, Mission, Texas

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