Corpus Christi Writers 2020

This anthology showcases the unique voices of residents or natives of Corpus Christi, Texas. From poetry to prose, fiction to non-fiction, the selections express individuality and diversity while also articulating universal themes.

The talking cat and the talking squirrel are back this year. They’re joined by a soulful dog. The pot-smoking hippie returns to be joined by the LSD police and an aging drug lord seeking a successor. Immigrants take life-threatening risks in pursuit of a better life. The Resurrection is described from the perspective of a tomb cutter. A mother fights on a mountain for her Christian values. Other writers take a decidedly secular view. Dystopia remains a popular topic. People scramble for love and food in a hostile world. A podcast forecasts the end of the world. Some view the future more positively as esoteric products become available online. If you want escape and a guaranteed happy ending, there is that too.

Corpus Christi and Texas emerge as dominant landscapes. You can read about K Space or fishing trips or a newsboy Christmas or a rural area where disputes were handled without police. An alternate history tells of a student at Kingsville High School. The third sand bar, the Austwell turnoff, and the Copano Bay Bridge are elevated to mythic levels. They are not as familiar to the average reader as Manhattan or Brooklyn, but perhaps they should be. There’s a poem written in the dirt and there’s an autopsy of poetry. People remember lost loves and strive for sexual identity. And when all else fails, there’s a librarian who chases someone stealing a book.

Images are included in this anthology. Most are created by the writers. Local artist, Jimmy Peña, created “Typing Hands.” The cover plays off an eye chart as we bring local writers into sharp 20/20 focus in the year 2020.

 This anthology showcases the unique voices of residents or natives of Corpus Christi, Texas. From poetry to prose, fiction to non-fiction, the writers express individuality and diversity while also articulating universal themes. The writers are:

ABRAR AHMAD

ALAN BERECKA

ALISA HOPE WAGNER

ALLYSON LARKIN

ANDREA PEREZ

AZRAEL MONTOYA

BOB JAMES

CAROL MAYS

CHARLES ETHERIDGE

CHRISTIAN GARDUNO

COFFFEEE CAT

CYNTHIA BREEDING 

DAVID CARPENTER

DEVORAH FOX

DYLAN LOPEZ

ELISSA BREWSTER

ESTHER BONILLA READ 

FREDRICK GONZALES

GERALD BECKMAN

GRANT MAYS

HEATHER TWARDOWSKI 

HELENE GUERRA

JACQUELINE GONZALEZ

JASON BOND

JAVIER VILLARREAL

JIM MCCUTCHON

JIMMY WILDEN

JO ANN SANDERSON

JOEL ORTIZ

JOHN MEZA

JON GREGORY

JOSEPH WILSON

JOSHUA ESPITIA

JOSHUA HAMILTON

JUAN PEREZ

KAREN CLINE-TARDIFF 

KENNETH BENNIGHT

LEE HULTIN

LOU ELLA HICKMAN

MANDY ASHCRAFT

MATT ROSAS

MONA SCHROEDER

PAUL MCCANN

PATRICIA ALANIZ

REBECAH HALL

ROBERTA DOHSE

ROBIN CARSTENSEN

RON GEORGE 

SARAH K. LENZ

SKYLAR PIERCE

TOM DIFRANCESCA

TOM MURPHY

TREV TREVINO

WILLIAM MAYS

WILLIAM WALTON

ZOE RAMOS