Meet the Poet: Aleida Rodríguez

Aleida Rodríguez was born in Cuba. In 1962 was airlifted parentless to the U.S. via Operation Pedro Pan. In 1967 she arrived in Los Angeles, where she became the first woman/Latina/lesbian to establish a literary magazine and press (rara avis, Books of a Feather 1977­–84) in city history. Her poetry and prose have appeared nationwide in literary magazines, textbooks, and anthologies since 1974, as well as in England, Wales, and The Netherlands. Her first poetry collection, Garden of Exile, won both the Morton Poetry Prize from Sarabande Books and the PEN Literary Award, before being selected Best Book by San Francisco Chronicle.