The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera with guest Azul Uribe

The Last Cuentista is a winner of the Newberry Medal award, and is the second book by author Donna Barba Higuera. It is a fast paced, middle-grade dystopian sci-fi, and yet it has so much depth and maturity in its themes.  We were able to discuss many topics at length including immigration, the importance of storytelling, genetic enhancement, collective working, and what connects us. Azul Uribe is a bi-cultural woman who was partially raised in the U.S.—Texas and Mexico. She is currently working on a book of essays, and lives in Merida Mexico, with her two cats, where she owns no high heels and never wears pants. She has been featured in The Daily Dot, and the Anthologies Los Otros Dreamers (2014) and Somewhere We Are Human (Harper Collins 2019). We talk about Azul's personal story, as it deals with deportation, and the U.S. immigration policies and other systemic failures that make the path to citizenship unattainable.