Based closely on the author’s experiences growing up queer in Honduras, LIBERTAD follows high school senior Libertad, as she navigates her passion for political poetry, the harsh realities of homophobia, and ultimately facing a heart-wrenching choice between fleeing her home for safety or staying to honor the sacrifices of those who came before her. ‘ As the contentious 2017 presidential election looms and protests rage across every corner of the city, life in Tegucigalpa, Honduras churns louder and faster. For her part, high school senior Libertad (aka Libi) Morazán takes heart in writing political poetry for her anonymous Instagram account and a budding romance with someone new. But things come to a head when Mami sees texts on her phone mentioning a kiss with her best friend Camila and Libi discovers her beloved older brother, Maynor, playing a major role in the protests. As Libertad faces the political and social corruption around her, stifling homophobia at home and school, and ramped up threats to her poetry online, she begins dreaming of a future in which she doesn’t have to hide who she is or worry about someone she loves losing their life just for speaking up. Then the ultimate tragedy strikes, and leaving her family and friends—plus the only home she’s ever known—might be her only option.
Born in 1997 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Bessie Flores Zaldívar is a writer and professor of fiction. They’re currently based in the New Haven area. LIBERTAD is Bessie’s debut novel.
Anna Lapera is a pushcart prize-nominated author and educator in the DC area. She comes from a Guatemalan mother and Hawaiian-Filipino-German father, and was raised all over the world. When she is not writing or teaching, you can find her visiting trails and coffee shops in DC and Maryland, where she lives with her family. She is the author of the upper middle grade novel, MANI SEMILLA FINDS HER QUETZAL VOICE. She is currently working on a historical fiction young adult novel as well as a short story collection for the grown folks.
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