Author Talk With Tomas Moniz, Author of The King of Aloe Vera
About
Join us at the Belmont Library for a talk with local Bay Area author Tomas Moniz as he introduces his new book. In The King of Aloe Vera , we meet Rey. Rey has lived his whole life in the Mission District of San Francisco and watched the city transform while he remains set in his ways. While volunteering at the library, he meets Q as she leaves cigarette butts on the stairs. With the recent death of his wife and Q dealing with a break up and a difficult family situation, they start to lean on each other through their grief and struggles. It is a story about Latinx identity, intergenerational friendship and chosen family. Moniz's novel takes us on a journey through senior dance classes, illegal bike trips over the Bay Bridge and fair housing rallies. Giveaway books available for event attendees while supplies last. Tomas Moniz is a latinx writer living in East Oakland, CA. His debut novel, Big Familia , was a finalist for the 2020 PEN/ Hemingway and the LAMBDA. His second novel, All Friends Are Necessary , won the 2024 California Golden Poppy Award. He edited the popular Rad Dad and Rad Families anthologies, and he teaches at Berkeley City College, the Antioch MFA, and St Mary's College USF.
