I shared this story, The Ponytail Holder, in Los Angeles, at the great Pablo Marz's Family Fun Time episode of Tell It! Personal true stories told live onstage. Heads up: this story includes themes of mental illness, which is not always fun in the family. But...
My historical novel, Candlelight Bridge, has just been released by FlowerSong Press. I grew up with my Mexican-and-Chinese American Grandma, and Candlelight Bridge was inspired by the stories she told me: tales of secret immigrants, mixed-race children, and trauma...
Getting Lost In L.A. is a rite of passage for Angelenos, and I'm no exception, though I don't live there anymore. This is my favorite version of that story so far, thanks to the big-hearted community of Larry Dean Harris' storytelling show, Strong Words. His...
Hola mis amigos y siguedores quien hablan español. Tal vez saben que soy ni sola una escritora sino una narradora también. Por siete años, había contado historias frente de audiencias en vivo, y soy una ganadora de The Moth StorySLAM. Esta primavera, por primera vez,...
I may never live down The Tamale Incident, my moment of infamy in the Lopez-Lee family. In this live personal story, I confess what happened that day and why sometimes, just sometimes, I feel like a failed Mexican woman. Thanks to Larry Dean Harris for inviting me to...
I've been moved by the audiences who've taken an interest in the stories of my search for the family history of my Mexican-Chinese Grandma. In 2021, I had a few opportunities to share the story of my journey to China to heal an old family divide. In case you haven't...
As many of you know, I'm writing a historical novel inspired by family stories my Mexican-Chinese grandma used to tell me: tales of secret immigrants and mixed races, family loyalties and betrayals. I'm also involved in the world of live personal storytelling, and The...
At The Moth StorySlam in L.A., at Busby's East on December 11, 2019, I told a true personal story I've long hoped to tell, on a theme that means a lot to me: Family. It marked one of my most treasured moments connecting with an audience. I was proud to come in third...
Cara Lopez Lee is the author of the novel, Candlelight Bridge, and the memoir, They Only Eat Their Husbands. She’s a winner of The Moth StorySLAM and is featured in many personal storytelling shows. Her writing appears in such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Manifest-Station, and Rivet. Cara and her husband love traveling, but their home is coastal Ventura, California, where they enjoy tending their Certified Wildlife Habitat full of birds, bees, and butterflies.
