If you crack open my skull, you’ll see the worlds that live inside my head, dancing, singing, and parading in the native tongue of my ancestors. This piece—an attempt to explain these worlds—Sangre Nativa, is a scalding cauldron of Mexican folklore, queer identity, feminism, horror, mystery, and magical realism. It is a warm, welcoming hug of a much larger piece (The Darkness Lives in Her) I wish to share with the world one day. Read carefully enough and you’ll see my blood typed between the words, my song woven between the lines.
Jennifer Fierro-Padilla
Many people live and die without confronting themselves in the darkness.
—Carmen Maria Machado
Sangre Nativa