Written works by Adrian Mendoza

Written by A

Snakeskin Press: This Indie Publication Uplifts Emerging Queer Authors

"Snakeskin Press is doing what indie-publishing does best. It is going to bat for underrepresented stories and take big swings on risky projects that trad-publishing won’t touch. Even while the domination of the Big Five grows, indie publishers will continue to come out with the stories that need to be told." Read the full article here: https://www.trillmag.com/culture/books/snakeskin-press-this-indie-publication-uplifts-emerging-queer-authors/

Trill Mag

Literary Fiction: Accessibility Concerns and Anti-Intellectualism

"The problem isn’t where the metaphorical goal post lies, however, but rather the journey to reach it. If the goal post is to comprehend literary fiction, the solution isn’t to water down the literature. The solution is to create pathways for people to expand their reading comprehension. This can look like book clubs that encourage the sharing of ideas and interpretations. It can also look like larger, systemic changes like access to higher education for those who seek it." R

Trill Mag

My Small Town: Nothing Good Comes From Where I Come From

"Growing up in Victorville, I always lamented the limitations of my hometown. My criticisms ranged from the practical struggle of being a kid without access to age-appropriate activities or the infrastructure to get me there, to my perception that surely everyone here must have settled. It felt as if the town that raised me was secretly a purgatory that people just found themselves trapped in." Read the full article here: https://www.trillmag.com/life/people/my-small-town-not

Trill Mag

Romance Books Are Reshaping Narratives Around Love, Desire, And Consent

The romance genre has long been a tool for writers and readers alike to flesh out their fantasies and come to understand their needs and desires. For women readers, this can be an invaluable way to counteract the societal messaging that shames women for their sexualities. Fiction then becomes a sandbox to play in and explore within the safety of one’s own mind — women can explore wild fantasies without having to get too caught up in logistics. Read the full article here:...

Trill Mag

On Body Horror

"This misaligned process of taking shape in all the wrong ways as a young trans and disabled person was not one that I saw commonly represented in literature. Authors seemed unwilling to face the reality of a disabled, queer body, or perhaps publishers were afraid of platforming those kinds of stories. I came to find comfort in the next best thing: books about bodies that are queered through horrific transformations." Read the full essay here: https://larbpublab.org/2026/07/2

LARB PubLab

Latest by A

Published Works

Snakeskin Press: This Indie Publication Uplifts Emerging Queer Authors

Trill Mag

Literary Fiction: Accessibility Concerns and Anti-Intellectualism

Trill Mag

My Small Town: Nothing Good Comes From Where I Come From

Trill Mag

All Works

About me

Adrian Mendoza is a writer across disciplines. They got their start as a journalist as Founder and President of their high school newspaper club, and haven't stopped writing since! Adrian pursued student journalism all three and a half years of college, writing for the Daily Trojan, Annenberg Media, and Trojans360. They also served as managing editor for Trojans360 in their last year of college where they were dedicated to revamping the digital magazine's brand and pushing writers to find what they were passionate about writing on. Since graduation, Adrian has maintained a Substack called Read by A, where they post book reviews and discuss all things bookish.

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