Education

  • Ph.D. Department of English, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2019.

     

  • M.F.A. Creative Writing, Fiction/Nonfiction, Antioch University Los Angeles, 2015. 

     

  • B.A.   Journalism and Spanish, University of New Mexico, 2008.

Bio and Affiliation

Lorinda Toledo (she/her) is a New Mexico-born, Los Angeles-based writer currently at work on a novel set in the American Southwest about sisterhood and decolonizing identity through spirituality, ecology, and art-making. As a work-in-progress, The Nature of Fire won the first runner-up prize for the 2019 James Jones First Novel Fellowship, and is under revision with her literary agent. 

Lorinda's short works have been published in the Mississippi Review, The Normal School, and Lit Angels among others, and won second place in Exposition Review’s Flash 405 contest, judged by Dr. Cecilia Caballero. Her author interviews have appeared in the LA Times, The Rumpus, and The Millions. She earned a PhD in literature with creative dissertation from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where her writing won a Barrick Graduate Fellowship and a Black Mountain Institute PhD Fellowship. She also holds an MFA from Antioch University Los Angeles, where her work was supported by an Eloise Klein Healy scholarship.

Lorinda teaches writing with a focus on process, and draws on the tools of mindfulness and somatics to help writers, creatives, and scholars connect with their own authenticity to unlock expression, critically examine their ideas, and increase self-knowledge through cultivating a sustainable writing practice. As an educator, she seeks to empower students to intersect coursework with their lived experiences and personal interests to self-actualize toward their goals and create positive change in their communities beyond the classroom.  

Lorinda currently teaches LIBS 440 Capstone. She has taught ENGL 107 Writing in the Digital Age and originally joined Otis as Assistant Director of the Student Learning Center from 2022–2024, where she led tutoring and developed a coaching program.

 

Lorinda Toledo's Picture

Awards and Honors 

  • 2025
    • Otis College Part-Time Faculty Development Fund Grant.
  •  2021
    • Ancinas Scholar, Community of Writers Fiction Workshop.
    • Scholar, Jackson Hole Writers Conference.
  • 2019
    • The Nature of Fire, First runner-up award, James Jones First Novel Fellowship. 
  • 2018–2019
    • Barrick Graduate Fellowship, University of Nevada Las Vegas. 
  • 2018
    • Summer Doctoral Research Fellowship, University of Nevada Las Vegas. 
    • Department of English Nominee, UNLV Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award.
  • 2015–2018
    • Black Mountain Institute Ph.D. Fellowship. 
    • Charter Oak State College Diane J. Goldsmith Award for Excellence of eTutoring, Virtual Writing Center, Antioch University Los Angeles.
  • 2013
    • Eloise Klein Healy Scholarship, M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Antioch University Los Angeles.

Publications:  

Fiction & Memoir

  • “Car Trouble“ Lit Angels, Issue #19: The Hard Feminine, May 2024.
  • “What Grew From the Earth“ The Normal School, October 7, 2020.
  • The Burning We Hold” (novel excerpt) Mississippi Review 46.3, March 2019.

Book Reviews & Interviews

  • “The Confines of Masculinity Are Killing Us: A Conversation with Joe Milan Jr.” The Rumpus, October 16, 2023, interview.
  • “Body Betrayal: The Millions Interviews Maegan Poland" The Millions, October 8, 2021, interview.

Creative Nonfiction

  • 2024
    • “Chile Season,” second-place winner, Exposition Review’s Flash 405 “Otherworldly” contest.
    • “Car Trouble,” Lit Angels, Issue #19: The Hard Feminine.

Short Fiction

  • 2020
    • “What Grew From the Earth,” The Normal School.
  • 2019
    • “The Burning We Hold,” excerpt from The Nature of Fire, Mississippi Review 46.3.
  • 2014
    • “Red Shoes,” Uno Kudo Volume 3.
  • 2013
    • “Karma Keepsakes,” Drunk Monkeys.

Selected Recent Journalism & Author Interviews

  • 2026
    • “Your people-pleasing is making you lonely. Here’s how to build a village” L.A. Times, “Shelf Help,” interview with Beatriz Victoria Albina, June 15.
    • “How a Pulitzer winner resurrected a forgotten U.S.-Mexico border rebellion“ L.A. Times, “How I Wrote the Book,” interview with Cristina Rivera Garza, March 4.
  • 2023
    • “The Confines of Masculinity Are Killing Us: A Conversation with Joe Milan Jr.,” The Rumpus.
  • 2021
    • “Body Betrayal: The Millions Interviews Maegan Poland,” The Millions.
  • 2019
    • “Is the Corporate Adoption of Día de los Muertos Threatening its Meaning?” Los Angeleno.
    • “Cutting-Edge Treatments for Chronic Pain, and How to Self-Advocate” (two-part series) Chasing the Cure.

Manuscript in Progress

The Nature of Fire, novel (under revision at 107,000 words, represented by literary agent Julia Masnik at Watkins/Loomis).

Professional Accomplishments and Exhibitions:  

Fellowships and Grants

  • 2021–2022
    • Writer-to-Writer Mentee, Association of Writers & Writing Programs, Oct.–Jan.
  • 2021
    • Ancinas Scholar, Community of Writers Fiction Workshop, July 11–17, virtual.
    • Scholar, Jackson Hole Writers Conference, June 21–26, virtual.
  • 2019
    • The Nature of Fire, First runner-up award, James Jones First Novel Fellowship.
  • 2018–2019
    • Barrick Graduate Fellowship Award, University of Nevada Las Vegas.
  • 2018
    • Summer Doctoral Research Fellowship, University of Nevada Las Vegas.
  • 2015–2018
    • Black Mountain Institute Ph.D. Fellowship.
  • 2013
    • Eloise Klein Healy Scholarship, M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Antioch University Los Angeles.

(Invited Readings & Interviews) 

  • 2024
    • Excerpt from The Nature of Fire, Roarshack, Los Angeles, CA.
  •  2022
    • In conversation with author Daniel Olivas, How to Date a Flying Mexican, Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA. 
    • “Writers on Writing,” The Writers’ Exchange, Antioch University, online. 
    • UNLV Alumni Reading, The Twig Bookshop, San Antonio, TX. 
  • 2018
    • “What Grew From the Earth” BMI Ph.D. Fellows Reading, Black Mountain Institute/University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV.
  • 2017
    • Excerpt from The Nature of Fire, Book Show bookstore, Los Angeles, CA.

Clients and Employment

  • 2026–present Lecturer, Bridge Program, Antioch University Los Angeles.
  • 2022–present Lecturer, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Otis College of Art and Design.
  • 2019–present Guest Instructor, M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Antioch University Los Angeles.

Past Professional Experience

  • 2025 Instructor, Department of English/Humanities, Mount St. Mary’s University.
  • 2022–2024 Assistant Director, Student Learning Center, Otis College of Art and Design.
  • 2018–2022 Writing Tutor, Teaching and Learning Center, Antioch University Los Angeles.
  • 2019–2022 Ph.D. Coach & Editor, The Writers’ Exchange, Antioch University, online.
  • 2015–2018 Instructor of Record, Department of English, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
  • 2013–2015 Lead Writing Tutor, Virtual Writing Center, Antioch University Los Angeles.