Local author Kali Fajardo-Anstine debuts novel

Local author Kali Fajardo-Anstine's highly anticipated first novel, "Woman of Light," released this week.

Details: Fajardo-Anstine displayed her playful personality during an engaging interview with Ryan Warner of CPR News at a book launch on Tuesday at Tattered Cover on Colfax.

• The novel follows multiple generations of an Indigenous Chicano family from the American West, spanning Southern Colorado to Denver.
• Several characters are based on Fajardo-Anstine’s family, including relatives she never personally met.
• Audience members lauded the first-time author for writing stories about people often left out of mainstream literature, including Chicana and Indigenous women.

What they’re saying: "Every time I would come to write, it felt like I was visiting my friends and my family, and would make me feel really at home and warm," Fajardo-Anstine said.

Flashback: Her debut short story collection, “Sabrina & Corina,” was a National Book Award finalist in 2019.

• Fajardo-Anstine will serve as the endowed chair of creative writing at Texas State University this upcoming school year.

What’s next: The full interview is scheduled to air on Colorado Matters on June 24.