Fiction / Essays / Plays
John Paul Jaramillo
I write fiction, essays, and plays rooted in Southern Colorado and the people who raised me.
I grew up listening to family stories told in a mix of Spanish and English. Those kitchen conversations, and the stories of work at CF&I, still shape my writing. I keep returning to the Bessemer neighborhood and the San Luis Valley, trying to understand what families remember and what they leave unsaid.
I am the author of The House of Order, Little Mocos, and Carlos Montoya. The House of Order was a 2013 International Latino Book Award finalist, and Carlos Montoya was a finalist in 2024.
My work has appeared in The Acentos Review, Palabra, and riverSedge: A Journal of Art and Literature.
Teaching
I am a professor of English at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, where I teach composition, literature, and creative writing. My teaching centers on close reading and the work of developing an idea through drafting and revision. I want students to become more attentive readers and more deliberate writers.
Current Work
I am revising The Coyote from Ortiz, a novel set in Southern Colorado in 1947. I’m also developing a memoir rooted in the lives of my grandparents’ generation and writing for the stage.
“What saves these stories is the grace in which they are written.”
Short Biography for Introductions
For event programs, introductions, and publicity.
John Paul Jaramillo writes fiction, essays, and plays rooted in Southern Colorado. He is the author of The House of Order, Little Mocos, and Carlos Montoya. The House of Order was a 2013 International Latino Book Award finalist, and Carlos Montoya was a finalist in 2024. His work has appeared in The Acentos Review, Palabra, and riverSedge. He is a professor of English at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois.