GENRE: **Diverse, Humor, Metafiction
WORDS: 497
Query:
Dear agent,
I’m excited to send you INCOGNITO BURRITO, my 497-word metafiction picture book. INCOGNITO BURRITO brings cultural foods to the forefront of a thought-provoking conversation that transcends the ages: are most foods just burritos in disguise? It is perfect for fans of burritos who also enjoy reading Tara Lazar’s Private I series and Julio Torres’ I Want to Be A Vase.
A suspiciously-familiar detective needs help with a case of edible proportions: finding a burrito who is wanted for impersonating other foods. In this humorous concept story that breaks the fourth wall, just about anything can pass as a burrito, which makes wrapping the case quite the challenge.
(Hmm…is a mind actually an idea burrito?)
The pressure is on to solve the mystery of the incognito burrito before he makes like a banana and splits.
The seeds for INCOGNITO BURRITO began in the Argument class I teach at UC Riverside where a debate about “Is a Hotdog a Sandwich?” led us to ask “what makes a burrito a burrito?” And now, my husband and our two multicultural kiddos search for incognito burritos in the wild. As a writer, my experience as Alexandra Alessandri’s (Isabel and Her Colores Go to School) mentee through the Las Musas Hermanas program has helped me hone my writing. I’m a native Californian and grandkid of Mexican immigrants, so themes of language and identity–even those regarding my favorite cultural foods–have remained focal points for me.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Excerpt:
[Art note: our narrator wears a trench coat and hat]
Psst. Hey, you… with the book.
Lean in a little.
I could really use your help. I’m working THE MOST challenging case. Take a look.
[Art note: a poster that says –
WANTED FOR IDENTITY FRAUD
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS INCOGNITO BURRITO?
Last seen impersonating a calzone. Please contact the Fake Burrito Investigators if you see him.]
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
I like finding shapes in clouds, debating whether hotdogs are sandwiches, and thinking deeply about food. I think it’s cool to talk about my cultural Southern Californian foods like burritos and tacos. Like the Incognito Burrito, I enjoy word play and I’m a little silly.
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