Edgar Gomez

Edgar Gomez
Born
Florida, United States
EducationUniversity of Central Florida (BA)
University of California, Riverside (MFA)
Writing career
Notable awardsAmerican Book Award (2023)
Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir or Biography (2023)
Websiteedgargomez.net

Edgar Gomez is an American writer. He is best known for his debut memoir, High-Risk Homosexual (2022), which received a Lambda Literary Award and American Book Award. His second memoir, Alligator Tears, is a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. His essay "Speaking My Language" is also included in Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Writers of Color (2025).

Gomez was born in Florida "with roots in Nicaragua and Puerto Rico". He received a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing and TV production from the University of Central Florida, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in nonfiction creative writing from the University of California, Riverside. His work has been supported by the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Black Mountain Institute, and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In 2024, he was an NEA fellow for prose.

Gomez uses all pronouns.

High-Risk Homosexual (2022)

Gomez's debut memoir, High-Risk Homosexual: A Memoir, was published with Soft Skull Press on January 11, 2022. The essay collection explores how Gomez "learned to embrace and celebrate his identity as a gay Latinx man".

High-Risk Homosexual was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. Kirkus described the book as a "poignant, vivid, and often hilarious" work that "fearlessly explores intersectional identity and shows what it means to live and love authentically as a gay man today". According to Publishers Weekly, the book "transcends a simple coming-out story to instead offer a brilliant and provocative interrogation of sex, gender, race, and love".

Publishers Weekly and Electric Literature named High-Risk Homosexual one of the best nonfiction books of 2022. The following year, the book received an American Book Award, won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir or Biography, and was an honor book for the Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award.

Alligator Tears (2025)

Gomez's second memoir, Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays, was published with Crown Publishing on February 11, 2025. In the form of an essay collection, the memoir tracks Gomez's life from the perspective of an immigrant family attempting to achieve the American Dream, despite the hardships they experience. Meanwhile, Gomez discusses the jobs he held in bars, restaurants, and retail, as well as a stint in sex work, all while hoping to become a published writer.

Alligator Tears was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. According to Publishers Weekly, the collection is "funny, candid, and unfailingly stylish", even as Gomez "offers a pitiless, self-aware view of life on the margins".

Electric Literature named Alligator Tears one of the best nonfiction books of 2025. The book is also a finalist for the 2026 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir or Biography.[non-primary source needed]

Awards and honors

Awards for Gomez's work
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2023 High-Risk Homosexual American Book Award Winner
Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award Honor
Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir or Biography Winner
2026 Alligator Tears Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir or Biography Finalist [non-primary source needed]
Both/And Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction Finalist [non-primary source needed]

Publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Edgar Gomez". National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Announcing the Finalists for the 38th Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. March 18, 2026. Archived from the original on March 20, 2026. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  3. ↑ Foster, Rebecca (August 29, 2025). "Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Writers of Color". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved June 6, 2026.[dead link]
  4. ↑ "Edgar Gomez". Antioch University. January 5, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  5. ↑ Reviews:
  6. 1 2 3 "High-Risk Homosexual". Kirkus Reviews. October 1, 2021. Archived from the original on February 10, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "High-Risk Homosexual: A Memoir by Edgar Gomez". Publishers Weekly. September 17, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Best Books 2022: Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Electric Lit's Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2022". Electric Literature. December 22, 2022. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "The American Book Award". Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  11. 1 2 McBride, Carrie (June 12, 2023). "Read the 2023 LAMBDA Literary Award Winners". New York Public Library. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Alquist, Pierce (June 12, 2023). "2023 Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced". Book Riot. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ Reviews:
  14. 1 2 3 "Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays by Edgar Gomez". Publishers Weekly. December 12, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Alligator Tears". Kirkus Reviews. November 9, 2024. Archived from the original on November 17, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Electric Lit's Best Nonfiction of 2025". Electric Literature. November 24, 2025. Archived from the original on February 20, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Announcing the Finalists for the 38th Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. March 18, 2026. Archived from the original on March 20, 2026. Retrieved March 26, 2026.