Naty and My Chaotic Stench

Fiction. Poetry. Latinx Studies. LGBTQIA Studies. NATY AND MY CHAOTIC STENCH is a magical realism, coming of age story of a young brujx (witch) living in the mountains of Puerto Rico. Ali is a queer teenager growing up in rural Puerto Rico, going to punk shows with her friends. She is haunted by a bad smell that doesn't seem to go away. Naty is Ali's madrina, a bruja, about to be crowned as santera. Naty tries to help Ali by taking her to various healers and witches, doing readings, and preparing despojos (baths) to break spells. But nothing seems to work. That is, until Ali recognizes who she truly is. This magical realism story echoes from the mountains in Puerto Rico.