Reflections While Living in Utah 

Reflections While Living in Utah is a poetic narrative in queer self-acceptance. The collection is thematically organized by setting in order to emphasize how environment can shape thoughts. Flores unpacks the complexities of spirituality, ethnicity, and sexuality in the conformity-focused culture of Latter-Day-Saint Utah. The poems reflect the suppressed emotions & untold challenges that many in the LGBTQ+ community have endured. The overarching themes of destructive thoughts, self-harm, and spiritual healing capture the raw experiences of a queer person of color living through what is essentially an identity crisis: are you queer or are you a child of God? As these queer poems progress, the answer becomes simple—you are both.