During her senior year at MICA, Dominican-American student Camille Gomera-Tavarez ’19 (Graphic Design BFA, Creative Writing Minor) was tasked with creating a minor’s thesis. Her work — several short stories about the Dominican diaspora — eventually became High Spirits, a young adult book published by Levine Querido with Chronicle Books in 2022.

Named a Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor Book, High Spirits is centered on one extended family across multiple generations. Set in the fictional town of Hidalpa, as well as real-life locations from Santo Domingo to Washington Heights, the book explores themes of mental health, machismo, family, and identity.