About the author
David Bowles is a Mexican American author, poet, and translator based in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, a region whose history and folklore run through much of his writing. Ghosts of the Rio Grande Valley, published by the History Press in 2016, collects local ghost lore and legend from the area, tracing stories tied to specific places, from oxbow lakes to a reputedly haunted school locker room in Brownsville, and framing them within the region's broader history. The book reflects Bowles's long-standing engagement with South Texas culture and storytelling, an interest that also runs through his work in fiction, poetry, and translation drawing on Mexican and Mexican American history and mythology. Ghosts of the Rio Grande Valley is a regional folklore title rather than a work of fiction, aimed at readers with a specific interest in the Valley's local hauntings and history.
📖 Where to start with David Bowles
💬 What our editors say about David Bowles's books
“This collection effectively captures the chilling atmosphere of the Rio Grande Valley, weaving local tragedy with supernatural legend. However, it is strictly a compendium of folklore rather than rigorous academic history, so…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Ghosts of the Rio Grande Valley
“Bowles provides a compelling, if somewhat gentle, exploration of the Rio Grande's spectral history. The writing is accessible and evocative, focusing on the sorrowful beauty of forgotten tragedies rather than shock value.…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Ghosts of the Rio Grande Valley Bowles, David
