As a kid, Rob was his uncle Pablo’s favorite, and the whole family knew it. Pablo’s only flaw was his wife, Mara, whom everyone called idiosyncratic—or plain crazy—and their son, Pablito, who took after her. But they all loved Pablo, so they put up with his wife and son and lived by the Golden Family Rule: no serious quarrels, no harboring of resentments, no anger, no grudges.
Many years later, Pablito brings an accusation against Rob that punctures the harmony. If they ignore it, will it simply go away? Does anyone even believe Pablito? Gossip and whispers swirl, unleashing doubts, paranoia and betrayal, while Rob embarks on a desperate quest to clear his name.
They Hold Grudges is a riveting exploration of the lines we draw between loyalty and truth. With layered, taut prose, it examines what we’re willing to sacrifice to keep the peace, and what remains if the truth is buried.
Diana Rojas is the author of Litany of Saints: A Triptych (Arte Público Press, 2024) and the forthcoming bilingual children's book, Clara's Big Green Coat (Piñata Books, 2027). Her essays are featured in Grit & Gravity, The Washington Independent Review of Books, Latino News Network, and the WWPH anthology America's Future, among others. She serves on the Board of Directors of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. She lives and works in Washington, DC.
Rojas will be in conversation with Tamar Shapiro, whose debut novel, Restitution, was published in September 2025 and named one of the 49 Must-Read Books of Fall 2025 by Town and Country Magazine. Her writing has also appeared in Literary Hub, Poets and Writers, Electric Literature, and the Washington Independent Review of Books. After a decades-long career as a non-profit leader in the community development field, Shapiro received her MFA in creative writing from Randolph College in January 2026 and is currently working on her second novel. She grew up in both the U.S. and Germany and now lives in Washington, DC.