Victoriano Cárdenas, a graduate of the University of New Mexico, was recognized on Mar. 31 for his novella “Casa de Sueños,” which won the Stephen Graham Jones Horror Novella Competition hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder.
The story explores themes such as generational trauma and historical violence, using an Albuquerque apartment and its mysterious past as a central setting. The novella reflects on how places can retain memories over time, a concept that resonated with Cárdenas during his years at UNM.
“If I had to call it anything, I would probably say it is a New Mexican Gothic tale,” Cárdenas said. He described how learning about campus riots in the early 1970s sparked his interest in local history and inspired him to weave these elements into his writing. “I also love old pictures of Hodgin Hall from the time when it was the only university building and there were no other buildings surrounding it… So I’ve always been fascinated by our local history, and wanted to include that version of UNM in my work somewhere,” he said.
Cárdenas credited both classic horror works like Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” and personal experiences living near campus for influencing “Casa de Sueños.” “I also lived in a studio apartment in a building near UNM campus… I could feel the history there—of all of the students and tenants and peoples who had lived on that handful of land before I did—and I was haunted by a strange smell coming from beneath my kitchen sink. My imagination ran wild imagining what its origin could possibly be, and so, the impetus for the story was born there,” he said.
Cárdenas holds both bachelor’s and MFA degrees from UNM. The university has more than 200,000 alumni worldwide who have contributed to national academies and major publications according to its official website. The university is also known for its cultural resources including libraries, museums, galleries, performance spaces, commitment to diversity, community engagement according to its official website, distinctive Pueblo Revival architecture with popular spots like its duck pond according to its official website, strong athletics program competing as the Lobos in top venues according to its official website, high national rankings among public schools including medical school accolades according to its official website, and enrollment exceeding 24,000 students across campuses as recently as spring 2023 according to its official website.
Cárdenas discussed his work at Queer Lit Fest at University of Colorado-Boulder at the end of March where he participated on panels about horror writing. He will publish a short story in Horizon Review next. A launch event featuring readings will take place at Fusion Theater on April 26.
