Urban stories and urban lives come together in Urban Folk Tales.

Inspired by oral storytelling traditions and infused with elements of magical and spiritual realism, Urban Folk Tales: Stories is meant to uplift those who are often overlooked by everyone else.

This collection explores moments of love, tragedy, joy, and survival - the miraculous and the mundane scenes that play up and down the avenues of New York City, giving meaning to our lives.

In “Laura and the Kickboxer,” a chance encounter on the N Train changes the destiny of two people lucky enough to find each other. “The Manicurist” takes us to the most sacred of all spaces, the neighborhood nail salon, and its manicurist who struggles with her gift of clairvoyance and the people she wants to help. In “The Man Who Dreamed Too Much” a man loses himself to his subconscious desires, leading to a battle between good and evil.

Y. Rodriguez’s gift of finding a story in the unexpected is on display with striking and memorable characters. Based on real people, places, and incidents, these stories have entered the realm of fiction to become part of the beating heart that is New York City’s vibrant folklore.