Biography

CAREER
Joshua Castro is a fiction author, poet, lyricist, and musical entertainer from Los Angeles, CA.

A graduate of Alhambra High School and a former East Los Angeles College student, he served as an assistant editor and proofreader for ELAC’s literary magazine Milestone from 2014-2016, as well as its sole social media administrator from 2012-2016.

In 2012, he created America’s Next Great Author, a national online creative writing competition held each summer from 2012 to 2014 and spawned the ridiculously talented winners:
Vol. 1 – Erica Cortez (ND)
Vol. 2 – Andrew Liu (CA)
Vol. 3 – Lori Tobara (HW)

LITERARY
Joshua published his first short story, Julio Buys A Skirt, in 2012. His short stories and poems have featured in collegiate literary magazines, including ELAC’s Milestone, UCLA’s Westwind, SJDC’s Artifact Nouveau, SSU’s ZAUMxs, CCA’s Humble Pie, and NDNU’s The Bohemian. 

He enrolled in the 2018/19 season of the Community Literature Initiative @ USC to complete his first novel.

His debut novel, The Verge of Ecstasy, was scheduled for a 2020 release. But then COVID-19 happened. So, yeah.

MUSICAL
During the Global Pandemic of 2020, Joshua turned his attentions away from literature to music, and in collaboration with The Sonic Writers has since released five albums: “SAVAGES of 2020,” “RAVAGES of ’21”, “CARNAGES of ’22: A Halloween Album,” “ERAS of ’23: A Musical Revue,” and “FROLICS of ’24.”

In 2025, he self-produced and released the LIVE double-albums “GAYLAXIES of ’25: Live @ Planet Queer” and “GAYLIENS of ’25: Live @ Planet Queer Halloween.”

Since 2015, he has performed and headlined at variety showcases and open mics in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Denver (CO), and Paris (France); as well as interviewed and featured on a couple of notable podcasts.

In 2025, he launched his own podcast “The Vaudeville Stage” – a weekly variety showcase of his favorite local performance artists from LA and beyond.

LIFE
Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Joshua Castro lived in Alhambra, CA with his loving and supportive husband John from 2017 – 2025. ❤
In search of new adventure, they moved to San Diego, CA in the summer of 2025.