Rain Immigrated to My Window
Rain immigrated to my window / like splish & splash / not forced removal / not even enslavement / migrated as cloud / as water
Why I Didn’t Publish my Bilingual and Multilingual Poetry
I wrote bilingual poetry after my African American mother and her African American friend, Kathy, drove adolescent me from Guadalajara, Mexico to Durango, Durango for summer school.
I wrote poetry after my step granddad filled my ears with the improvisational jazz of Dexter Gordon and Miles Davis.
I wrote multilingual poetry after my failed attempt at foreign exile left words lingering in French.
Because I Went to Paris for Books
Paris, more than anything else, was a book haul. So much so, that I had to buy the small, hot pink rolling luggage at the baggage shop on Rue de Rennes for 20 euros – an excellent price considering a similar bag at the more touristy Gare Montparnasse was 10 euros more.
Publishing on My Mind
The end of February finds me with publishing on my mind.
I feel fortunate and excited because my hybrid memoir manuscript WHEN I WAS A BILINGUAL WRITER BIRTHED BY BLACK L.A. found a home with Unsolicited Press. I decided to go the un-agented route due to the difficulties in publishing memoir for those of us who are not celebrities.
Book Readings in the Los Angeles Area
Looking back on my past two months attending book readings in Los Angeles, I’m inspired and energized by the manner in which these gatherings create community!
New York, Ten Years Later
Attending the inaugural New York Black and African Literature Festival in September was the perfect excuse to revisit Harlem after ten years. And the three-day festival organized by author and poet Efe Paul Azino continually served literary vibes during my stay.
Art During Crisis
In turbulent times, art won’t save us; but it can serve as a guide.
That is the message of the two art books that are bookends for my summer.
The LA Opera and Memories of Fascism: Federico Garcia Lorca, Neruda, Hemingway
Would you flee a fascist state?
Given the current state of US political affairs, I was left to ponder that question as I watched the LA Opera production of “Ainadamar” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillon downtown.
AWP vs Los Angeles Festival of Books
Los Angeles hosted two large book events within two months, and I attended both. Was one better than the other? I think not. They both focused on their audience and did so quite well.
My Interview at Write or Die Mag
Last month I was featured in the Write or Die Magazine Newsletter. Write or Die Mag is on Substack, and they have a huge following of more than 11,000 subscribers. They publish short stories, essays, and interviews.
