How to Handle Rejection from a Literary Agent
I waited two weeks to react to my first rejection letter from a literary agent. Well, that’s not entirely true. I went through a whole …
Blog
Orlando’s Puerto Rican Day Parade: An Unintentional Display of Revolution
Big jeeps with big wheels and flags conjure a revolutionary feeling, right? Is it on purpose? Or are they just having fun and I’m reading …
How the Heck is Vieques?
Twenty years ago, shortly after 9/11, I wrote this article for New America Media and it “went viral” in newspapers all over California, including the …
When I met Esmeralda Santiago
In 2009, I participated in a memoir writing workshop led by Esmeralda Santiago, author of the famous “When I Was Puerto Rican.” I absolutely worshipped …
When I met Stan Lee
I thought this was my “big break” into Hollywood. A Latino investor I had interviewed for “The Angel Journal” introduced me to his other client …
Love Cubed
“Love Cubed” was the working title of a novel I wrote in Miami under my pen name Kemila Velan. It’s about three people who had …
Sirens
In 2001, I started writing my first novel. It was inspired by the view through my apartment window in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. …
When I met Julia Alvarez
The very last story I published at Latino.com on January 25, 2001 was an interview with one of my favorite authors Julia Alvarez. Eighteen years …
What do I want to say?
Too much. I’ve got stacks and stacks of journals, domain names, characters, story ideas, videos, photography dating back to 1985. I’m attempting now, at almost …
Ricanstruction Isn’t Just Recovering from a Hurricane; It’s Reconstructing an Identity
A recent study found Floridians of Puerto Rican descent experienced “secondary trauma” from the storm, but also a renewed sense of identity and purpose. In …