Not a bluesman but whenever I hear Buddy Guy, it feels like an earthquake. So, I hold this ambition to one day follow meekly in his shadow. In the nursing home circuit.

I am writer by training, vocation, choice, and passion. I am the great-grandson of immigrants on all sides of my family, which is now something of the United Nations in miniature. My white grandfather was a racist. All of his grandchildren are mixed-race people of color. Aaahhh... justice.

I've traveled broadly, and lived in three Latin American countries. I return semi-regularly to deepen dear relationships there. And to eat. Mole or ceviche, which do I love more? An infinite debate.

I fully engage life, ever seeking new mysteries, knowledge, experiences. If those can take me abroad, all the better.

Also, let me say here that I find myself more frequently attracted to women than men. That being said, one of the greatest loves of my life has been a beautiful hombre.

Also, I'm brand new to the South Bay, and make my way up to SF regularly, where friends abound.

I am currently teaching at a high school full of mostly immigrant youth, who will all be first-generation college students in their families. In addition to that, I am working on screenplays, stage plays, and short stories, which intimidate the hell out of me. I am enrolled in grad school, so much of that writing is for the institution that I surprisingly find remarkably supportive and nurturing.

Aside from that, lots of cycling and jogs up the hill.

As always, trying to tap into the essence of life, shed the shackles of civilized conformity, and experience authentic moments of wild freedom.

writing, listening, writing letters by hand, cooking (need I mention pie crust from scratch?), swimming, spending time outdoors, traveling abroad, Spanish, English, smiling

My smile.
My eyes, especially in Latin America, where everyone inevitably calls me "chino," even after my detailed assertions that I am not, in fact, Chinese.
My eccentric wit.

I'll list by authors as opposed to titles. As I am a writer, beware: this section may court verbosity.

PROSE: Nadine Gordimer, Martin Prechtel, Derrick Jensen, Jerry Mander, Leslie Marmon Silko, Audre Lorde, Julio Ramon Ribeyro, Jorge Luis Borges, Demetria Martínez, James Welch, Yasunari Kawabata, J.D. Salinger, June Jordan, Wendell Berry, Alan Weisman, Toni Cade Bambara, Haruki Murakami

POETRY: Gwendolyn Brooks, Li-Young Lee, Pablo Neruda, Bei Dao, Kevin Young, Marianne Moore, W.S. Merwin, Stanley Kunitz, Mahmoud Darwish, June Jordan, Mary Oliver, Langston Hughes

DRAMA: Migdalia Cruz, Suzan-Lori Parks, Samuel Beckett, Adrienne Kennedy, Oscar Wilde, Erin Cressida-Wilson, María Irene Fornes, Adrienne Kennedy, Naomi Wallace, Henrik Ibsen, Eugenie Chan, Jen Silverman, Marcus Gardley, Chris Chen, Heiner Muller, Georg Buchner

GRAPHIC NOVELS: Gilbert Hernández, Jaime Hernández, Paul Chadwick, Alan Moore

FILM: Yasujiro Ozu, Ang Lee, Wong Kar Wai, Takashi Miike, Hayao Miyazaki, Spike Lee, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodovar, Werner Herzog, David Lynch, John Sayles, Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock

MUSIC: Otis Redding, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Corey Harris, Lila Downs, Susana Baca, Lydia Mendoza, Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Cafe Tacuba, La Sarita, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Paul Simon, Antony and the Johnsons, Aime Mann, Neil Young, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen, Janice Joplin, Bob Dylan, the Boss

FOOD: Can we say, everything? As long as it's good, preferably local, ideally harvested minutes before. Fruit of all kinds. Particularly dear cuisines: Peruvian, Oaxacan, Thai, Japanese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Persian, Moroccan, Greek, Brazilian, NY thin slice pizza, raw organic vegan cuisine, and, on occasion, a good nonvegan burger. Oh, and of course, pie.

water
music, preferably live
the night sky
swimming
places and people very different from here
language

the workings and scales of the universe. juxtapose these: neutron and supernova

also, global warming, indigenous sovereignty, and smurfy porn

Is there a typical Friday? Perhaps feasting with loved ones. Perhaps strolling along the coast. Perhaps at a play or concert. Perhaps at home, writing.

I sometimes engage in performance art in various states of...

...you sing and you can teach me to. Or Buddy Guy is your uncle.

...you love to travel and explore -- outside and on your feet, not crouched in front of a screen.

...você fala português.

...you think a relationship is about celebrating one another's beauty, and supporting each person live her/his unique potential greatness.

...you would like me to invite you to dinner. Or cook you dinner. And perhaps pie. But we might have to work up to that.