I almost can’t believe that Mexican High‘s paperback release date is under two months away — where did another year go? I’m finishing up my second year in Columbia’s MFA program (where I’m concentrating in Nonfiction Writing, working on a new book that falls into said category) so between reading, writing, teaching, and working my postings seem to have fallen by the wayside. This semester I took courses from some amazing writers — Jonathan Lethem, Phillip Lopate, Shelley Jackson, and Amy Benson in particular. I’m inspired to finish a new draft by August. Let’s see if it happens…I’ll track my progress here. And so, come summer, I’ll be updating this site and blog more often.

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The Guadalajara Reporter’s review of Mexican High

This great article about the Kerouac Project of Orlando just came out, with a short quote from yours truly, other past resident friends, and the Project’s founder, author/journalist Bob Kealing. Those three months went by in a blink; it’s nice to be reminded of the house: haunted back bedroom, days on end to work, co-teaching the Valencia workshop, etc. A wonderful experience.

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I was a guest on July 1st’s Leonard Lopate show on WNYC…you can listen to the segment here. We discussed Mexican High, immigration, social class in Mexico, and meaning of the term “fresa.”

Check out my First-Person column on why I chose to write fiction rather than memoir on my publisher’s fun, interactive website.

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