Latino arts, history and culture
BASIC TRAINING. The last moment of civilized rest any of us zombies got for a while was the Mother’s Day picnic in Joshua Tree. That’s the picnic I didn’t attend because the Oñate zombies had … [Read more...]
THE WORSE DAY OF MY LIFE. At seven on the dot there was a group of about eight of us sitting around a large conference table in room 27 of the secret Mano Poderosa underground laboratory under the … [Read more...]
SCHOOL AGAIN? It was first good sleep I’d had in several days. I awoke to the sound of someone jamming a piece of paper, loudly and persistently, under the sill of my bedroom door. For a moment I … [Read more...]
GENETIC RIDDLES. “A zombie dog?” I asked. It was a few minutes after our arrival at the underground chambers of the Mano Poderosa laboratory, secretly situated underneath the Los Angeles County … [Read more...]
RETURN TO COUNTY GENERAL. The caravan of zombie vans returning from the destroyed training camp in the Joshua Tree desert approached Los Angeles on the San Bernardino freeway; the setting sun … [Read more...]
WHO IS MY FATHER? It took a moment for me to realize that I had collapsed onto a chair in the main cabin of the secret Joshua Tree zombie training camp. The impact of seeing Juan de Oñate’s photo … [Read more...]
ATTACK OF THE RED SASH. I was awakened by the blaring of a loud and persistent wailing alarm. I stumbled out of bed and made my way to the door. Alarm? What was going on here? I could hear … [Read more...]
SCHOOL AGAIN? It was first good sleep I’d had in several days. I awoke to the sound of someone jamming a piece of paper, loudly and persistently, under the sill of my bedroom door. For a moment I … [Read more...]
GENETIC RIDDLES. “A zombie dog?” I asked. It was a few minutes after our arrival at the underground chambers of the Mano Poderosa laboratory, secretly situated underneath the Los Angeles County … [Read more...]
VIDA. “Just remember, you’re here to visit a sick relative. If anyone asks, it’s your uncle José on your mother’s side.” Having narrowly escaped the bombarding metal darts of the Oñate zombie … [Read more...]
ESCAPE! We had been walking steadily for about a half hour. Lazaro De La Tierra, boy zombie, Pearl Gonzalez, the most beautiful zombie woman in the world, were being led by the mysterious Mr. Nez … [Read more...]
ON THE RUN. News that someone could actually kill a zombie by destroying the brain was a shock to me. I had always thought it was just a Hollywood story ploy that allowed the movie heroes to win. … [Read more...]
MR. NEZ After Pearl told me she was a zombie like me all I wanted to do was spend long hours with her, comparing notes, finding out about her zombiness and about my own. I had a million questions! … [Read more...]
THE OPEN PALM PENDANT. After seeing the Open Palm pendant around Pearl Gonzalez’s neck, my first impulse was to chase her down the hall and immediately ask her about it. But then my zombie … [Read more...]
WILSON HIGH AND A DISCOVERY. Finally, the day came when I was to try out my new zombie appearance– daring to go to school without make-up to cover my pasty pale skin or Patchouli to cover the scent … [Read more...]
WHAT DOES A ZOMBIE WEAR FOR HALLOWEEN? When I was sixteen a great debate ensued at school the week prior to Halloween. The year before all my classmates had planned for days what they would wear, … [Read more...]
My search for La Señora Falcón, the woman who raised me from the dead and transformed me into a zombie, began with a trek to the old neighborhood–Boyle Heights. I figured that if this bruja had once … [Read more...]
I was fifteen and attending Lincoln Middle School when by total accident, I met my first zombie. I mean, a zombie other than myself. Here’s how it happened. One Sunday afternoon, after church … [Read more...]
Since I became a zombie, my mom had kept me away from the Baptist congregation she attended in Boyle Heights, El Buen Pastor, so many of the people there had also attended my funeral. If I suddenly … [Read more...]
When I was twelve years old my mom and I had moved from Boyle Heights to Lincoln Heights and I was having trouble at school. Being new to the school, I had no one to hang out with. No matter what I … [Read more...]
I really dread Father’s Day. Why? Ever since I can remember, all around me kids at school with fathers talking about what gift they’ll get their dad, the great times they’ll have. And me? I don’t have … [Read more...]
