Latino arts, history and culture
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
Yes, I was deeply hurt when Pearl González didn’t come to the party for my eighth birthday. But the worse part was showing up at school the next Monday. Like what was I supposed to do? I had … [Read more...]
