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Puerto Rico Tag

New Story at Strange Horizons

Commissioned artwork by Caterina Gerbasi As mentioned previously, I recently sold a story to Strange Horizons. Up In the Hills, She Dreams of Her Daughter Deep In the Ground is now available to read online, and part of their Childbearing Issue. I would be honored if you read it. I mentioned it was inspired in part by The Juniper Tree, but the other inspiration for the story was the decades-long sterilization campaign of poor women of color in Puerto Rico, which is called simply "la operación". By the time it ended in the 70s, up to 30% of women on the island had been sterilized. This U.S.-led and -funded eugenics program was supposed to solve the perceived overpopulation of the island. It would also prepare women on the island to become part of the workforce at a time that Puerto Rico was becoming attractive as a place for U.S. companies to...

August 1, 2023
Fantasy, Latinx, Uncategorized, Writing
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Hello, 2020

A new decade, the date of many an old-school futuristic setting (though the Cyberpunk 2020 game has since had the wisdom to update its year). The future is now, even though it doesn't feel much different than last year. In fact, it feels like the future is losing its shine, with what awaits us all if we don't do anything to mitigate climate change. I don't mean to be gloomy about the future, and I certainly shouldn't feel that way after returning from vacationing in Puerto Rico earlier this month, but that feeds into it. Puerto Rico was and continues to be colorful and vibrant, a place I'll never stop calling home. My partner was continually amazed at how everywhere--even at the bottom of a sewer grating--was a riot of growth, and watching her experience what I did for most of my life made me happy. We ended up driving to...

January 21, 2020
Awards Eligibility, Fantasy, Uncategorized
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Disintegration Loops

Some days ago, prompted by an online friend, I started listening to William Basinski's "Disintegration Loops". It was overcast, and quiet in the office as the musical phrase repeated, diminishing and distorting with each cycle. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjnAE5go9dI[/embed] I recognized it from the Radiolab episode, "Loops," which I'd listened to years ago, and as was often the case then, it flowed over me, but I didn't try to learn anything more about it. I filed it away as not much more than a curiosity. Until the other day, listening to the music, I decided to look it up online. Basinski recorded the ambient music fragments from old magnetic tapes from the 80's in an effort to salvage them. As Basinski played them, the ferrite on the tapes kept cracking, deteriorating with every loop around the magnetic tape head. The tapes kept tearing themselves apart in an effort to continue playing the music. He completed recording in Brooklyn,...

October 11, 2018
Memoir
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The Politics of Disaster

This is a follow-up on my Hurricane Maria post. In recent days, a study conducted by a research team from Harvard University made plain what most people already knew: the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria was higher than the official tally of 64. Much higher. The study found the death toll could be 4.645 dead in the aftermath of the hurricane, as light, water and cellular services were interrupted in the wake of the storm. Thankfully, my partner and I were able to get most of my family off the island, and they--as many other Puerto Ricans--have decided to stay, leaving their lives there behind. In that respect, we have been very fortunate. My family was able to avoid the uncertainties of, say, Puerto Ricans granted vouchers to stay in hotels and motels in Florida and Connecticut. Overall, my family has been very fortunate, compared to many other Puerto Ricans. Why...

June 11, 2018
Latino
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