00063: Always Writing

I have not written in a long time. I take that back. I have written… a lot. But I have not written for this blog. My last blog entry was April 11; I’m just one day shy of a month since I last wrote. 

So, what have I written? Well, for starts, two articles, no three articles for this Gay Latino Magazine I’ve been writing since 1998. I stopped writing for the magazine for a few years but once the editor in chief learned that I was back in California, he contacted me and asked me to start my contributions to the magazine once again. And so, once a month, one of my articles appears in this state-wide distribution publication. 

I also finished editing two longer essays for two different books. One essay is in a book titled, “Transmovimientos: Latinx Queer Migrations, Bodies, and Spaces.” My article in this book speaks about the gay attitudes between and among Mexican men.” Trust me, there is a lot to discuss regarding this subject. This book came out (pun intended) just two weeks ago.

The second article is more of a self-reflective essay for a book titled, “Fathers, Fathering, and Fatherhood: Chicano/Mexicano Desire and Belonging.” The book is a collection of literary essays reflecting on the role of “fathers” in the Chicano/Mexicano community. In my essay I speak about how my mother was (and still is) able to raise all her children as a single mother. Ultimately, the essay is a recognition piece, a thank you letter, explaining, detailing, and praising my mother for her endurance and resilience to fight against all adversity, and for essentially assuming the role of our the father while never stopping/forgetting to be our mother. This book is only available electronically and will be out in paper form by summer’s end.

Besides writing articles, I have also been posting short one-minute TIKTOK reviews about the many BL Dramas I’ve been watching. (BL Dramas are episodic televised series about queer love made in Asian countries). And trust me, doing a one minute review for a TV drama that has 8 to 24 one-hour long (or longer) episodes, requires a lot of thought, and a lot of writing and re-writing in order to get the desire information within the one-minute video format. 

There is also the few letters exchanges between my pen pals and me. While there aren’t many, there are a few and those take time to write. There is also the continuation of my never-ending book, (by the time I finish it I’ll be 90 years old.) I’m also working on rewrites for some of my never produced stage plays. And of course there is also the writing I have to do for my “real job,” (evaluation reports, curriculum updates, committee reports) and many other job-related projects, such as the stage play I need to finish as part of my sabbatical. So yes, I is busy writing.  

And of course among all the writing, there is all sort of personal, family, and life matters that are also part of my existence. Yet today I felt like writing a blog entry. So if you are reading this, I thank you for it. I hope you leave a comment so I know I’ve been able to reach at least one person. I still have to write an update on my home-office update. I have not forgotten about it. I’m just not ready but I’m almost there. #carlosmauelspeaksthetruth