How I Didn’t Starve to Death at West Point, Part 1: R-Day

How I Didn’t Starve to Death at West Point, Part 1: R-Day

“You’re not starving to death,” explained the 22-year-old medic gripping my ankle. “You’re just starving.” He lanced a triple blister on my heel that had swelled to the size of a tennis ball after a 21-year-old kid styling himself a Cadet Captain decided that forcing...
Cuban Americans Heroically Fight for Kidnapped Mom by Doing Nothing

Cuban Americans Heroically Fight for Kidnapped Mom by Doing Nothing

When Heidy Sánchez was kidnapped and separated from her one-year-old nursing child during a routine ICE appointment, her own community collectively rose in righteous indignation and anger to do absolutely nothing. Cuban Americans across the country imitated the tens...
The Difficulty of Satirizing MAGA

The Difficulty of Satirizing MAGA

A few weeks ago, I came up with a mind-blowing idea for a satirical essay. It was to be titled “MAGA Latinos in Salvadoran Prison Request Absentee Ballots to Vote for Trump’s Third Term.” It was perfect, if a bit wordy.  The inherent jokes were that (1) Trump...
Why I Removed 30,000 Pounds of Trash from the Mangroves

Why I Removed 30,000 Pounds of Trash from the Mangroves

I made it, everyone! The Dirty Thirty. The Double Quinceañera. 30,000 pounds of trash. It’s been a hell of a ride. You can’t spend 163 days in the mangroves collecting and lugging 15 tons of trash on your back without accumulating some scars along the way. Stepping on...
The Miami Creation Myth Sells Out

The Miami Creation Myth Sells Out

Longtime Miami Creation Myth fans know I’ve been at this little project for a while. Eight years, to be exact. Over that time, I created thousands of memes, hundreds of essays and articles, five live shows, and two short story collections. The classic MCM lore asserts...