I wanted to share a podcast of me reading from my manuscript thesis (tentatively titled La Violencia) available at Hot Metal Bridge (the University of Pittsburgh’s graduate literary journal). I apologize for the podcast editor’s crummy job (she accidentally overlaid some audio during the introduction); she should be reprimanded—or flogged. People take these things seriously [...]
Every now and then, I like to write about sports. Usually, it’s soccer, because… I’m a huge fan of watching soccer (does one really need an explanation for this sort of thing?). But I decided to take on a new project this semester: the Steelers. You see, I teach creative writing at a large university [...]
My friend Marissa sent me this earlier this week in an email, and as I read the poem, it reminded me of how ephemeral everything really is, which sounds maudlin, but I don’t really mean it that way. Like the way summer slowly turned into fall this weekend, but I hope summer comes back, and [...]
Today is the birthday of collegerag.org, a snarky website devoted to college sports. It’s a nice little site, and I am, of course, not only saying that because I did all the wordpress customizations on that sucker. Took it from template to pimpin’ in about eighteen hours from beginning to end, thirteen of which were [...]
This came out of a free-write in the backseat of a car. Something like that. “A Simile Like You” Adriana E. Ramírez We drive along the highway in Indiana snow on the ground—sunglassed and pure like a Tuesday. And inside my head there’s a swelling; inside my head, shit’s about to burst. And there’s crises [...]
I have been the worst blogger ever. When things are well (or at least busy), I get so caught up in the happenings of the universe, that I forget to write. It’s like I go through stages of intense thinking and living, and feel like I have to absorb it all for a long time, [...]
Since I returned to Pittsburgh, I’ve been buried in writing my thesis manuscript. I keep saying it’s done and then I go back and throw away chapters at a time, because I suddenly realize I hate them. I’ve rewritten the ending twenty-two times. Not kidding. I need to stop myself before I go crazy. Two [...]
My head feels like it’s the size of a small planet. I keep getting dizzy and there’s no real accounting as to the whys and whats of this. Every time the phone rings while I’m conscious, I silence it because I’m tired of having the same conversation. Perfect. I’m becoming a misanthrope. “Becoming,” like …
I’ve been buried in work. It is examine week at Pitt and I just ate a whole personal sized pizza. Turned in a 21 page paper, went to the doctor, took a long nap. Now I’m writing about torture and I’m avoiding Microsoft Word. Tomorrow, at noon, the showdown is over. Doctor says I’m allergic [...]
Everyone’s excited about Colombia these days. I am too. Colombian film (‘Paraiso Travel’) plays at Tribeca. John Leguizamo is in it; hopefully he’ll do a better job than his last Colombian adventure. Author of Lonely Planet Colombia admits he never went there. His girlfriend, an “intern at the Colombian consulate,” filled him in. Reminds me [...]
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } This thing is heavy, originally uploaded by zadriana. The first time I was in St. Louis, terrible things happened. The National Poetry Slam was unorganized, the bars were horrid, …
Missed dates and missed steaks. I can’t stay on topic these days with my writing. Been starting essays on writing and ended up writing about soccer (again). Wrote about dead cows and ate a steak. Went to Houston. Drove to South Texas. Saw my mother. The dog is cuter than I am. The dog behaves [...]