Walk down the “Writing” section of Barnes & Noble, you’ll find at least a dozen how-to books on writing fiction. I recommend three: The Art
Author: Marcos McPeek Villatoro
I am a Double-American, Salvadoran from my mother, Appalachian Tennessee, Dad. I teach Creative Writing at Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles, am the author of six novels, a couple collections of poetry, and a memoir. I write on poetry, fiction, race issues, the Latino-American world, mental health and childhood trauma. Somehow it all mixes together in a fairly interesting soup.
My Rat
I was at war with a rat for four months. It was a losing battle; nearly every morning for sixteen weeks, we woke to half-eaten
Mexico, My Mexico
The woman, in her fifties, had draped a black, webbed veil over her head. Her dress might have been from Sears, bought at a thrift
The First Journal
Her name was Nancy. She was beautiful. Light auburn hair, slim build, hazel eyes and a smile, oh that smile. She was new to Knoxville
The Ache for Narrative
I’ve spent a lot of life looking back. This wasn’t always the case; Michelle reminds me that, in our twenties, I was the guy who
Reading and empathy
Here’s a lovely article on how literary fiction plays a fundamental role in developing the skill of empathy. It’s the antithesis of the brutality of