It’s been a long time since my kids were tots or tweens but we still have favorite books like “I’ll Love You Forever,” whose cover captures a little boy playing with the toilet paper. (My sons thought it was about playing with TP so of course they wanted me to buy it). The last page still makes me cry. My

Is December 21, 2012 the End or just a new winter solstice? Is it another Y2K or cause to start worrying? Just because the Mayan’s calendar ends on that date in 2012 doesn’t mean the world ceases to exist. Besides running out of space, maybe their calendar maker died or the chisel was lost. Or the new calendar tumbled

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” Ben Franklin Maybe an hour is a stretch, but I do believe there is a lot of truth in that quote, especially when it comes to daily writing. Over the last year I found many opportunities to procrastinate from my writing schedule. Some days my lack of preparation

During October, you will see television commercials, magazine ads, and food stuffs advertising Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Sometimes I see these and get a little frustrated. I mean it’s a good thing that there is so much awareness being given to Breast Cancer, but as a survivor (6 years) I get overwhelmed by all the

The Kickstarter campaign to raise money to complete the documentary “Cesar’s Last Fast,” began on September 25, 2011. Last week’s article discussed some of the reasons why filmmaker Richard Perez decided to make the film. This article explains why the film is important and how you, the community, can help complete the film and carry it

This article is a two part series: A couple of weeks ago I chatted with a friend about the need for more films by Latino filmmakers that highlight Latino accomplishments. This was on the heels of the Katt Williams tirade and the frustration of reading about a movie which had Robert Duval playing a main character, Mr. Crawford, 

Last week’s article discussed the ‘Diabetes Epidemic’ in the Latino community. I hope you remembered the challenge: eat more green vegetables and begin to exercise fifteen to thirty minutes a day. The other day I mentioned the intake of more green vegetables to my mother. While we were in Costco, I steered her to the

Last night my sister and I lounged on the balcony watching the sunset. We’re on vacation, with our mother and other sister, near San Diego and it’s a lovely warm evening. The mountains turned from green to purple as the sun began its descent and we were enjoying the mellowness of the approaching twilight. Then

On the tip of my fingers, I’d say the experiences of writing a novel is one of the hardest I’ve ever had, and I’ve had many. Hey, I worked in a prison for many years, grew up in the ‘hood, and I’m a woman—of color. And writing is still up there as one of the hardest things I’ve attempted. I’ve written until it

Last month a survey found nearly 80% of U.S. adults believe multicultural books are important for children, but one-third say they are hard to find. The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the love of reading and learning in all children commissioned the study. Only 9% of 3,400 books