Author Archives

DESERT GHOSTS   A fluorescent light in the hallway flickered frantically before burning out. In the sudden darkness, I could still see the paint peeling off the walls. The worn wooden floors creaked with every step. “The corner unit just

THE SANE ONES He called himself Mars because he claimed to be from there. He loved the public library, his oasis amid San Francisco’s Civic Center grunge. Each morning, he waited patiently outside the entrance for the gates to open along with

JUST BRING YOUR OWN FOOD   The owner of the diner asks me when I can start working with the enthusiasm of a turtle who’d just taken a Vicodin. Plastic plates move through the air, quick as birds in flight. Conversations blur into one loud

The short story below is based on the actual Mattioli Brother’s Bakery that was established by my paternal grandfather and his brothers circa 1920. Although I never met my grandfather, I heard stories of him from my father. This story is

The following story is about my maternal grandparents who emigrated from Italy in their early teen years and met in Philadelphia while tailoring, the occupation they shared. Although this is about real people and based on some real events, such

As the youngest of seven children, I’ve experienced radical changes in my relationships with my siblings. I was born seven years after the sibling closest in age to me so in the beginning of my life, my older brothers and sisters

Most if not all families become contentious at some point in their existence, with quarreling sometimes transforming into battling or causing family members to become alienated from each other.  Some families live on this chaos. The disharmony

The influence of my family lives on strongly in my life, in my everyday decisions, struggles, and joys despite that most of my family members have either passed away or even more sadly, have become estranged from me. This is one of the main

So She Could See the Color Plue When Eloise was five years old, she took a trip to Arizona with her parents. Her mum’s dream had always been to see the Grand Canyon and when Mum got sick, Dad insisted they go there for a family vacation. She

I began writing Olive Branches Don’t Grow on Trees after a failed attempt to make peace in my family. I wanted the protagonist, Silvia, to succeed at unifying her family so that I could experience her joy and gratification vicariously. Writing