“Guest Author”

I am NERVOUS! Why you ask? Today, I am thrilled to announce that I have been invited to be a “guest author” for an English Creative Writing class at the LAVC campus.

Okay, so your probably thinking how the hell did she get the title to be a guest author, she hasn’t even made a name for herself! Well, don’t worry I’m thinking the same thing too.

Let me give you the background story:

As mentioned in the previous entry “Finally Out Of Quicksand”, I had to attend LAVC in order to bring up my g.p.a. so that I could continue my education at CSUN once again. Well, DONE & DONE!

This last Fall semester 2011, I took a short story writing class at LAVC and loved it! I had one of the best professors ever ( Prof. M.) and I was able to really grow as a writer from the class and my peers. At the end of the semester I was invited by my peers to join a private writer’s workshop group taught/lead by our favorite Prof. M. Needless to say, I joined!

It’s almost like a secret society of writers (only thing is, it’s not a secret). We’re made up of five students and one professor. We meet once a month at the Robin Hood Bar/Restaurant on Burbank blvd. When we meet we either present new or “old” work and have the group discuss and critique our individual pieces and in turn we later decide if we want to use the suggestions or not – basic workshop.

The group had been going well. And just recently it got even better. Our professor felt that we had each improved very much and that we had each presented exemplary work that he asked each one of us if we wouldn’t mind if he used our work in one of the classes that he is teaching.

OMG! Use my work in a class?!?!?! He said that his students could benefit from what we had to offer and so that they could learn different styles of writing for crafting a short story.

I was blown away when he asked me. I of course said yes! And then as the shock dissipated I began to fret over the possibility that maybe he was going to use my story as a “How NOT to Write” type of lesson. I would be mortified had that been the case.

He later put my worries at ease and explained that he was going to have his student write a paper on my story along with the stories of my peers.

It’s definitely a strange notion to think that at this stage in my life my writing is being used as a teaching tool.

And to top it off, each one of us has been invited to the class tonight as “guest-authors” for an informal discussion and Q&A lead by my professor. So to say the least, I am super nervous. I worry that the class is going to slaughter me and my story and that I may never recover, ahhh!

One thing is for sure; this will be a good experience one that I can learn from. I don’t know the students in his class so there wont be any biases or any secret agendas hidden behind their notebooks. But still the artist in me is scared and anxious. I don’t know what to expect. Who knows, maybe the class will not have time to get to my story, ha!

Okay, I’ve got to jet to the class anyhow. So stay tuned for a follow-up post on how my first guest-author experience went.

-AlessandraWrites

Finally Out of Quicksand!

Hi everyone! I know it’s been a while since I’ve written. Been swamped with nothing and too much all at once. Today I write to you from the hipster/lazy boy setting of a Starbucks. Ha, a writer writing at a coffee shop, what a novel idea!! -Note undertones of sarcasm ooze from my fingertips and onto the keys

Today I am writing about Me. Okay, when have I not written about Me? Today I write a little more seriously about Me; delving into the secrets behind my maybe missed disappearance from the lives of many and the plights that I have faced as well as my more recent successes.

Some of you may have noticed a lack of Ale in your lives, or maybe not, either way for quite some time I have been drowning in sorrow. And for those of you that have noticed a slight absence, let me be the first to say Sorry and I miss YOU!

I haven’t been living under a rock, but I have been lingering in the shadows. Why you ask? Embarrassment and Shame! Don’t worry, I haven’t killed anybody or said something mean about my friends that keeps me in hiding. It’s quite the opposite actually. Here it comes, and the awful truth – I-I-I-I (imagine me stuttering) have not graduated yet (I am still an undergrad in limbo).  Whew! Finally I got that off my chest!!!!

Okay. So maybe that wasn’t too bad of an admission. But believe me, it had been plaguing me for some time. And I am now just coming to terms with it. Let me give you the 411 on the subject.

At the end of Spring 2008 I was disqualified from school because I had fallen into a cave of depression. I lost my way and lost sight of my priorities. I ended up putting all I had into everything but my studies and before I knew it, I was occasionally thinking of “a way out” of my problems and life (definitely a low point) and then I flunked out of school.

Now, sometimes I look back and ask myself how did I get here? Well, here is a small snippet of the journey that is my life.

Finishing high school in 2003 (wow, so long ago) I left trying to stamp out my passion for writing and entered university (CSUN) embracing my new obsession, Philosophy. I took one class in high school and all of a sudden I was married to it. Well, that turned out to be just a fling. A fling that lasted longer than it should have and I regretted deeply because I began to earn mediocre grades and really just not giving school my all. Sitting in class one day, I was struck with an epiphany; that I needed to feel passionate about my major the way the dude next to me was about philosophy. I had no idea what he was talking about but the way he practically spit all over the class with his enthusiasm for his major, I knew that that was what I needed in order to be happy too.

So I set off on a crusade to find the right major. Along the way I fell into different classes that made me happy.

I briefly considered my childhood dream of being a pediatrician but then I remembered that I hated math and science and I fear when people vomit – and kids vomit all the time especially at the doctor’s office. So that was a NO.

Sociology made me think and I loved my interviewing the homeless project but when it came down to it, I knew I was never going to pass statistics nor was I even going to try. So, that too was a NO.

Next came Psychology which was fun in a class setting however when I tried making a difference early on via the CSUN helpline I ended up realizing that I was too vulnerable and fragile to help others (I would be the type to bring my work home with me – and I wouldn’t handle it well). So that was a bust.

Next came Political Science. I got an A in one Poli Sci class and all of a sudden I had declared it as my major. I was going to be a politician. HA!!! What a delusional girl I was. I later realized that I don’t really care about politics (its important but its not my cup of tea and it’s not on my radar).

Now realize that all the time that I was busy trying any and every class I was still taking English classes and loving them. Finally I realized what I should have known the whole time – I was meant to be a writer; my major needed to be English Creative Writing. However by the time this fact registered and I was ready to make a change it was too late and I was slapped in the face by reality – I was flunking out of school ;( I was in quicksand and had no way out.

So in order to get back into CSUN I needed to attend a community college (LAVC), get good grades and prove to CSUN that I could come back. Only problem was that I hadn’t taken the time to take care of me and the ever-present depression, so I as expected did just as bad at LAVC.

It occurred to me to finally get help and I made progress. Beautiful progress. I can officially and honestly say that I am no longer depressed and can actually see and taste the future and all that I will eventually accomplish.

However, before I knew it, spring 2011 was upon me and still I had not returned to CSUN to finish my degree. So this past fall 2011 semester I got my as* in gear and worked the hardest I have ever done and passed with 3 A’s and one C at LAVC.

With this I applied to CSUN once more and I have been accepted back!!!!! I start this summer (in a couple of weeks, yay!) I ended up doing so well at LAVC that I even made it onto the Deans Scholar List! Wow, who would have seen that coming!!!

In addition to this I even managed to get two short stories of mine published fueling the fire within me to finish my undergrad and then go fourth to earn my MFA in creative writing.

So why did I just share this with you all? I don’t really know – I just needed honesty and I wanted to boast about the fact that I am back!!! Now, I know that this wasn’t the ideal journey – most of my friends graduated years ago – but this was just the way it was supposed to be for me. I am a stronger woman because of it all and I have definitely learned from my mistakes. I now go back to CSUN smarter and with more “life experience” I don’t need to wipe the slate clean because all that’s happened has made me who I am today.

So look for me this summer and fall at the CSUN campus, I’ll be the one studying and enjoying life. Graduation is this much closer and I know I can get there.

-AlessandraWrites

Cowboy & Gato, A Quiet Weekend of Writing – Alone

Desiring thunder, I found myself sitting in a friend’s house this weekend writing the story of another soul’s’ past and I was all alone. Well, not completely alone — my furry buddy Ru was there too. In fact I was cat sitting. I enjoy taking care of Ru. He has a passionate disposition — he loves to cuddle and follow me around but when he is mad, he lets me know. Together we sat at the dining table listening to the rain showering the left-side porch. When suddenly Ru was overcome with the need for classic feline seclusion and left me alone to fend for myself against the several drafts of my short story. Each draft with pencil and purple pen markings — each highlighting an area of *needs attention* or *fix immediately* — gawked back at me as I decided my next move. My stories have the tendency to mock me and all my efforts to feel accomplished.

Sitting alone with my feet bare (I like when my toes feel icy) and dangling from the chair, I wondered why is it that this story is so difficult for me to write. I am actually in the polishing stage. Yet, the more I polish the further I back peddle in my effort to finish the story. It’s not that I don’t like writing it. It’s actually one of my favorites so far, however I find it very difficult to finish. And what makes it even more unnerving is that my English professor from a previous semester whom has seen the story wants the latest revised/reworked version so that he can use it to teach his students about short story writing. He says that he is going to assign his students to write a paper about my story. I was stunned when he told me. It’s thrilling and my heart swells with pride for such an honor to be bestowed upon me and my work, but it definitely puts the pressure on EXTRA HEAVY to create a masterpiece, that the students wont shred to pieces.

It’s a story about a cowboy (a classy man) and his family who suffer through life’s quintessential afflictions to the body, mind and soul. I suppose it’s such an intricate and fatiguing process for me to write it because, its too personal and intimate and just the same it is too ancient and distant for me to fully grasp what it is that I am even trying to write. Ha! My paramour — my need to create literature/art — forsakes me sometimes. It slaps me around, crushes my feelings, disorients my mind and above all makes me happy.

After an hour or so of satisfied concealment, Ru appeared again and just in time too. I had just collided with the self-realization that my instincts about the story were flipped upside down and inside out. And with no one to coddle me and tell me that I would eventually figure it out, I was about to give up and stash my various devious drafts back into the manila folder I have designated for this specific story and shut down my computer and possibly slink myself away towards the t.v. or better yet to the seclusion of the bed so I could wrap myself up in my comforter (I always bring my own bedding when I house sit and towels too– its too intimate of a thing for me not to) Either way Ru had probably sensed my insecurities from his hiding place and had been watching me from the hallway — who knows for how long. Eyes glimmering and fur rustled, he sauntered towards the table and jumped up. Taking his time to sip some water and nibble on cat treats I had laid out for him earlier I could feel that he was a bit vexed with me. That’s when he strode towards me and began to caress his face against my computer. I smirked and he stared me down. I knew what he thought. He wanted to know why I hadn’t finished working. He knew that I had set a deadline to finish the piece and I was nowhere near thinking about finishing. I was about to explain myself to him, when clarity struck!!

I broke away from his secretive stare and began to type. I kept on typing for two more hours till my boyfriend called and broke my concentration — Its okay, I needed a break anyways. Ru looked at me almost satisfied and then dropped down to the floor and away he disappeared into the bedroom to bathe himself.

I love GATO’S, they always calm my nerves and if I’m paying attention they usually murmur into my fingers, shoulders and ears secrets of the universe. Afterwards, we lounged around sipping iced tea together. He ensnared his fangs into my mane whispering adventurous stories from his past. Sitting up, he braided my hair weaving in beautiful poetry that my skull soaked up.

Now if only I could finish my story

Beware & Wrap-Up Your Hair: El Duende Is On The Loose!!!

Have you ever wondered why your hair is beyond repair some mornings? Or why the horses at the stables that children visit have braids in their tails? It may be nothing, however on the off chance that it is something, you should read my short story “El Duende and the Persimmon Tree” — published in Prick of the Spindle, a literary arts journal — it will be sure to give you a heads up and the facts about a maniacally creepy little man known as El Duende. Click on the link or go to PrickoftheSpindle.com and you can find me in the Fiction section! El Duende is on the loose and headed straight for your head!

El Duende and the Persimmon Tree

Here is a Raw Sketch of El Duende close up sans his sombrero de charro by Armando Castellanos

Got Hair?

The Baddest Girl In Town

The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hello Lit Aficionados!

Are you all looking for love and romance in the worst way…? Well, look no further than The Bad Girl. She is bad, she is sexy, she is ruthless, she is intoxicating, she doesn’t care and we love it! Mario Vargas Llosa, paints the blistering power of obsession and how indulgence can rot away the heart in an enticing story of love gone BAD.

I am a sucker for historical fiction with all the right moves and this story has got it. We follow Ricardito from the time of adolescence in Peru to that of an old man breathing the ebb of desire in Paris, France and his inescapable love for the Bad Girl. With each new chapter in his life, Ricardo finds himself meeting the Bad Girl in a new and exhilarating and completely maddening way. Time after time she worms her way back into his life only to later leave without so much as a goodbye. She seduces him with each of her personalities and nuances, each time he swears that he will not fall for her charms and each time he is left broken hearted.

What I love most about this book is that even though I saw the inevitable heartbreak coming and I knew that Ricardo would burn, I still couldn’t put the book down. Each chapter is filled with conjured twists, calloused and spicy characters that edged the story further into glory. The Bad Girl, being the temptress and “gold digger” that she is kept me wildly infatuated with her too. I wanted to know her secret. I too, wanted her. I wanted to know everything about each persona that she created, learn their history and know whether or not she would finally change and love Ricardo with the same fervent passion that he did her.

This book is not for those that fear love or heartbreak. It’s for those that embrace it and understand the beauty of relationships (good and bad). This book teaches us to hold onto it all, because in the end all the different people that we come across have helped to shape influence and mold the people that we are today. Vargas Llosa is awe-inspiring, and I can’t wait to read another piece by him

Read this book! It is a supreme read. I would have finished it earlier had school not gotten in the way, haha. If you read it, let me know what you think and feel. I loved it!

View all my reviews

Films to Watch in December

Below are movies that I am dying to see. These are listed in no particular order, I am writing them as they come to mind. Titles with an asterisk (*) mean that I want to re-watch the film. Lets see if any readers can keep up with me!

• Black Swan
• The Gangs of New York
• Cool Hand Luke
• The Towering Inferno
• Chocolate
• Rain Man
• Gone with the Wind*

 

Heads Up #2: Josephine’s Paw Moved

As mentioned below in CC, I am unable to soothe the beast WordPress just yet (Pages was not working for/with me). So, Josephine’s Paw has been moved to the main bog. Also, all book review will be done via my goodreads account (http://www.goodreads.com/)

1st book review will be up after finals. Be prepared for The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa!

(Repeat) Hello and welcome to Josephine’s Paw!

This is the section of the blog where I discuss literature.  You’re probably wondering, why have I chosen to name this page Josephine’s Paw…? Well, (drum roll please!) My cat’s name is Josephine (Yay, and the crowd goes wild!).  And if you know me well enough, (and even if you don’t, here is an important piece of info) I love my cat!  I live for her.  She is an awesome mischievous runt-of-the-litter feline. But what does she have to do with literature, you ask?  Nothing really, except for the fact that every time I read she comes to read with me.  More like, she walks all over or falls asleep on whatever I’m reading.  Either way, her tiny pink padded paws are secretly printed on everything I read.  I have the cutest bookmark with the picture of a kitten sleeping on a book, and it states that “A cat’s favorite place to sleep, is on whatever you’re reading”.  This is the inescapable truth.  At least for Josephine it is. So why not dedicate this section of the blog after two things that I love, my cat Josephine and reading.

Josephine 1995 - 2011

I will be exploring all sorts of books and then reporting back to you, (my hopefully faithful readers =)).  One of my (many) faults is that I love to read and sometimes I choose to do so rather than interact with other human beings (it’s a problem, I know.  I’m working on it).  I am creative writing’s paramour.  I do not discriminate but I do have favorites.  I mostly read novels, short story fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry, essentially all of the forms that I tend to write in.  To be more specific I love magical realism, insatiable love affairs, history with a twist, cruel fated adventures, plots where the protagonist(s) are female and much more!  I even have a secret love affair with the genre (here it comes, get ready to wince) paranormal romance. You know, werewolves, vampires, zombies and all that sinister creepy ooey gooey macabre laced with over the top yet spectacular romance. (Its my crack!).  I love it and I can’t get enough of it (but remember it’s a secret so, shh, don’t tell anyone).

Now, to bring this revealing intro to a wrap, I leave you with the promise of (hopefully) funny, flavorful in depth and richly thought-out book reviews.  I hope that you look forward to them as much as I do. Also, please note that although I love to read, I am sadly not a speed-reader.  So, expect my reviews to come at a leisurely pace seeing as I love to take my time when reading, I like to savor every word, imagine myself in every scenario and contemplate all the hidden meanings within every magical publication. And, I tend to get carried away with my imagination, so do not be surprised if my mood reflects that of the stories. I also usually tend to imagine myself to be the narrator/character(s) and I may just end up gushing about how amazing they are.

Be sure to keep a look-out for my first review soon to be released later this week.  Until then, go read a book! =)

-AlessandraWrites

Heads Up: Captivating Cinema Moved

Hey hey! Couldn’t figure out the Pages technique. So all blog entries will be on this main page: Here-goes.

1st movie review will be up in about 2 weeks or so once I am done with finals

(Repeat) Hello cinema aficionados!

This is where I will be blogging about movies that I see whether it be on the big screen or the petit screen (a.k.a. my TV. at home) and what I think of them.  Now, I give you fair warning that I, like any other American, am hanging by the ripped threads of the so called economic backlash from the ever present recession that we all seem to be drowning in, so money is tight.  In other words, I certainly cannot afford to attend the movies every weekend so many of my reviews will be of movies that have already seen the lights of others’ eyes whether it be seven months ago or seven years ago.  Whatever I can see I will and hopefully report back to you within a reasonable time frame before I forget my favorite parts, lines, actors etc.

I enjoy all types of movies including but not limited to comedy, horror, film noir, romance, drama and even the occasional documentary.  I am a movie buff, at least I would like to think so.  I haven’t seen all the best and worst movies but I intend to. In a later entry, I intend to put up a list of must sees that I want to see as well as a list of movies that you my readers should see. I do not know any cinematography terms so I wont be spitting off any nonsense that I wont even know the meaning to.  I will be writing about how the film affected me, how well the actors represented their characters and basically how good the story (plot) in general was.  Special reviews will be flagged when I have both read the book and then seen the movie.  Hopefully this part of the blog will be something to look forward to for all of you.  That way you will be able to learn something new perhaps and or be persuaded to see a movie you didn’t want to see before.  Also, feel free to leave suggestions on films that you think I should see. Hope to hear from you.

-AlessandraWrites

Hello America, Hasta Luego Guatemala! 1969

Hello America, Hasta Luego Guatemala! 1969

Very exciting news! I can now say that I am officially a published writer. On September 20th 2011, my short story Hello America, Hasta Luego Guatemala! 1969 was published in Drunken Boat, an online literary arts journal. Please go and read my piece. It is located in the “Portriats” folio in the nonfiction section. I truly hope that you like it and are captivated by the truth behind two individuals stories along with many others whom remain silent along the brilliant and murky curves of immigration.

The Inevitable 1st HUGE Lull…

Hi everyone!

I knew it I knew it! I foresaw that it would be murder to actually sit down and write and it has been. Ha! However I didn’t foresee just how long and hard it would be for me to log back in and write (I say that it’s been about 4 or 5 months – pretty sad if you ask me). Sadly the blog kind of got pushed to the back burner even though I feel an immense sense of responsibility to my readers (if you are out there) – like a parent or at least a babysitter.

Well, I blame it on my schooling; those teachers of mine are hardcore. With them it’s all about reading, studying and learning, then again, it is school and I am trying to earn a degree. Another reason why it’s been hard, is well, I still don’t feel that many people care to hear about the cool happenings and the very not-so-cool vexations that my plague me from time to time, and so to actually think that someone would sit down to read about it is outrageous! In spite of this, I must ignore these rational yet dangerous thoughts and write nonetheless. Stay swift with cunning eyes, because my next entry is about to hit you in the forehead before you can say AlessandraWrites!

-TTFN! (Ta Ta for Now)

P.S. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a new tab/section in the blog reserved for my accomplishments, because whether I can believe it or not, I have a few to list