2023 · Reconnecting · 2023
This chapter (which I hope will become a part of a larger project) tells the story of a moment I shared with my mother on a trip we took to Iran at the beginning of last summer Read More ›
2023 · Honoring · 2023
Before this poem, I had never written a sonnet before, or explored poetry that constrained the amount or syllabus and rhyme scheme. In A los cuys, I wanted to explore both figures and imagery from my hometown, Quito, Ecuador, and my queerness, two aspects of my identity I don't often associate with one another. In particular, I wanted to play around with language, and how terms for queerness, in English, are used in Spanish, and further, can be mixed with the emblematic cuy of Ecuador. In this way, this poem is a celebration of queer quiteños, and how queer communities find places for themselves and survive. Read More ›
2022 · Reimagining · 2022
This was our final project for our poetry and mysticism course, in which we explored the limits of language through apophasis, music, and film. Read More ›
2022 · Reimagining · 2022
"A Conversation Between Insomniacs" is a sci-fi screenplay centered around themes of identity and mortality. After an unnamed apocalypse, all remaining humans emigrate from Earth, leaving behind uploaded minds to work on making the Earth's biosphere habitable again. Thousands of years later, the offspring between humans and various alien populations visit Earth to learn about their ancestry. The screenplay follows the encounter between one particular uploaded mind and the part-alien descendants of his original human self, as they comb through the memories of this human and reflect on their respective identities. Read More ›
2022 · Reimagining · 2022
My mom’s favorite memories of her childhood in Panama were of molas. Pillow molas, tapestry molas, craft shops selling molas, mini molas, animal molas, and the smell of molas. My mom grew up around molas. Molas were her introduction to the world of art -- her love of art. The molas were also my mom's introduction to Panamanian indigenous culture — a word derived from the indigenous Kuna word for clothing. I decided to use my mother’s memories to make my own interpretation of a mola. I made three molas, each depicting a different artifact that represented my mother’s time spent in Panama — her dog Pablito, a can of Tab soda, and a pill bottle from her local pharmacy. The goal of this art project was to combine my family history with the artistic history of the Kuna indigenous people of Panama. While both my theme and my approach modernized the mola, its roots are firmly planted in the San Blas Islands. Read More ›