I just feel that the East and the West are two different worlds. I sometimes get saddened when I see that very few writers of color are published or reviewed in East Coast presses and magazines.

My mom was a frustrated woman, like so many unhappy women who didn't get the opportunities they wanted.

When your writing is unselfconscious, when it comes from your heart, that's when it's powerful.

There are many Latino writers as talented as I am, but because we are published through small presses, our books don't count. We are still the illegal aliens of the literary world.

I have to understand what my strengths and limitations are, and work from a true place. I try to do this as best I can while still protecting my writer self, which more than ever needs privacy.

I grew up with this kind of grocery store that caters to the poor. They serve you the worst food.

My idea of a meal, if I was hungry, was to open a bag of potato chips.