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Points of failure: The Luis Alberto Urrea Interview
Enjoy my conversation with Luis Alberto Urrea—NY Times bestselling author, Pulitzer finalist, and genuinely the coolest guy.
Aug 11 min read


Points of failure: Playing
"After visiting two clinics in one day, I found my five-year-old niece waiting for me to play. My dad asked to join us. I saw them side by side in the yard, her bouncing with all the energy in the world, him ambling with his walker.
We're all on a journey back to childhood.
He is acting out the only version of childhood he knows; not playing games, but playing defense."
Jun 283 min read












Points of failure: The full view
In April I completed something that started twenty years ago.
Apr 263 min read


Points of failure: Learning to listen
On noticing the signals from within
Mar 223 min read


Week #9: How much is enough? (March 9nd - 15th)
Since January, I’ve been writing a new short story. My schedule has been waking up weekdays at 4:30am to exercise for an hour then write 90 minutes. On weekends I do 2 to 4 hour writing blocks. This past Monday was the deadline to submit it to my editor. In this last week of writing, I had to find an extra gear: I added evening writing sessions on top of my job, gym, band rehearsals, and time with my partner. I showed up every day, whether I wanted to or not. I’d been wonderi
Mar 151 min read


Points of failure: On being content (But not done)
How clarity of purpose brought a great rejection
Feb 222 min read


Points of failure: Stopping
For years I've used a notebook to hold myself accountable. Last month I noticed an uncomfortable pattern hiding in those pages.
Jan 253 min read
Paúl Rivera Melo

Paúl Rivera Melo is a Dominican-born, Chicago-based touring musician and writer of essays and short fiction. With roots in the Caribbean, his work draws from the melodies and vocabulary of the region, while using the unique scope of his diaspora experience to craft stories of striving and survival.
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