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Throughout racial history, there have been many recurring lessons and themes, one of the strongest being prejudice. Biases and stereotypes cause misjudgment of entire demographics, leading to deaths that could’ve easily been prevented. Figures in power often control narratives as they force others into their version of the truth, ignoring and punishing any challengers. Because taking on the entirety of racial history would be nearly impossible, I will focus on the losses of my cousin and Tio through systemic injustices. While it can’t be generalized, they serve as a stark reminder of the abused power inherent in institutionalized roles, especially in late twentieth and early twenty-first century America. 

This work of prose highlights what the process of grief may be like in a culture that mishandles families in mourning. It brings to light the mistreatment and misjudgement of people who are at their lowest points as they go through major grief in their lives, thus portraying loss in a Mexican American family. It also examines generational differences in the processes of grief as well as the shortcomings and biases within social systems.

The Midnight Breeze is a collection of poems and prose focused on the state of being nature calls a person into. The collection revolves around the seasons and the unexpected ways elements in each one can bring your emotional state into a different place, or reinforce the one you’re already in. A small glimpse of the use of these seasons in The Midnight Breeze is as follows: spring brings new life, but new life isn’t something that stays, it is ever-changing, moving; summer is the contentment and chaos of the ocean, the way it rumbles and glides; fall calls forth peace and eventual destruction, the reassurance of plenty, but the fall of that which is unused; winter is stagnation and the grounds for new life, everything frozen and immobile until the time is overdue for thaw. 
For the construction of The Midnight Breeze, I both visited and researched different locations to bring forth the highest inspiration and variety. I went to extract episodes of nature’s best and nature’s most underrated. These locations are boiled down into moments, moments that provoke the reader in a way that feels like their minds have been captured and released onto the page. In this collection, I studied and applied the works of other writers who focus on nature and the soul; it contains the influence of Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emmerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Robert Frost. My poems are a poignant yet reassuring combination of words.

For over 200 years, the works of Jane Austen have been influencing the literary world and all of society. Her witty and poetic writing shaped the literature that came after her and still inspires many artists to this day. Austen’s books went beyond simple stories of romance, capturing important discussions on social hierarchy and gender expectations that are still prevalent today. Dear Jane is a creative project that explores Austen’s craft while displaying my own connection to her work as a writer myself. Through the form of epistolary poetry and prose, I attempt to mirror Austen’s approach to writing and the strong social commentary that is evident in her work. I took inspiration from the many letters used in Austen’s novels as well as her own personal correspondence that have been posthumously published. The goal of this project is to highlight the great importance of Austen’s work while analyzing why they have made such an impact on the world. In doing so, I am able to improve my own skills as a writer while also gaining a better understanding of why the pen is such a powerful tool.

Inspired by the pulp science fiction and fantasy of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, I wrote the short story, Emissaries of Nar, as a blend of the two genres. This blend of science-fantasy has always intrigued me since I heard it summed up by Arthur C. Clarke’s third ‘law’ of science fiction: “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. By leaving explanations of the particulars of technology and magic in my setting ambiguous, my hope is that the blurring of this line enriches the experience for the reader, opening their eyes to new ways of seeing the real world from new perspectives. As the genres of fantasy and sci-fi have traditionally been used, fantasy has been a mirror of the past while the more scientifically grounded literature has been written as predictions of the future. What both share is an opportunity to meditate on social change or concerns. Similarly, the stories told in these genres can be especially useful for encouraging and fostering diversity and representation. As the stories can be set in times or places not tied to the present moment, the characters are unconcerned with social conventions or expectations of the real world. My hope with this story, and future projects, is that they will inspire in the reader a wonder about the uniqueness of individuals and that the world is magic…or, at least, close enough.