What was your first job as a journalist?
Likely a piece for my grammar school's student-run newspaper.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, all through grammar school, high school, college, and law school.
How is social media changing news?
Social media may have its problems, but it helps to get news stories out to a wider audience like nothing before.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Hildy Johnson as played by Rosalind Russell in the 1940 Howard Hawks film, His Girl Friday (she played opposite Cary Grant).
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Being a journalist is deeply personal. Growing up in the 1960s and '70s, I saw very little coverage of the Mexican American community.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Sorry, but nothing comes to mind.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I appreciate pitches via email. I also appreciate pitches that demonstrate a knowledge of my work.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
MS Word.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter is still my social media network of choice, thought that might change.
Who do you wish followed you?
Barack Obama.
Why did you become a journalist?
Great literature produced by Latinx writers does not receive the coverage it deserves, so I am trying to remedy that.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was art director of my high school newspaper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I am most proud of an essay I wrote for Stanford Magazine about my late father and his love of reading.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write about topics that excite you on a personal level. That excitement will come through in your writing.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Since I like pitches via email, anytime is fine.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best pitches are on a subject I care about deeply: Latinx literature.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Pitches that have nothing to do with the Latinx community or literature.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Reading a book at home.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Los Angeles Times.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I'll write about any subject.
