John Rodríguez

What a Prey Animal is Teaching Me About the World I was on sick leave, waiting in the car for my girlfriend as we were going to get some meds. Then, in the corner of my eye, I spotted a patch of black-and-white fur huddled behind tall grass. We approached it. It was a rabbit. As my girlfriend extended her arms, the tiny creature didn’t bolt. It simply let itself be held. We smiled at each other but soon a pack of stray dogs came barking and we got back inside holding the panicking animal.

On Finding Value When the Journey is a Chore This year I’ve been discovering my writer’s voice and, against all my adolescent-self’s wishes, it turns out to be a regional one. It sounds like me — like someone from Costa Rica. This realization highlighted a gap: my knowledge of Costa Rican authors barely extends beyond what I was assigned in high school and college, books that were always read as chores.