Category Archives: Social Issues

Immigrant experience: you are In and Out and In-between

The immigrant experience is quite unique: a person feels in and out and in between. People look forward and backwards to try to understand their place in society. The global population of forcibly displaced people increases every day and according to United Nations data, migration is at a record high rate. Nearly 4 out ofContinue reading “Immigrant experience: you are In and Out and In-between”

When We Return is Released Today

Today is an exciting day! My book is now available to be purchased.  Who should be held responsible for public wrongs? By 2008, it finally seems that the Peruvian government is ready to make amends to its citizens following the violent guerilla movement of the last three decades. Otilia and Salvador, a mother and sonContinue reading “When We Return is Released Today”

Weaving a difficult theme into a novel

Pilar Quintana’s novel “The Bitch” introduces us to characters who experience an extremely difficult life residing in a remote jungle area on the coast of Colombia. Not able to conceive a child, Damaris, an extremely poor Afro-Colombian woman, decides to adopt an abandoned dog, to love and to nurture. The title of the novel isContinue reading “Weaving a difficult theme into a novel”

Exploring location and cultural heritage through photography

As an author who lives far from the place where I was born, and write stories with particular locations in mind, I must imagine the landscape or use photographs to get my creative juices flowing. Photos are story telling devises that can help me expand the fictional world and offer a slice of life andContinue reading “Exploring location and cultural heritage through photography”

Tell the Truth About the Past

How do people recover from political violence in places where democratic participation has been undermined? This is a question I’ve asked myself for years. How can we repair our hurt when one fell swoop changes our lives? What happens when due to a lack of protection of our individual rights, violence is able to viciouslyContinue reading “Tell the Truth About the Past”

Newly Elected Peruvian President Asked to Proceed with Caution

After a tight race, with voters having to wait weeks for the results to be verified, despite cries of voter fraud, Pedro Castillo of the socialist Peru Libre party was declared the next Peruvian President. Pedro Castillo assumes office July 28th for a five-year term. It is the day the country celebrates the 200th anniversaryContinue reading “Newly Elected Peruvian President Asked to Proceed with Caution”

Street Children

In countries plagued with poverty it is common to find children living on the street. In Peru it is mostly boys who live on the streets. Many of these children are forced out of their homes due to hunger, neglect, parent’s unemployment or underemployment, and dysfunctional households experiencing domestic abuse. These children usually find groupsContinue reading “Street Children”

Peru Presidential Elections

Presidential elections in Peru will take place on June 6, 2021. Two candidates representing extreme ideological positions are on the ballot. Politically, there is something bizarre going on and this may be occuring because the public is disgusted by years of ineffective governance. Four presidents elected since 2000, after President Alberto Fujimori stepped down, includingContinue reading “Peru Presidential Elections”

Unheard and unseen

People who have been enforced to disappear from the face of the earth during civil conflict have finally gotten respect. Years back, those who went missing were rarely identified even though relatives demanded answers about their whereabouts. Nowadays, forensic anthropologists work diligently to find the places where people could have been laid to rest. ToContinue reading “Unheard and unseen”