Category Archives: Uncategorized

They got in the truck and drove off (recalling the day I was born)

Posted on July 7, 2017 by juanzqui7

I GOT A text message from my sister Mariana, saying she had thought about calling me to tell me about the day I was born but that she remembered that she’d already related the details to me. I responded, honestly, … Continue reading →

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Serenata a Martina: a Musical Tribute

Posted on May 30, 2017 by juanzqui7

FOR MANY YEARS, I’ve fantasized about commissioning a piece of classical music to honor my mother. My mother was never exposed to classical music, except perhaps for the four times a year she would go listen to me play in … Continue reading →

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My first published poems

Posted on May 16, 2017 by juanzqui7

AS SOME OF you know, about a year ago I decided to take a stab at writing poetry. I’ve learned a lot and I still have a long ways to go. But I’m happy to report that two of my … Continue reading →

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The homeless and our own humanity

Posted on April 1, 2017 by juanzqui7

LAST SUMMER I was walking to Minute Maid Park, about a block away from the George R. Brown Convention Center, when a man approached me and asked if I could help him out. He didn’t tell me how he wanted … Continue reading →

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Now there are 13

Posted on February 16, 2017 by juanzqui7

[This article, about the funeral of a young couple who died during a 50-hour rampage by their brother-in-law that started in College Station and left six people dead, was published on the front page of the Sunday Houston Post, Oct. … Continue reading →

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Adios to a Complete Liberal

Posted on February 10, 2017 by juanzqui7

On February 4, 1994, I published this column in The Houston Post under the headline, “’Complete’ liberal gives Clinton piece of his mind.” I’m sharing it with you for two reasons. You’ll figure them out when you read it: NOT … Continue reading →

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The fear, the dreadful fear of children of immigrants

Posted on February 10, 2017 by juanzqui7

I RECENTLY LISTENED to a radio program about coincidences and about people who claimed they were always experiencing them. I told myself that coincidences don’t happen to me. Last night, a couple of hours after I had watched a report on … Continue reading →

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Houston composer’s haunting music

Posted on October 20, 2016 by juanzqui7

I DON’T WRITE much about music on this blog. However, I’m going to make an exception because I want to share my enthusiasm for the music of a young composer, a native of Colombia who lives and works in Houston. … Continue reading →

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Please, God: No Daughters

Posted on October 10, 2016 by juanzqui7

  MY MOTHER DIED of Parkinson’s disease almost 16 years ago, but several years before she died, she suffered some sort of stroke that eventually left her bedridden, unable to speak. Not long after that stroke, when she could still talk, … Continue reading →

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Crystal Bridges, brought to you by … whom?

Posted on August 17, 2016 by juanzqui7

THE CRYSTAL BRIDGES Museum of American Art was not part of my travel plans on this trip, but I found myself with a bit extra time on my way to Chicago that I decided to make a side trip to … Continue reading →

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