Alberto Yáñez

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Excerpt

The antidote had a bitter taste, like new vinegar. Bartoc drank it before leaving his apartments in the middle city. Sorsh, his lover, knew about these things and she had assured him that its protective effects would last no less than four hours. Now at the dinner for the Wharvesmen's Guild, half-empty wine glass in hand, he had a little less than an hour left: It was time to strike.

Weaving his way across the flower- and garland-strewn banquet hall just a touch sloppily, he let his tony accent drawl, like all the noble scions the One Hundred Houses of Langes did when drunk, and greeted the man he meant to kill with a raised glass and an off-kilter bow.

"Happy festival, my lord Prince!"

--from The First Hour of Night, manuscript in progress

When I was twelve, my hada madrina came to visit. My fairy godmother hadn't come to see us since my baptism, so I didn't even know her except from the stories, like the one about cousin Tomasita and the goat who could play fútbol.

--from "Recognizing Gabe: un cuento de hadas," short story

My America is a thousand peoples, a myriad tongues, a full spectrum of colors.

My America is corn, and apples baked in pies, the injera I had with lentils last week, and the sushi I eat on my birthdays, ice cream, arroz con leche, and pizza both Chicago and New York, hot samosas, and pot roast, candied yams, and fried tofu with bok choy.

--from "My America," personal essay

Bio

I am a writer and photographer. A native Californian, I now live in Portland, Oregon, and tell myself that I really like the rain. Among other things, I'm a graduate of Clarion West 2011 and Viable Paradise XII.

My middle name is Maximiliano, and you can find me on Twitter @freelance_max. To contact me, send me an email at amaxyanez@gmail.com. For more about me, see my website.

Publications

Recognizing Gabe: un cuento de hadas is a modern fairy tale about growing up, being seen for who you are, and tamales. I'm pretty new to the whole "Let's see if someone will publish this" thing, so it's my first pro sale, and it's the story I wrote for Week Five at Clarion West 2011.

Starting fires with divine sparks is an essay I wrote for Yom Kippur.

I just did something reckless is a comic essay pointing out just how far I'm willing to go to get my favorite lavender soap.

My photography documenting the growth of the community of color at WisCon was published in The WisCon Chronicles: Volume 5.

Writing Description

I write all kinds of fantasy, and sometimes science fiction. I'm interested in the extraordinary hidden in the everyday, and how we become more ourselves. I'm particularly interested in border crossings, transformations, inhabiting liminal spaces, and transgressions of all kinds.

I'm also a personal essayist, and I write about pop culture, dating in the city, social justice, and the absolute ridiculousness of it all. I try to be funny about it.

Writing Goals

I'm working on writing 10 new chapters of my fantasy novel, "The First Hour of Night," which is a braided story with multiple point of view characters who are all trying to improve their lots in life, while all around them the balance of power is shifting. Magic, political intrigue, a civically-minded assassin wannabe-prince, a naive journeyman wizard who really wants to impress her big sister, a runaway royal bride, a ruthless I'm-doing-it-for-your-own-good mom, an out-of-his-depth third son with a major chip on his shoulder, and his crazy uncle, complete with fleeing on river boats, midnight conversations with wizards, exploding temples, sincere religious convictions, populist demagoguery, and dinner parties.

I'm also redrafting three of the stories I wrote last summer at Clarion West: a mannerpunk tale of a coffinmaker wooing his love; a look at genocide, parenthood, and the absence of God; and a story about a marriage falling apart, complete with a talking dog.

Fundraising Goals

I'd like to raise at least $100 for Clarion West. Contributors to my campaign will get weekly update messages from me, complete with a short (bad) poem or a micro-short story (~100 words), and/or my personal ruminations on my writing progress, the weather in Portland, or whatever random thing comes up that week. Additionally, you'll have my sincere gratitude and praise.

Please email me at amaxyanez@gmail.com to let me know you've contributed to my campaign. No need to mention how much--just let me know I have your support so I can be sure to include you on the messages!

Clarion West was a pivotal and transformational experience for me. I would love to support it and give back as much as I can, and your help in doing so would be amazing.

Website

http://albertoyanez.com


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