Welcome to my Substack page. I’m a gay Latino writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m searching for a publisher for my first memoir Don’t Call Me Jotín: A Mother and Son Journey. In the meantime, I’m eager to share here a few chapters from the work (only a few, not all) along with pieces that didn’t fit in its final iteration. I roll out excerpts weekly. Note that the posts are numbered. With the exception of Post 2: Mom’s Stories, which could be read at any point, you might want to read the others in sequence to avoid confusion with the storyline. Please read “Post 1” on my home page for a synopsis of the memoir and its prologue.

Additional Biographical Information:

Originally from Alpine, Texas, I earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Notre Dame and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. I teach Spanish and manage the Modern and Classical Languages department at the Harker School in San Jose, CA, where I’ve also served as faculty advisor of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance for over twenty-five years. I’m married to a beautiful man named Robert.

I hope you’ll join me in my sharing adventure here on Substack:

Please click on the button below to subscribe—free of charge. You’ll receive a memoir (or related) excerpt in your email inbox each time I post. Any reactions to the stories? I’d love to hear them!

With immense gratitude,

Abel

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A gay Latino writer shares chapters and outtakes from Don't Call Me Jotín, a memoir of shame, survival, and love in a fractured Catholic home.

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Gay Latino writer from West Texas exploring identity, faith, and family.