Gratitude in 2023
All we are is stories.
All we are is stories.
A story breathes through the souls entangled within its narrative, shaped and reshaped with every person it brushes against.
I wouldn’t be here without my father’s storytelling and my mother’s ceaseless support. I also owe a huge thank you to
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , family members who prefer to remain nameless, and all of you who subscribe to my newsletter without knowing what the hell Substack is.You’ve recommended
, shared, liked, commented, given advice, charged advice, reached out to me via email, hung out on notes, included me in a post, or helped with a combination of all the above.A ver, tagging a bunch of people is an obvious tactic to get noticed. I’d be un puto mentiroso if I said that wasn’t part of it. Of course, I want people to read what I wrote—this isn’t a diary. But the main reason for this piece is to stay in touch with people who were here from the start.
Although I’d love to keep writing and researching 30+ hours a week without making a living, I don’t have a taste for poverty. In 2024, I’ll paywall more stories, articles, and comment sections, but I want to make it easier for everyone who showed me support and friendship through 2023 to stick around.
Si tu no tiene ni mierda en las tripas, I’ll comp you. Just reach out, no questions asked.
If you’re in the same position as me (kinda broke but still want to support the arts), here’s 50% off annual subscriptions forever ($25).
This coupon is only valid until January 2nd. Will I ever make one again? The question echoes my own silence, a testament to the truths I leave buried. Sales and marketing hollowed my eyes, turning my reflection into an abyss, a reminder of the toll exacted by donning another man's mask.
In other words, I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve put everything into Born Without Borders, and I can’t give up on it.
For those who are new or mostly hanging out on Notes, here are some articles and stories to catch up on.
And In case you missed it, here’s what’s coming in 2024.
Salir de las fronteras que impone tu mente.
Born Without Borders’s mission and structure won’t change. I’ll post a story every Tuesday. They all belong to the collection of shorts in Forever Foreign. The stories stand alone but hold more weight for fans who follow the series weekly.
On Saturdays, I’ll continue to write cultural psychology and sociopolitical essays related to the short stories in Forever Foreign.
A sneak peek into Forever Foreign.
Stories are the only inheritance I need.
Six dates—that’s all it took for my parents to elope in Jamaica. Since then, they wandered amid CIA shadows and sticky red tape, celebrated with the Sandanistas, dwelled on a monkey-ridden island with a beat-loving recluse, rose to the top of Tenerife’s tourist sector, dodged the draft, smuggled—
They unshackled the chains of conformity.
I’ve pleaded with my father to pen his tales throughout my life. The scrawled notes, remnants of rides to school, tipsy nights, and phone calls from youth to this moment weren’t enough.
‘Schrijf verdoemme oew verhoale op!"
He told his stories in various languages, adding layers as he code-switched and retold stories from the perspective of different idiomas. I’d beg him to write the stories in Flemish, English, Spanish, or a mix of the three.
He never listened
… until now.
Cancer has a silver lining.
A special thanks to those who paid in 2023 ↓