Pandemic in Los Angeles: Day 39

The week ahead will once again move quickly. Just this Monday morning I’ve got two more masks to deliver to another buyer, bringing my total to 30 masks sold for the first week with the accessories.

I’ll head out to the San Gabriel Valley for the delivery, where maybe I can pick up some dumplings afterwards, if not some milk-tea with boba, it feeling like ages since I enjoyed either. Afterwards, I’ll make my way back across to downtown Los Angeles, where I’ll pick up more plain masks from Zenon, the Oaxacan fellow whose work has supplied this whole journey with the goods.

The day from there should transpire, as it usually does, like salt in the palm of my hands. After downtown, I’ll have to decide whether or not to traverse out to Compton, to see Aaron, the brilliant screen-printer whose expertise has given our masks their rightful names; we have also discussed stickers, which it’d be wonderful to get started on.

It’s just that apart from more for Los Cuentos, I’ve also got the 16th episode of J.T. The L.A. Storyteller Podcast to edit for. The good news is that the episode has already been recorded via phone, but the other news is that for some odd reason my voice sounds completely muffled throughout, meaning I’ve got to re-record my parts so I don’t sound like I’m in a bubble.

If all goes according to schedule
, I should have the 16th episode by mid-week, keeping consistent with my two-week intervals between publication.

I’m working on making all of it more stabilized, Los Angeles, but I’ve learned that consistency is the work of miracles coming together. I’ve also learned that if I’m really going to improve on such things as schedules, it helps tremendously to learn from and collaborate with others.

To that end, it’s my pleasure to announce that I’ve been accepted to a publishing workshop this summer with none other than the Los Angeles Review of Books.

It’s been ages since I attended a summer workshop, nearly five years, to be precise, but I’ve realized that if all of my work is not just going to continue, but blossom all over the city like the Spring sunflowers, tulips and daisies prevailing over it now, then I’m going to need to learn from other professionals in the field. I’d say connecting with a group of professional publishers at LARB is an ample step in that direction then, wouldn’t you?

But now we’ve got to hit the road once again Los Angeles; the cuento continues.

J.T.

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Dear L.A. Storyteller Team,

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After a year and a half spent since attending my first Thursday night writing circle with the InsideOUT Writers program, I’ve been selected by the team to serve as a writing facilitator for one of the organization’s new programs for incarcerated youth, or those young people still “on the inside.” I’ll be dedicating two days out of the week for the program, facilitating writing workshops alongside another instructor at a campsite for juveniles serving their sentences.

It’s a fantastic culmination of all the days and nights I’ve spent getting to know the workshop format and its different possibilities at I.O.W., and I can’t wait to see what another generation of writers and I will develop through our time together; I trust it’s going to be a magical ride just as much as it’s going to be an unforgettable learning experience.

As always, I’m grateful to celebrate the news with the people of J.T., and I’ll be back after taking some time to prepare for the workshops ahead! In the meantime, a big thanks to everyone who’s supported The L.A. Storyteller so far; I assure you, even more great things are to come!

J.T.