Our third Oakland Word writer profile and excerpt comes from Samuel González. This excerpt is from "Ready," a longer story that will be published in Oakland Word's anthology, due out in June. In it the narrator discovers what he needs to do to bring real love into his life again.

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Ready

by Samuel González

I had just placed a second phone call to this really cute librarian I had met at local food spot called the Tamale Queen. I had told him about the vegan tamales I sold with a friend at the Berkeley farmer’s market. I asked him to come by and I would treat him to a free plate. He came by that very Saturday and we talked for a good minute. He had come from Oakland to Berkeley and I believed that it wasn’t just for a vegan tamal.

We ended the conversation with: “Let’s do dinner this week.” He never returned my phone calls.

It had been eight years since I had been entangled in a web of love and desire, at least with an actual person. Like an out of work professional looking for a gig, I had leads, but I never seemed to make it to the second interview.

My epiphany came to me on a warm summer evening, while I sat listening to the wind. It whispered, “You have offended the Spirit of Love.”

Of course I had. Memories of past relationships began to materialize. Stretching all the way back to high school, I could see the times that I had committed my offenses against the Spirit of Love. Each time I had said Love is not worth this much pain only made my offense worse. It had progressed to the point where seeing couples showing affection made me say, “Get a room.” Committing these offenses became so routine that I no longer noticed or cared. Honestly, what I really wanted was to have love in my life again.

I gathered my thoughts by listening to the wind for more direction. In the wind I deciphered the instructions for the steps I should take to make amends with the Spirit of Love. The following night I took action.

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Q&A with Samuel González

OW: Why do you write? Who do you write for?

SG: Oral traditions are a huge part of Latino culture. Storytellers are a very powerful part of that tradition. I feel I am a storyteller for my QPOC community and through writing I can fortify the oral tradition. I write for myself, my community and lastly for the world.

OW: How/why did you choose Oakland Word?

SG: I heard about it through a friend who was also teaching a session with Oakland Word. She told me about it and pointed me to the Facebook group as well. I choose to participate because it was local, there were many sessions to choose from and it’s free.

OW: Who are your 3 favorite writers and why?

SG: Khaled Hosseini – the way he puts together words is beautiful to me, with so much tenderness to describe some tragic things. Junot Diaz – his style is unique and his voice is clearly Latino. His stories are powerful. Laura Esquivel – she writes a lot about love. I love love.

OW: Did you learn anything surprising about yourself from taking the Oakland Word workshop?

SG: Surprising? No. More like a realization, that there is a theme to my writing – love. It’s reflected in my poems, and my stories. I hadn’t realized it until I was in the Oakland Word workshop.

OW: Will you be writing more? What kind of support do you need to write more?

SG: Yes, I will be writing a lot more. I applied for a VONA workshop this year. I also have a few ideas for some novels… allegedly. But, yes. More writing. My biggest struggle is carving out the time. Not that I don’t have the time, it’s the actual sitting and doing it that I need to incorporate into my days.

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Conceived in the San Joaquin Valley, educated in Southern California and seasoned in the Bible Belt, Samuel González is now living out his dreams in Oakland’s east side. He spends his time concocting ways in which to create. As well as acting and singing, Samuel has been developing his voice as a writer of poetry, fiction and magical realism. He served three years on the board of QueLACo (Queer Latin@ Artist Collective) where he worked closely with the Bay Area’s best creative artists. The next phase of his master plan is to create a crack team of QPOC artists and take over the world. He is now conducting interviews. You can find him/apply at http://www.myspace.com/iridescent1, on twitter @iridescent1 and on Facebook.