Stories From the Depths of the Bellybutton
This is writing that does more than fill a page—it grabs you, shakes you, and leaves you thinking about it long after. From award-winning podcasts like The Saints to fiction, poetry, and essays, these stories are built to last. Whether it’s pulling at heartstrings, sparking ideas, or just telling a damn good tale, this is the work that matters most.
The Saints Podcast
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Juan Diego
“Spanish America, 1531. The city of Tenochtitlán. The mighty Aztec Empire has fallen. Spanish conquistadors rule. Atop the Pyramid of the Sun, where human sacrifice once reigned, a new and holy sacrifice purifies the land. But down below, three humble peasant farmers face an uncertain future in a land no longer their own.”
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Paul Miki
1582. Azuchi, Japan: An ancient, warlike civilization controlled by a supreme ruler and his samurai. But a new way of life, introduced by European Jesuit missionaries thirty years earlier, is starting to take root. And one young man, the son of a samurai, seeks to find his place as a Japanese Christian. This is the true story of Paul Miki.
Sometimes I write non-fiction articles, like this one.
There’s also my LinkedIn which is, in its entirety, a work of satire. And two feature film specs in development.
One’s a cerebral thriller about a bounty hunter tracking down the missing daughter of a Hollywood executive (who also happens to be a wizard).
The other is about couples therapists who also slay dragons.
There’s also a finished manuscript for a novel featuring a strong female protagonist leading a clandestine revolution against a brutal regime.
All of these and more are available upon request.
And now, some pretentious poetry
Will it be enough?
When shade and penumbra become one
when the crimson smolder is gone
and the babble of the rabble of the loved
and the hated echoes are done
Will it be enough?
You did good kid, so let’s celebrate
is it the cherished who’ll mitigate
all told your legacy now come
on and on that’s not a well
sticks and Styx and Charon
says “is that enough of a faggot”
alas, mementos tend not to tell
Will it be enough?
snowcaps are lies oft repeated
even hubris one day depleted
then what. Tough kid, it’s rough.
and there’s even some in Spanish
Estrellas
Mi reflejo superpone
cumbres que oyen
ventanitas y cortinas
que miradas no evitan
Paisaje de acero que
colores fríos qué
ojos cansados que
párpados, Seurat serán qué
Allá el ruido y el caos
aquí Olimpo y yo, y yo
explota y la seda y mi piel
fantasmas tocan y vierten la hiel
Piel no soy, ni
huesos o humor y
la otra captura si
la cajita del frente y
Que cedan, que vayan
del piso al techo
cuánto trecho
alturas urbanas, ya caigan
Finas celestes
las grietas de Orestes
mi espalda fractura
la tura de turas
confetti de vidrio pa mí
cae conmigo así
qué lindo paraje
compañeras de viaje
no jueges,
no ruegues,
no digas que(é)
te complaceré