Category: College Life
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The Kiss That Lingered: A Memoir’s Echo Through Fiction
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, College Life, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Student JournalistSome stories begin long after the moment itself. This one started in a college classroom in 1985, but it didn’t find its full voice until years later—first in memoir, then through the echoed silences of fiction. What follows isn’t just about Maria, or Marty, or Kelly. It’s about the quiet resonance of memory, and how…
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From a Journalism Major’s String Book: – Before Jim and Marty, There Was Maria
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, College Life, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Student Journalist, Student NewspaperI was 24 in the spring of ’87—still holding onto the hope that someday, somehow, math would make sense to me. Spoiler: it didn’t. Not then, not now. Even the so-called “remedial” kind felt like trying to read sheet music in the dark. But while numbers left me bewildered, words felt like home. I was…
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The Echo of a Smile: Memory, Maria, and the Garratyverse
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Books, College Life, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Films by Steven Spielberg, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Miami-Dade Community College, Movies, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961 Film), West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021)Long before Jim Garraty stood on the curb in Somerville, watching a Corolla disappear into the quiet, there was a boy sitting in a sunlit classroom, speechless at the sound of someone saying “Hi.” I wrote about Maria in Catalyst back in 1987. She was radiant, kind, and achingly real. We shared benches between buildings…
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From a Journalism Major’s String Book: – The New York Dispatch of a Rookie in Dress Shoes
Before the Garratyverse, before the novel-length narratives and thematic intricacies, there was a young columnist—23 years old, notebook in hand—stepping into the bustle of New York City with wide eyes and a press badge. My second semester at Catalyst gave me the opportunity of a lifetime: to attend the College Press Convention in the heart…
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From Typewriter Dreams to Storytelling Realities: A Writer’s Journey
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Books, College Life, Coral Estates Park (Miami-area Neighborhood), Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftLate Morming/Midday, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Miami, Florida “But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours…
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My In-Between Day – June 16, 1983 (A Tempus Fugit Gig)
Afternoon, Monday, June 16, 2025, Miami, Florida “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”― L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between 42 summers ago… June 16 fell on a Thursday in Anno Domini 1983. I don’t, of course, remember what the weather was like that day, although I recall that earlier that week, on…
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Reunion: Coda Lands in Spain!
Exciting news—Reunion: Coda has officially reached Spain! This morning, Lisa Dolan, student activities director at the International College of Seville, received her copy and shared a photo on Instagram Messages, proudly holding up the book. Her caption? “Yay! I’ve got some good reading to do!” Lisa and I go way back—our friendship started during my…
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You Have Questions, I Have Answers: My Entry in Kymber’s Get to Know You #59
Mid-Morning, Saturday, March 29, 2025, Miami, Florida Good morning, everyone! It’s just before seven here in beautiful South Florida, and while it’s still dark outside, I’m already up and ready to start my day. On this final Saturday of March 2025, I find myself unable to go back to sleep despite my best efforts. So,…
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From Novella to Epic: The Unexpected Journey of ‘Reunion: Coda’
Late Morning, Friday, February 7, 2025, Miami, Florida For me, the writing process is the same as the reading process. I want to know what happens next. – Neal Asher It’s remarkable to think that today marks 23 months since the inception of what has now become Reunion: Coda. Back in early March 2023, I…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Venturing into Fiction: My Journey from Journalism to Novel Writing
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaNavigating the Quirky Seas: From Journalism to Zany Fiction Adventures Even though I’ve been writing for many years—having studied journalism in high school and majored in it at Miami-Dade Community College (now Miami-Dade College)—and have penned thousands of articles, reviews, and blog posts, my ventures into fiction have been few. The first two pieces—a short…
A Certain Point of View, Too 