Readers of this blog know I love reading aloud. So I jumped at the chance to read for Small Beer Press‘s podcast series. More than jumped–I asked for the chance. One of those self-invitations. Then I hesitated at the suggested story. Yes, the story’s in English now, but some of the words are still hard. In particular González, in “The González Family’s Fight for a Better World.” It’s Trafalgar Medrano’s shorthand for Gonzwaledworkamenjkaleidos, which doesn’t exactly disappear from the story despite Trafalgar’s substitution. Like saying, “Can I just call you Mrs. G?” when your second grade teacher introduces herself as. . . well, you get the idea. But I practiced. I checked out a USB microphone from my library. I stopped and started and began to enjoy the process. It’s good to try something new.
A thousand thanks to Julie Day for putting the whole thing together, and to Gavin Grant for welcoming my suggestion in the first place. And to Angélica Gorodischer.
The story’s on the long side, so you might want to follow Trafalgar’s example and brew up a pot of strong coffee. Better yet, get someone to brew it for you: Trafalgar has a lot to say about how coffee should be prepared, but he seldom actually brews it himself. 
The podcast is on the Small Beer Press website, accessible here. Thanks for listening!