Many years ago, I wrote a novel about a teenage Chicana Tarot card reader: sugar skulls, botánicas, so much black eyeliner. Writing that story brought Cuco into my life, a darling snake with an identity crisis. I named one of my cats after the character; Cuco the black cat had big saber teeth and massive bat ears, liked to drink from the toilet and bring me leaves of the loquat tree as offerings.
Thank you to PEN America, Rogue Artists Ensemble, and the LA Guild of Puppetry for bringing my beloved Cuco back to life.