I am Portuguese Now.

Hey, did you know that I’m half Portuguese? Well I am. It’s true! My mother was born in the Portugal- the Azores to be exact. It’s an island somewhere way the hell out there. So most people don’t know that I’m half Portuguese because I look the exact opposite of Portuguese.

So the capital of Portugal is Lisbon. I’ve never been. I’ve never been anywhere in Portugal. That’s pretty shameful considering I’m half Portuguese, right? I’m sorry about that guys. In Lisbon every summer there is something called the Disquiet International Literary Program. It’s a two week program of workshops and lectures for writers from around the world. It was started by a group of writers from North America with ties to Portugal. Disquiet is kind of a big deal. Every year they offer fellowships to North American writers of Portuguese descent. Four winners are chosen and they get to go to Portugal and attend the program with either a full or partial scholarship.

I applied last month for this fellowship and I just found out that I’ve been awarded with one of the scholarships. Crazy, right? I get to go to Portugal and write things! Rumor has it that Denis Johnson is going to be there. I might get to be in the same building as Denis Johnson! That’ll be neat. I’m excited and pretty thrilled that I was chosen for one of these fellowships. It’s going to be quite the challenge to be in the same room with a bunch of talented writers, just like when I was in school in England. It’ll be great to finally get to see Portugal.

Anyway, I’m excited about things and excited to share the news with everyone. 2016 is going to be another busy and exciting year and I hope I can make some good things for you all to read.

Obrigado,

JLN