Interivew Spotlight: Daniel Vargas

Hi there.  We've been busier than usual with poetry programming and free comic book day-- pictures coming soon!  We've been meaning to introduce you to Daniel Vargas who is kindly filling in for our teammate Anja Kennedy at our Bronx Hope site.  Daniel gamely answered a few questions for us so we could introduce you.  Without further ado: Daniel Vargas in his own words.


JFS:  Can you tell us a little bit about what you were doing before arriving at Passages?

DV:  Prior to arriving at passages, I was enjoying being free from a fixed work schedule for the first time in my life. I was reading a lot of fiction, spending time outdoors and exploring the real estate field.


JFS:  What is your favorite kind of text to read?


DV:  From a very early age, I have been partial to fiction. Fiction delves into virtually all aspects of the human experience which enables fiction readers to be proficient in non-fiction as well. Besides the pleasure derived from an intriguing, well-written story, the reader is witness to the age-old struggle between good and evil from the safety of his favorite reading space.

JFS:  Where is your favorite place to read?


DV:  It depends. I favor the dining room table --with my back the wall, to read the newspaper, correspondence and non-fiction in general. But when it comes to fiction, I’m partial to the couch in the family room. I have, on occasion, read a paperback 18 feet above ground, on a tree stand, waiting for deer to go by.

JFS:  What was your favorite book as a teenager?


DV:  It’s difficult for me to identify a favorite book. Normally, several titles come to mind that define a genre or a time. Suffice it to say that I read a lot of comics and Greek mythology as a teenager. Also, I remember nights when my whole family listened to readalouds of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer. I was impacted by El coronel no tiene quien le escriba, by Gabriel García Marquez, for I was exposed to a course word for the first time, in a superbly written story. Later on, I was deeply touched by Jorge Icaza’s Huasipungo because of its raw images and strong stand against injustice.


JFS:  What do you like to do for fun when you're not reading?

DV:  I love the outdoors. I enjoy camping, fishing and hunting. In the summer, my wife and I fight for space in our small backyard vegetable patch.