What a privilege to be part of the 20th anniversary of the program that helped me hone my writing throughout college 🥺

🍒 stonefruit is about two friends, dreaming big, family legacies, farmworkers, hard choices, growing up, taking risks, and — most of all — cherries. 🍒 Like all my plays, I set out to share my feelings and I hope it encourages others to do the same. It can be lonely in this world, but like Tía Mattie says, “let [our feelings] connect us.” 😌

I started writing stonefruit 🍒 in Brian’s class, advanced playwriting winter quarter 2015, during the week 6 playwriting challenge. Then kept writing it for my final that quarter. Then kept writing it when I was 5 years post-grad at Bindlestiff during the full-length playwriting class in 2021. Then kept writing it for the staged reading at Bindlestiff in 2022. Then KEPT writing it when Brian invited me to the 20th Anniversary of the New Playwrights Festival this year, 2024. 🍒 7 drafts of the script later, and here we are. And there is more to come!! How much more? I don’t know but this is not the end.

I really unlocked something with this draft. And this draft unlocked something within me. 🍒 It would take me too long to write out what I mean by this but the short story is: Writing is hard work but it’s worth it for everything you discover about the world and yourself.

Anyway, thank you to everyone involved in the reading (cast, director Dr. Karina Gutierrez, SM, ASM, the SCU theatre department, Brian), and to all my friends and family who watched on Sunday (or sent good vibes 🙏🏽 ), and to everyone who has given me feedback on stonefruit over the years. 🍒 I am at version 7 because of you! Let’s see how far we can take it huh??

🌄 🍒 No hay camino, se hace camino al andar

🌱🍒 Kapag may itinanim, may aanihin

Lastly, peep my heart shaped keffiyeh pin bc it’s free pal/es/ti/ne now, during staged readings, during lunch, during commutes, during afternoon walks, and always. Contact your reps, don’t stop talking about plstn, and eyes on Rafah.