Friday Feature: @rh
It is our fervent pleasure to introduce Rolando "rh" Hernandez as the focus of this week's Proser Showcase.
He hails from Long Beach, California but now runs an internationally branded full-service hotel on an island along the coast of North Carolina.
Formerly known here as "fire_theft," he consistently delivers that hot, burning passion for the written word on which this community is founded. It is for that reason and others that we recently accepted him into the Prose Partner Program.
Who is rh outside of Prose? What fires is he lighting and fighting when he's not here blowing people's minds and giving them sound advice on their work? Read on to find out...
P: What is your relationship with writing and how has it evolved?
rh: Writing is a healing thing, to me. I'm a very visual thinker and the thoughts come quick. When I sit to write it becomes a kind of meditation. Giving shapes to things. Names. For a long time writing was the only thing that kept me alive and while I haven't always been good to it, it has always been good to me.
P: Briefly discuss the value that reading adds to both your personal and professional life.
rh: Reading is the other half of writing-- something that can not be stressed enough. Stories, true or not, is the water in which a writer drinks from. When the water gets stagnant, so do the ideas, and it doesn't take long to spot someone who isn't reading. There can be no greater poverty than poverty of the mind.
P: How would you describe your current literary ventures and what can we look forward to in future posts?
rh: With Prose. I would describe them as raw. As a rule I don't give what I post much time or thought. I like to just let pieces unfold on their own accord. Looking ahead toward future posts...it is kind of hard to say. I do know I want to keep pushing myself to take a bigger bite out of topics, taboo or not. Outside of the site I have two novels I am actively working on as well as some shorter pieces I'm trying to polish for publication.
P: What does Prose. mean to you?
rh: Prose. has been wonderful to me and what makes it incredible is the community. The regular dialog between myself and other writers has been the coolest fucking feeling and is so affirming. I took a long sabbatical from writing regularly and even though I'm a little late to the party, compared to a lot of the people I follow, I'm having a total blast and am grateful to the people that have shown me support by reading and commenting on my work.
P: Where else can we find you and your writing?
rh: Right now, and for the foreseeable future, I don't want my writing any where else on the interwebs. It is the best way I know how to repay the positive impact to my life that the site has made on my life.
Sorry, fuckers-- you're stuck with me.
Follow Rolando here @rh as he works to combat that "poverty of the mind." You'll find much of his work under the #fuckery tag (which he introduced some months ago) as listed above.
Be sure also to use the #review hashtag if you'd like feedback on your work.
He, along with other Prose Partners and many of your peers, are eager to answer your calls for constructive criticism.
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This #FridayFeature blog series is designed to help you get to know your fellow community members better. Would you like to nominate someone for interview? Have a question you’re dying to ask of someone on the platform? Send us a private message here or visit our contact page to get in touch: theprose.com/p/contact.