Written by Joe Rodríguez

Joe Rodríguez is a novelist, literary critic, war veteran, licensed vocational nurse and university professor who once slept on a steam grate at the very college where he would later teach. Rodríguez served in Vietnam from 1965-1966 and earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from San Diego State University in 1967. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego, in 1977, and he taught in the department of Mexican American studies at San Diego State University. Rodríguez is also the author of “Oddsplayer” – a novel about Latino, Anglo and African American soldiers in the Vietnam War – and he is currently in the process of publishing his third book, “Growing the American Way” – a novel about a group of people who grow marijuana in secret in the desert, make a small fortune and turn their lives around. He currently resides in San Diego. He can provide knowledgeable commentary on his creative writing process, his experience being homeless, his military service, issues affecting Latin American people in the U.S. and what it was like to grow up in a military family