Don't Forget to Write

In 2016, Peter Alves-a twenty-year-old son of immigrants confused about his racial and personal identity-moves in with his soccer team captain and fellow classmate in Harlem. The excitement of college quickly fades as Peter contends with the racial entanglements of the neighborhood, the pressure of making ends meet, and his idiosyncratic and immutable desire to define himself on his own terms.

We follow Peter from the dying heat of summer through a tumultuous fall where nothing turns out as he expected. In one of the season's first soccer games, Peter suffers a severe head-injury which derails his college dreams. As his head heals and his medical bills pile up, he starts an illegal business writing papers for classmates while falling, despite himself, for his TA. Meanwhile, he contends with the racial politics of Harlem alongside hobos, bodega owners, and school children all trying to contend with forces they hardly understand but feel in every way. For a time, the lack of responsibility and new love is a balm, but as the late nights pile on the alcohol starts to seep into the day. Soon Peter is plagiarizing hundreds of papers, his relationship is unstable, and the only thing that seems constant is the bar down the street where the conversation is always good and the world's demands are left for another day. It's only a matter of time before the center falls out.

A literary coming of age, DON'T FORGET TO WRITE is a story of brotherly friendship and the risks of love, the confinements of family history, and the bravery of fighting for what matters. At once courageous and idealistic, Peter passionately pursues the ideas that can serve a conscientious adult and tries to see which sacrifices are worth making.

A story of youthful exploration, scheming, the origins of love, failure, and friendship. Like sitting next to a close friend at the bar who is telling a long, good, story, DON'T FORGET TO WRITE is humorous, serious, and mythic all at once.