I recently spent two weeks in Spain promoting the translation of my book, Can I Keep My Jersey? (Me Puedo Quedar La Camiseta?,  thanks for asking.) On the trip, I shook hands, I si[...]

It used to be simple. You got the girl’s number, you called her, you hoped you’d get her voicemail, you waited for her to call back, you made a plan to get Italian. But now? Now, n[...]

You are probably aware that there used to be a 17-year-old in Florida named Trayvon Martin and that there is no longer a 17-year-old in Florida named Trayvon Martin. You are probab[...]

When I was 18, I left my tiny Kansas hometown to play basketball at Iowa State University. During my college career, I cared so much about basketball that I was willing to put up w[...]

Imagine this scenario, if you will: I’m standing in a room. I don’t know how I got into this room. There is another man in this room with me. The man tells me that if I stay in thi[...]

The first time I heard a Guns N’ Roses song, I was at the Pizza Hut in North Topeka with my parents and brothers, sucking down Sprite as fast as our waitress could get it into my r[...]

The following is a list of rap concerts I’ve seen: Atmosphere (at Lollapalooza) Cypress Hill (at Lollapalooza) Snoop Dogg (at that traveling festival that involved Korn, Linkin Par[...]

On behalf of my esteemed employer, the Spanish newspaper El Pais, I traveled to Orlando for this year’s NBA All-Star game. It was to be a trip of firsts: my first All-Star game, my[...]

This article originally appeared in the March 12, 2012 edition of the Spanish daily El Pais. For the original (Spanish) version, click here. In the waning seconds of a recent game [...]

The following is an excerpt from “Tall,” Paul Shirley’s essay in Machine Wash Warm, the FlipCollective e-magazine. Machine Wash Warm can be purchased here for $1.[...]