Up to Earth

Armando Rendn, a son of the Westside barrio of San Antonio, Texas, now lives in Kensington, California, a little hamlet in the Berkeley hills facing San Francisco Bay, with his wife and their two gardens, front and back. A non-avid gardener, he has nevetheless learned much from digging and observing the world of plants, flowers, bonsai and weeds.

Retiring in 2004 after serving as a writer/editor for business and government entities for about 45 years, he took up anew a long-time desire to write, and write. A book of fiction aimed at young men that is part fantasy, science fiction and autohistory, is due out in the spring 2013. In 2009, he launched the online Latino literary magazine, Somos en escrito, dedicated to promoting literary endeavors among Chicano and Latino writers and providing a handy resource of American-based literature by writers of Hispanic origin in all genre and about all things for teachers at all levels of education.

This chapbook is his offering to creation itself, all life as we find it around us in the most unlikely places and things. The writings urge us in a quiet way to take heed of our surroundings, dwell on them, and preserve them for others, our childrens children, to explore and love.