The TODAY’s Spotlight on Reading/Writing features CSU-Pueblo faculty, staff and students sharing their reading and writing experiences. The column is co-sponsored by the English and Foreign Languages Department and the English Club. This week’s feature highlights student Alejandro Preciado.

Name/department/educational background: Alejandro Preciado, Pueblo West High School graduate

What has been your greatest success in writing? (Personal writing, collaborative writing, completing a project or book, etc.) I really don’t have much success as a writer; I haven’t really carried out any of my ideas. Mostly, I just love reading other people’s materials.

What do you struggle with in writing and how do you tackle that challenge? Sounding cliché or fake. Especially dialogue; writing it makes it feel scripted. I try to fix that by listening to people talk.

What’s your favorite book of all time? Author? “The Running Man” by Stephen King. It’s an amazing tale of desperation and perseverance. It was written in the early 1980s, yet the themes in it seem to be becoming more and more prominent today. Just look at our “reality” TV.

What are you currently reading? Author? “Choke” by Chuck Palahnuik. So far, it has not ceased to shock me every time I turn the page. Metaphorically, I mean. It’s an audiobook read outloud by Chuck, which I believe is the best way to “read” a book.

What’s your favorite guilty reading pleasure, an easy, “beach” read? Automobile or firearm magazines. I like acting like a technical guru reading up on new advancements in engines and pretending like I know what a blow-off valve is.

Do you have a favorite word or quotation and who is the author? “It does me no harm whether my neighbor believes in ten gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg.” – Thomas Jefferson

For more information on this feature, contact English Club sponsor and English lecturer Constance Little ([email protected]), 549-2197.