NYU DC Violets I Nonfiction | Interview with Professor Marcos Martinez

By Carol Wu

Tiny fish ate up the pieces of watermelon floating in the water. “Delicious,” they must’ve thought. Poor fishies. If they had only known that the watermelon they were eating came from the puke that young Marcos had thrown up.

As a young boy, Marcos Luis Martinez was swimming in the Gulf of Mexico when the currents began to drag him down. He was drowning. The salt water rushed into his mouth, forcing the bile to rise up. It was only until his Aunt grabbed him and yanked him out that he was saved. But Martinez didn’t need saving. From where he was drowning, he could have reached the ocean floor if he tried.

Martinez, an English professor at NYU DC and George Washington University, grew up in Brownsville, Texas, a bordertown between the United States and Mexico. Growing up, he was exposed to multiple languages, Spanish and English, and the art of storytelling. Martinez’s grandmother gifted him with a thirst to write through the poems and songs she, herself, would write. His mother would inspire him in a similar way through her own career in the arts as a painter. His influences weren’t limited to those from his family.

In high school, Martinez was mentored by his English teacher, who gave him guidance in literature, acting, and drama. He would later perform in a one-act play directed by his mentor.

Martinez was a prospective NYU student, but he went on to attend Georgetown University for his alma mater.

Most students see Martinez as just an English professor, but outside of class, he is an avid traveler and a dedicated volunteer for OutWrite DC, an organization that advocates for LGBTIQ individuals. He also volunteers with panels and workshops to encourage LGBTIQ writers and to help them develop their writing skills. Students would be surprised to know that Martinez has led a writing workshop on intimacy.

Martinez has been published in The Washington Blade, The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review, MetroWeekly, and Split This Rock and is currently working on several projects, including a novel and a poetry collection. Besides being a published writer, Martinez is also the co-founder and Contributing Editor of StillHouse Press, a nonprofit book publisher that trains graduate student sin the publishing industry.

Martinez currently lives with his husband and lovely black cat Obi, short for Obsidian.