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David Bowles

@davidbowles.us

5K followers 1.1K following 1.4K posts

Writer. Translator. Nahuatlahtoh. Chicano. He/él/yehhua. Pan [💖💛💙]. Representation: Full Circle Literary. President of the Texas Institute of Letters. Associate Professor at UTRGV.

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David Bowles @davidbowles.us · Aug 1

I'm going to launch a Latine romance imprint, focusing mostly on queer stories, but also special straight ones.

It will be called NEKISSOH—

—Nahuatl for "desirable" or "desired."

Among our publications will be the queer historical romances I'm writing as Aeron Zaldívar.

More details soon!

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 5h

Thanks!

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 22h

Here's my English translation of the twenty-fifth Nahuatl poem in the codex SONGS OF THE LORDS OF ANAHUAC (known by its Spanish title "Romances de los señores de la Nueva España").

No One Will Remain

The twenty-fifth cuicatl in Songs of the Lords of Anahuac, my English translation of the codex Romances de los señores de la Nueva España.

davidbowles.medium.com

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 1d

"thehive.ai evaluates all images posted to the site. We don't actually provide any input"

That, bro.

ALL. MOTHER. F^CKING. IMAGES. Not whatever brown-nosing bullshit you said above.

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 1d

Today sees the publication of two translations of mine: EL PEZ ARCOÍRIS SE ESCAPA DE LA RED, my translation of the newest Rainbow Fish book, RAINBOW FISH AND THE GREAT ESCAPE, as well as the board book "El Pez Arcoíris"!

El Pez Arcoíris se escapa de la red

The tenth book in the New York Times bestselling Rainbow Fish series encourages care and respect for the ocean and its creatures. El décimo libro d...

www.simonandschuster.com

Reposted by David Bowles

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 2d

The idea that we can just not shoot at all, or even control the narrative afterward, is hard for me to imagine.

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 2d

Indeed! Comedy gold. There's a whole poem in the Nahuatl codex CANTARES MEXICANOS that features a much older priest trying to get into the loincloth of a young man.

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 2d

In Classical Nahuatl, there are a worrisome number of ways to say "horny priest."

Yikes.

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 2d

非常恰當 ... Quite a fitting quote, LOL.

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 2d

"Go" by Chemical Brothers, featuring Q-Tip.

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 2d

Inihqueh in = those [who]
quitēcāhualtiah = they prevent it for people
tlamatcā = peaceful
tzonteyōtl = revolution
quitēchīhualtiah = they cause it for people
yōlcocōleh = violent
tzonteyōtl revolution

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 2d

I can imagine what some of you are thinking: "Oops, David, you left off the glottal stops at the end of the verbs!" ;)

Should look like this:

Inihqueh in quitēcāhualtiah in tlamatcā tzonteyōtl quitēchīhualtiah in yōlcocōleh tzonteyōtl.

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 2d

😉👍🏼

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 2d

Revolutionary Nahuatl for October 6, 2025.

Inihqueh in quitēcāhualtia in tlamatcā tzonteyōtl quitēchīhualtia in yōlcocōleh tzonteyōtl.

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

—JFK

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 3d

😁🤘🏼

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 3d

Or even just transcribing them in English, yikes!

I actually did two Spanish "covers" of Cocteau Twins songs, using the snatched of intelligible words to craft translations that preserved the "feel" of the tracks (from my perspective).

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 3d

Dayum, that's a ton of [undoubtedly highly engaging] story! :D

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 3d

Thanks! :D

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 3d

My son-in-law Jesse Navarro (a ridiculously talented musician) has been working with me on a version of the Oaxacan folk song "La Llorona," which I've also translated into Nahuatl.

Here's a quick write-up of what we've done so far, including the lyrics. Performance video forthcoming! :D

“La Llorona” in Nahuatl

My son-in-law Jesse Navarro and I have been working on a version of the traditional Oaxacan folk song “La Llorona.” Though its popularity…

davidbowles.medium.com

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 3d

I can only imagine! Torturous, eh? :D

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 3d

A good overview of why I shudder at most fictional media containing anything about 15th and 16th-century Nahua culture.

To the random screenwriter or novelist taking on that period: you think you know, but trust me ... You don't. Pay an expert to read what you've written.

Harry Turtledove @hntdove.bsky.social · 3d

1/?) Something we need to talk about on social media but mostly don't is levels of expertise. So I'm gonna take a shot at that.

Level 0: I never heard of X.

Level 1: I have heard of X, so I think I know all about it.

Level 3: I read the Wikipedia article about X, so I'm sure I know...

Reposted by David Bowles

Aaron H. Aceves @aaronhaceves.bsky.social · 3d

Greta Thunberg was just assaulted by the terrorist state of Israel and forced to kiss their fake ass flag because she chooses to care about people other than herself while Taylor Swift can’t post an insta story. Stan the right white woman

Reposted by David Bowles

Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 4d

Who could ever have imagined when I played a fictional rebel who joined the Resistance to oppose a criminal Authoritarian & wannabe King, it would be happening in real-life?

#TwentyfiveFortyseven

Reposted by David Bowles

Aeron Zaldívar @aeronzaldivar.bsky.social · 8d

I'm up to chapter twelve in my historical queer romance set in the early years of the Aztec Empire! If you haven't check out my Patreon, now's a good time.

AFG Chapter 12—Greater Noble Feast | Aeron Zaldívar

Get more from Aeron Zaldívar on Patreon

www.patreon.com

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 10d

zan = only
māuhqui = coward
-queh = plural marker
mo- = reflexive prefix (themself, oneself)
xāyacatia = to mask
-h = plural marker
inic = in order that
quin- = them (object prefix)
āna = seize violently
-z = future
-queh = plural marker
in = the
chipāhuac = innocent
-queh = plural marker

David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 10d

Ugh, yeah, grossest "romance" trope of all time.