Writer and POP-UP MAGAZINE contributing producer José Vadi shares the story of Rachel Smith and Alex Torres, two young strangers driven by a shared desire to use whatever skills they had to address the devastating effects of the pandemic in Latino communities.
This story is presented as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, with support from ‪@Google‬.
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JOSÉ VADI is an essayist, poet, playwright, and film producer based in Oakland, California. His debut essay collection, INTER STATE, will be published by Soft Skull Press in fall 2021.
DEREK ABELLA is an illustrator living and working in Brooklyn. His ethereal work pulls from his queer and Cuban American identities and has been commissioned by a wide range of editorial and commercial clients.
ARLENE MEJORADO is a lens-based artist and documentarian from Los Angeles. She is a 2019 Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice fellow and a former teaching artist at Las Fotos Project. Arlene has worked on assignments for The California Sunday Magazine, The Intercept, Vogue, Google, Vox, ProPublica, and Buzzfeed News.
ARIANNA VAIRO specializes in illustration. She has created art for THE NEW YORK TIMES, the Marina Abramovic Institute, and Bocconi University, Milan, among other clients. Her work has been exhibited and recognized in Italy and worldwide. She teaches printmaking at the European Institute of Design, Milan.
STORY
José Vadi
ILLUSTRATIONS
Derek Abella
PHOTOGRAPHS
Arlene Mejorado
MUSIC
Cheche Alara
FOR POP-UP MAGAZINE
Cheche Alara, Musical Director
Jacqueline Bates, Photography Director
Derek Fagerstrom, Director of Special Projects
Annie Jen, Art Director
Taylor Le, Art Director
Charley Locke, Story Producer
Albert Schatz, Production Manager
Andy Spillman, Music Mixer
Maureen Towey, Performance Consultant
José Vadi, Contributing Producer
John Woo, Director of Video
Eugene Yi, Video Editor