Manuel is a New York City-based writer, editor, and critical thinker. He's a pop culture enthusiast and an eternal Buffy fan.
Featured in Film Comment, Esquire, The Atlantic, Electric
Literature, Remezcla, Los Angeles Review of Books, Vice & Backstage Magazine, among others.
He's one of the writers of Chad Sell's graphic novel The Cardboard Kingdom (Knopf Books for Young Readers), a New York Times Summer Pick.
Writing Portfolio here.
For Remezcla:
Though traditional film criticism is changing, critics and bloggers still have the power to shape box office success. So how do we get Latino voices to make a dent into the critical conversation?
For Backstage Magazine:
She made a name for herself with Parks and Recreation. Now Plaza is playing her best roles yet with Ingrid Goes West, Legion, and The Little Hours.
For The Atlantic:
The reality show’s emphasis on the survival stories of its contestants reveals how performance can be empowering. Ru and her queens epitomize the power of self-love in a community that continues to struggle with self-acceptance.
For Electric Literature:
A personal essay on how both novel and movie are perfect expressions of unabashed gay teenage love.
Starting with a look at Harvey Fierstein’s Tidy Endings (1988), this weekly column at The Film Experience studies the way the cable network has tackled gay storylines in its award-winning films, miniseries and TV shows.
To say 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' was deceptively light is a not-so-deceptive understatement. This featured supercut asks us to go deeper into the cult classic.