iwantmypringlesback: Hi Everyone! Today I’m here with @Vony1956! Welcome to the interview, glad you could make it! Go ‘head and grab a blanket, maybe a snack, make yourself comfortable! First off, thank you for having me interview you! How’re you feeling?

Vony: Decent. I’m currently surviving off of 3 hours of sleep, just turned in an assignment that is due tomorrow morning, and am listening to some Tony Perkins. You know: the usual. :p

iwantmypringlesback: Hahaha!! Sounds like a lot of us right now! Speaking of listening to Tony Perkins, I’ve noticed that you’re very invested in LGBTQ+ history, especially the 50s. What (or who!) got you into that?

Vony: The first LGBTQ+ historical figure that I got into (unwitting to the fact that she was bi) was actually Anne Frank in second grade, so this goes back a while. The first couple/person I consciously studied for their sexuality was Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens in 2017, after listening to Hamilton (which I don’t like anymore, btw). What got me into the 50s was probably Tab Hunter, but I’d heard of the ~gayness~ of Old Hollywood before then.

iwantmypringlesback: That’s quite a story! I’ve seen that you share your knowledge about these topics here on Genius; why here. And wow, back in 2nd grade I was worried about whether or not my shoes matched! Sounds like you’ve taken quite the journey!

Vony: I’m… not sure… 😅 Annotating a Hamilton/Laurens letter was what got me started here (and idk why here, but it’s happened) and I’ve stayed here ever since, I suppose!

Yeah, I’m kinda surprised about that too. XD

iwantmypringlesback: Well, we’re all happy you stayed to teach us about these topics! After annotating that one letter, did you immediately throw yourself into the community here, or did it take a while? What was your genius journey like?!

Vony: I threw myself into it afterwards. Like everything else I do, I do it full-steam ahead or I don’t do it at all. I went in, transcribed all of their letters almost back-to-back, and annotated them. I’d had all of this knowledge bottled up in me for a while, not able to talk about it because I was afraid to be judged; now I was finally able to share it with someone besides my sister! (who has since ceased to listen because I annoy her. ;-;)

iwantmypringlesback: Wow!! You’ve taught me, and others a lot about history! And don’t worry, you’ll never be judged here! Speaking of your genius journey, you’re being mentored by @peaker, and you’re close to becoming an editor! First off, congratulations on that! How’s it going for you? What made you want to pursue the editor role?

Vony: Thanks! It’s going great, really! It was a tiny bit daunting in the beginning, but peaker’s really great; it feels like talking with a friend at this point. I think what made me want to pursue the editor role was not only to challenge myself, but also to clean some stuff up (I’ve seen a lot of tates that I really just wanna edit/delete but obviously can’t). It also allows me to show people who annotate stuff like what I do that you can still get far doing it even if it’s not exactly “the norm” on genius (not like “the norm” is bad, though).

iwantmypringlesback: The “norm” definitely isn’t bad! It’s awesome that you’re putting yourself in that position to be a role model, someone new genius-iens look up to! I’m sure you’ll be amazing as an editor, and I’ll be the first to have lit a candle and made you a cake when you do! But I must ask, how do you personally see yourself and a future in this community?

Vony: Uhhh… I can’t exactly see myself becoming more than an editor, to be honest. As much as I love to push myself, I feel like that’d be a little much for a senior in high school like me to do. ;-; I just see myself chilling out here for the next couple of years as an editor, coming and going when I please, sprinkling some knowledge here and some knowledge there. I’m obviously going to finish my Tab and Tony “projects” (just transcribing and annotating the rest of their music), but after that, it all just’ll be mellow until I find someone else to latch onto.
iwantmypringlesback: That’s awesome! I look forward to learning more about Tab and Tony, with you as my “teacher”! For a senior to become an editor, that takes some real passion, and skill! But speaking of school, we all take breaks from Genius sometimes! What are your hobbies? What do you like to do when not on Genius?

Vony: I obviously write and do research–a lot. I’m finding quite a few LGBTQ+ people that I want to study after I’ve completed my Tab and Tony “projects”–Sal Mineo and James Dean are among them, with Anne Lister not too far behind. I do some art, but I wouldn’t say it’s incredible. I feed my obsession with Tony Perkins. Otherwise… not much else besides going to school, but that’s not a hobby.

iwantmypringlesback: Yes, and you’re very good at it!! I can’t wait to see your future endeavors in history! Let’s switch gears a little bit to music! What was the first song you listened to, do you still listen to it? What’s your favorite genre?

Vony: Oh my god–the first song I listened to… From what my mom’s told me, I fell asleep to Beyoncé as a baby, so probably something by her. XD I can listen to pretty much any genre, besides country (ew, country). I can listen to Paramore one second and Tab Hunter the next; I can sing along to NF before calmly drinking in Marina/Marina and the Diamonds. Echos is a good band, too, and so is MCR. So… no set answer. XD

iwantmypringlesback: Hey, we love someone who’s musically diverse! You gotta give me some recommendations later XD Moving away from that a little, I know that you are Latino. What are your favorite cultural aspects? Food, celebrations, everything!

Vony: My family, surprisingly, isn’t very deep into our race; it’s kind of just a part of us that we don’t really acknowledge, like a white family, really. Come to think about it, my family isn’t really big on anything, whether it be religion, sexuality, etc. It’s just kind of like, We’re Latino–big deal! That’s what most activists for any minority try to work up to: not to have equal rights, but to make it so that no one even notices that you’re x, y, or z. It’s nice, really.

iwantmypringlesback: That’s awesome!! Your family sounds amazing, as are you! Speaking of things about you, what are some fun facts people might not know?

Vony: I was actually born three months early and they had to cut my stomach open to do surgery on me. My doctors thought I wouldn’t be able to eat meat, but steak’s been my favorite food ever since I can remember. One special talent I have is being able to bite into ice cream or popsicles. I love spicy foods, and Chipotle is probably one of my favorite restaurants. Yeah… XD

iwantmypringlesback: Dang, Ace, you were a premie if I ever saw one! I’m happy you can enjoy steak, though! Biting into Ice cream and popsicles?! How?! (shudder) LOL. Let’s delve into the past a little, though. Let’s be real, 2020 was a whirlwhind year for all of us. What are some things you learned from it?

Vony: Not to take the little things for granted (like being able to walk around without a mask on your face ;-;). I know this is a huge cliché and shit, but it’s crazy how much we realize how good we had it after it’s been stripped away from us. Also: how good it feels to have everyone six feet from you. xD

iwantmypringlesback: I definitely agree. You don’t realize how much you miss school until it’s gone… sigh. Speaking of school, you are a high school senior, soon to graduate! Congratulations on that! What are your plans for after high school? Will you still be on Genius?

Vony: I’m planning, as you know, on going to Columbia (I’m currently preparing for applications) and probably won’t take a free year unless something major comes up with my mental health or something. I’ll most likely stay on genius for as long as I can and with as much as I can contribute, it probably just won’t be quite as frequent.

After college, I plan to become an author, specifically of LGBTQ+ historical fiction. I’ll probably keep a day-job up until that point, but I’m fixed on that career even if it doesn’t work out, so long as I can get the right stories to the right people.
iwantmypringlesback: That’s amazing, Columbia’s a very good college! And becoming an LGBTQ+ historical fiction author sounds perfect for you! I’ve read some of your stories, and, honestly, they’re better than some published works I’ve read. Where did you get the inspiration to become an author? For how long have you known that this is something you’ve wanted to do?

Vony: Awww, girl, thanks so much! The inspiration came to me in first grade when I read Little House In The Big Woods (I also have a hunch that that’s what got me into history–and historical fiction–so early on). I wasn’t exactly conscious of it until second grade when I began making “books”–pretty much just drawings with one sentence above them explaining what the picture was about stapled together. So I’ll say I’ve wanted to be an author since second grade.

iwantmypringlesback: That’s so cute! You’ll have to tell me more about them sometime! But for now, that’s it, folks! Any last words, ace? (that sounds so ominous, my apologies)

Vony: XD Nah, it’s okay. Final words:Every 60 seconds in Africa, a minute passes.iwantmypringlesback pLEASE i just let out the ugliest laugh! See you around, folks!