Frye-Castillo

You may see my last name with or without a hyphen. Both versions are correct.

Legally, there is no hyphen. Spanish speakers tend to be familiar with long last names, while English speakers may find it confusing. When publishing in English, I keep the hyphen. For Spanish audiences, I leave the hyphen out.

For many reasons, I enjoy this indeterminate, playful policy that reflects the cycles of history and the power of naming.

My full name is Matthew Caprioli Frye Castillo. I’m very proud of each of these names and the histories they carry.

“A crucial distinction between labels we have been given by officials of the state and our own self-naming process is that only doing the latter serves us. The very act of self-definition is a rejection of colonization.”

Ana Castillo, Massacre of the Dreamers

I’m also inspired by Taylor Mac, who uses “judy” as a pronoun: a purposeful bit of play with how we name ourselves and choose to move through the world.

This page will grow as I hear about more peculiar relationships with names.