A lifelong wrestling fan, Paul Barile was introduced to Lucha Libre years ago. In those days there was not much Lucha Libre in the Chicagoland area, so it seemed inaccessible at the time.
Then—as luck would have it—during a time of reinvention (creatively and otherwise), Paul was reintroduced to Lucha Libre, and this time it became an integral part of his life.
Paul is now a student of Lucha Libre—not as a practitioner of the art form itself, but of all of the ancillary elements including the pageantry and the storytelling, the characters, the sights and the sounds, and ̶of course ̶̶ the food.
Outside of Lucha Libre, Paul has also spent many years in the classroom teaching in the Headstart program, as well as a variety of after school programs. In addition, spent summers working in resident camps where his love of writing began to take hold.
Later while working as a tour guide, Paul honed his storytelling skills as he showed visitors the sights and sounds of Chicago. However, he continued to teach young people acting and improv and film-making.
During this time, his passion for the Lucha began to grow, and when it collided with his passion for writing, Paul knew he had to do something.
He chose to create a Lucha universe like no other. Paul is not satisfied with just writing a book or two about Luchadores, he is creating an entire series featuring many of the people who make Lucha Libre what it is.
The series includes books not just about the luchadores and luchadoras, but they are also about the referees and the ring announcers and the other people who make up the magic of Lucha.
As much a part of that magic is the touchstone of family, because family is important in the culture of Lucha Libre. So much so that Paul has witnessed Luchadores blessing babies before a match.
In his books, Paul clearly draws parallels to Lucha Libre in the way he depicts the family passing traditions on to younger members. Many famous wrestlers take their names from their famous fathers.
As a driver for a local Lucha Libre federation, Paul has carried many great Luchadores from airports to shows. He has met some of the biggest Luchadores and Luchadoras working today; he has met Blue Demon Junior. He has met Hurrican Ramirez Junior. These are the sons of iconic Lucha legends.
Paul’s own legacy in the Lucha world is his nephew, the translator of his books from English to Spanish. While theirs is not a father/son relationship, they share a tio/sobrino relationship.
In his quest to follow this family-oriented sport, Paul has seen Lucha Libre in five states and two countries. While in Mexico, Paul reiterates the family tie by always bringing his sister and his nephew to the matches there.
Stateside, he is also always introducing people to the storytelling and deeply held traditions of Lucha Libre.
Paul’s repertoire of all things Lucha includes writing dual-language books and creating Lucha Libre coloring books.
He also teaches writing to adults in his spare time.
More about Paul Barile
PAUL BARILE is a Chicago native, the author of children’s books, plays, poetry, novels and graphic novels. He has a background in special education and HeadStart and was a summer camp counselor. He teaches acting, improv and film-making to 7-13 year olds. Selected works include Kid Chaos vs The Sandman, The Legend of Aguila Azul, Hope Rises, Where’s Yezka, My Brother’s Hands (novel) all published by Lexographic Press; Ten Pounds of Gold: (short novel); Chasing Happy (novel) 2018.
