RICHARD TINGEN
PUBLISHER

I am Richard, a Canadian, I have lived in Mexico for over 4 decades. In 1983, I founded "El Ojo del Lago." It all started out when my real estate company (now Coldwell Banker Chapala Realty) decided to print a small pamphlet to showcase its listings. Soon thereafter several businesses knocked on our doors wanting to advertise with us, as this was the only magazine at lakeside. At the same time the need to keep retirees informed on cultural and social events was becoming a necessity. And so this is how the Ojo was born and eventually mushroomed into a full size business. We are very proud of the service our magazine provides, it is now Mexico's leading English language monthly publication.

DAVID TINGEN
PUBLISHER
My name is David, I am an associate publisher of “El Ojo del Lago.” One of the objectives of our magazine is to get you to love and appreciate our little corner of the world, we believe once you know the area you won’t want to leave. As for myself, I went to elementary school in Ajijic, studied one year in Canada and did the rest of my schooling in Guadalajara. I have a marketing and business administration degree. I like living at lakeside because I get the opportunity to meet people from very diverse cultural backgrounds that come from all over the world.

BRUCE FRASER
SALES
Bruce Fraser has lived in Mexico for 8 years. A Canadian, he especially enjoys the gradual turning of the seasons from wet to dry instead of warm to cold to colder to coldest. Bruce has been involved in several businesses and has lived in various regions during his time in Mexico.

ALEJANDRO BORRAYO
DISTRIBUTION

I have lived in the US and in Mexico, Mexico offers greater living than up north, I am lucky enough to work in what I love, and even luckier to be in the Lake Chapala area. I am out shaking the bushes everyday in this near perfect climate, boredom is not on my list.

IRMA CASTELLANOS
MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT
Hi, I’m Irma, I was born in Chapala, I love my job, I am the one that is out of the office in the street helping out with any kind of job, I know a lot of people lakeside, I am highly social, I love the nice and warm environment that all the Ojo staff has created.

ALEJANDRO GRATTAN-DOMINGUEZ
EDITOR EMERITUS
Alejandro Grattan Dominguez is our first Mexican-American Editor-in-Chief. A former screenwriter and film director, he is the author of several critically-acclaimed novels, The Dark Side of the Dream, Breaking Even, Only Once in a Lifetime, The Stuff of Dreams and Hollywood & Vine, Against All Odds and Whereabouts Unknown. His feature film, Only Once in a Lifetime premiered at the Kennedy Center and later was chosen as an Official Entry at the Deauville Film Festival in France. His novel The Dark Side of the Dream has been optioned by the Wolper Organization. Two of Grattan's recent screenplays have won top honors at the Ajijic Film Festival.

JAMES TIPTON

James Tipton lives in Chapala with his Mexican wife Martha and their daughter Gabriela. For more than forty years he has been publishing poems and short stories as well as articles and reviews in hundreds of magazines and anthologies. His collections of poetry include Letters from a Stranger (1998)—with a Foreword by Isabel Allende—and winner of the Colorado Book Award in Poetry; Proposing to the Woman in the Rear View Mirror (2008); Washing Dishes in the Ancient Village/Lavando platos en el antiguo pueblo (2009); and All the Horses of Heaven/Todos los caballos de paraiso (2009). He is currently working on a collection of short stories about expatriates in Mexico: Three Tamales for the Señor. Jim writes our monthly column Hearts at Work.

KAY DAVIS
STAFF WRITER

Kay is our Special Events Editor and directly in charge of putting together our "Lakeside Living" column each month. She also writes a similar column for the Puerto Vallarta Tribune. She has a strong background in Business Administration and is a free-lance book editor.

BILL FRAYER
STAFF WRITER

Bill Frayer is a native of Philadelphia who earned his B.A. from Brown University and his M.S. from the University of Southern Maine.  He married Pixie, a Maine girl, in 1974, and they spent 33 years living in Maine and raising three children, Eric, Wendy, and Cassie.  Bill taught writing, critical thinking, and other humanities courses at Central Maine Community College for 31 years.  Bill has written a textbook in Critical Thinking, Figuring Things Out,  and a volume of poetry, Sacred Lake.  Bill and Pixie are especially proud to have their first grandchild, Isabelle, who made her appearance in March 2008. Bill writes our column "Uncommon Common Sense." 

MICHAEL WARREN
STAFF WRITER

Michael is a poet and playwright, and his play “The Perfect Alibi” was performed as a reading at the LCS in January, 2009. Michael’s poetry has appeared in many publications, including Granta, Pawn, Prism International, Poetry Toronto and Blue Asterisks. And of course in El Ojo Del Lago.  He has been interested in the theater for many years, both in London and Toronto, and has appeared in several plays at the Lakeside Little Theatre in Ajijic.  For the last few years he has been writing the theater reviews for El Ojo Del Lago under the byline Front Row Center.

KEN MASSON

Ken Masson has been playing, teaching and writing about bridge for more than 35 years.  Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Ken has been living in Toronto since 1967.  He and his wife and bridge partner, Rosemarie, are now coming to the end of their third winter in Lakeside.  This past season, Ken has been conducting bridge lessons in the Riviera Alta clubhouse in Ajijic, with the proceeds being donated to the Cruz Roja. These classes have been very popular amongst intermediate players and Ken looks forward to expanding on his teaching program in the fall. Writes our monthly column Bridge by the Lake.

ILSE HOFFMAN
STAFF WRITER
Ilse Hoffmann has written newspaper articles in Spanish since 1975 in Torreón, Coah., La Opinion and Noticias newspapers, El Informador and Ocho Columnas in Guadalajara. She has published two books and currently is working in her first novel in Spanish: "Contra el Viento" (Against the Wind). She works as a tourist guide and enjoys showing newcomers and future retirees the way of life in the lakeside area and Guadalajara.