"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"
People often ask me where I get my inspiration; usually it’s from readers who pepper me with their interesting life stories.
On rare and wonderful occasions, inspiration comes from those I read, like Margarita Engle, an internationally published Cuban-American poet, novelist, and journalist who recently became the first Hispanic author to earn a prestigious Newbery recognition.
I knew her work from when I was a teacher, filling long, hot afternoons with writing lessons based on her 2006 book, The Poet Slave of Cuba.
Her latest book, The Surrender Tree- Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom, is a challenging collection of poems about Rosa, a Cuban concentration camp nurse who turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her. It’s a painful book that demonstrates the human ability to find joy in sorrow.
A tiny, short excerpt from a poem in "Part Two: The Ten Year’s War":
"Jose and I agree to marry.
Together we will serve as nurses,
healing the wounds of slavery,
and the wounds of war."
Margarita was kind enough to share her great honor with me and you. Following is an edited transcript of our conversation last week.
EJC: Recently, the Newbery Award has come under fire for the lack of ethnic diversity in the books and authors it honors and awards. A recent Bloomberg article titled "Blacks, Hispanics Are Rare Heroes with Newbery Kids Books Medal," the journalist argues that the Newbery medal has traditionally been awarded to books featuring predominantly white characters. "Characters depicted in Newbery winners are more likely to be white, male and come from two-parent households than the average U.S. child, according to a Brigham Young University study. The trend has accelerated even as the U.S. has diversified, with fewer black and Hispanic main characters in the past 27 years than in the Civil Rights era of 1951-79." However, the themes you explore in The Surrender Tree are international and cross-generational which is what, I think, makes this book such a particularly great Newbery Award winner - it doesn't scream "Latino book!!!!" For that matter your very name does not scream "Latina!" Perhaps incorrectly, that makes me feel like your award is based on the profundity of your ideas and writing and not on the fact that the Newberys had not previously been "diverse." So based on all that...how do you feel about being a "first" what does that mean to you and to the book publishing world? M.E.: Thank you. I am so glad that the timeless and universal themes came through, because that was my intention. I think the inner history of ordinary people is a better way to learn history than memorizing the names and dates of famous figures and celebrated events.
I am comfortable with not screaming Latina, because my mother is from Cuba, my father is from Los Angeles, and I think of myself as Cuban-American, half and half, perched on the hyphen. Engle is my husband's last name. At first, I tried to hyphenate the maiden and married surnames, but eventually I decided that writing under my husband's name is an expression of love and loyalty. I don't feel the need to pose as completely Latina. I am of mixed ancestry, both genetically and culturally.
As a "first," I am astounded and grateful, but I also recognize that I am preceded by a long line of brilliant authors who began writing before the time for recognition was ripe. I share this Newbery Honor with them. I am standing on the shoulders of Alma Flor Ada, Tomás Rivera, Pat Mora, Esmeralda Santiago, Juan Felipe Herrera, Gary Soto, and so many others.
EJC: Tell me what it's like being an author of Cuban descent in a country that, generally speaking, looks at most Hispanics and assumes they are Mexican? What does (or doesn't) that experience bring to your writing?
M.E.: When I was a child growing up in Los Angeles, Mexican-Americans often asked me if I was Mexican, and when I said, "Cuban," some thought I was lying, because Cuba was simply not a familiar place. Now, that sort of generalized expectation would not be a problem. There are large Cuban-American communities in cities all over the U.S., including Los Angeles.
EJC: Your writing for young adults really challenges (it certainly challenged me) and pushes. As a teacher of writing – which you are by default – and as a role model for young writers can you please talk about what the devotion to writing might feel or look like for a young adult? Do they tell you they're overwhelmed by everyone claiming to be a writer? Or are they excited that everyone and anyone can blog? Do they imagine an economy where they can legitimately follow their dreams or is there too much pressure and too little hope of being the next "Twilight" author or JK Rowling?
M.E.: I think it is wonderful that young people keep in touch with each other through the written word in any form, and I am especially delighted that so many young people experiment with poetry. I'm not sure they really feel like they are all writers. A true writer does not put every word out in the open, for all to see.
Like musicians or dancers, we need practice. We rehearse, writing in solitude, erasing ninety percent of our work, and showing only our best ten percent to editors. If ten percent of that fraction is actually published, that's a pretty good success rate. In other words, you have to love the process.
People often tell me they want to write books, but they don't like to read, and they don't like to sit still. In those cases, writing does not strike me as a realistic goal. It is even less realistic to write for the purpose of getting rich and famous. We write to express our thoughts and emotions.
EJC: How about you - you support yourself as an author...what do blogs, Kindle, iPhone readers, dying newspapers, and fragmented attention spans mean to someone who spends painstaking amounts of time crafting a single poem? EJC: What do you say to struggling writers who are writing day in and out and can't seem to get published, are pressed into giving their work away for free, don't know how to navigate the publishing world (and it's all changing so quickly) and just feel frustrated and ready to quit? I spoke to a young woman two weeks ago in just this same position and I was at a loss to offer more than "It'll hurt too much to stop so just keep going."
M.E.: I try not to worry about changes in technology. Even if nobody reads, I will still write.
M.E.: Many beginners send their first short stories and poems to the big, famous magazines. That can be terribly discouraging. I started with small, unknown literary journals, and felt wonderfully excited whenever one haiku was accepted. I think we need to ease our expectations, celebrate small successes, and just keep writing because we love to write.
EJC: The Hispanic community has serious problems with education and there are many excellent reasons for it: poverty, lack of parental time, etc., but do you have any culturally unique suggestions for what Latinos can do to get their kids interested in books, reading, and writing?
M.E.: In Latin America, poetry is a force of nature. Poets have always been respected. They were the leaders of independence movements. Elderly Latinos who went to school in the "old countries" still know long poems by heart. They used to name their children after poets. Even illiterate peasants improvised elaborate verses with complex rhyme and meter patterns, holding poetry "duels" at family gatherings and street festivals.
At one time, it was considered very macho for a man to stand up and declaim a dramatic verse in a powerful voice. Women did the same, with romantic poetry. Perhaps this tradition can be revived, while removing the gender-based stereotypes.
As a child, I loved reading because it was an escape, and at the same time, an exploration. I loved The Black Stallion, and Island of the Blue Dolphins. These were stories about young people surviving in isolated places, in creative ways. I also sneaked into the adult section of the library, where I haunted the travel section, reading about faraway lands, and looking at pictures of exotic places.
I think reading is simply an extension of curiosity. Anything parents and teachers can do to give natural curiosity an outlet may eventually lead children into the library or its online equivalent, searching for answers.
Just going for a walk together is an example. My mother is an immigrant with a sort of parallel universe mentality. She took us exploring in Los Angeles City parks as if they were wilderness. We gazed at bugs and flowers, tadpoles and minnows. It didn't matter that our patch of nature was small. She treated it like the Grand Canyon.
She gave us the chance to be amazed.
Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com
