Category Archives: Interview

Interview in The Latino Author

Posted on February 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Dovalpage-Teresathe-astral-plane

This week, TheLatinoAuthor.com is interviewing author Teresa Dovalpage who was born in Havana and now lives in Taos, New Mexico. She has a PhD in literature and currently teaches at UNM-Taos. She also writes a weekly column for the local newspaper, Taos News. A bilingual author, she has published six novels, four in Spanish and two in English, and three collections of short stories.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
I was born in Havana, Cuba, and considered a bookworm since my childhood. Had I been here I’d have been called a nerd, I guess. I wrote my first short stories when I was a teenager and couldn’t stop afterwards. My first published book was the novel A Girl like Che Guevara (Soho Press, 2004), followed by Posesas de La Habana (Pureplay Press, 2004). I felt encouraged after that and started calling myself a writer. J Before, I didn’t dare to! Now I have six novels and three short story collections published. I live in Taos, a beautiful and quirky town near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in New Mexico, and I teach at UNM Taos.

You have published three collections of short stories, several novels, and are also a playwright. Which of these styles of writing do you prefer or are they equal in nature?

It depends on the story. There are some that come to me (“through” me, sometimes) as novels. Others are definitely short stories. And finally, some come to me as theater plays, complete with the characters’ voices and stage directions.

Of the three different types of writing, which do you find the most challenging and why?

Theater, definitely. One thing I have learned is that theater is more than dialogue. Much more. One also has to be realistic about the staging possibilities…I included a cat in Hasta que el mortgage nos separe. The poor directors had to get creative! Rosario Vargas, from Aguijon Theater, used a stuffed animal and Marcelina Gallegos, from UNM, a kid who “played” the cat.

Your literary works have been written in both Spanish and English. When you begin your writing process, how do you determine which of these languages you’re going to use for that particular literary work?

At first it wasn’t a matter of choice. I wrote my first novel in English because I thought, “I’d better write in English if I want to be published and read here.” Later I discovered the Hispanic and Spanish markets (gracias, San Google!) and I continued alternating between the two languages. Now, I generally write in the language in which story comes to me. In the case of The Astral Plane, Stories of Cuba, the Southwest and Beyond (UNO Press, 2012), some of the stories are set in New Mexico, so it felt more natural to write them in English.

Which of your stories was the most difficult to write and why?

Probably Muerte de un murciano en La Habana, published in 2006 in Spain, and a finalist for the Herralde Award. I struggled to find the narrative voice until I discovered that more than one was needed, so it has an omniscient narrator and several monologues of the main characters. I even included myself in it, just for grinsies.

In your book Habanera: A Portrait of a Cuban Family you write about a post-revolutionary time. How much was taken from personal experience and how much was fictional?

It started as a memoir, but at a given moment I realized I had reinvented history too much. After some prodding from my mother, who called me a liar among other things, I decided to turn it into fiction. The novel is loosely based on my own family, though I added many events that never happened in reality. (There was no ghost at home, at least that I knew of.) But all the characters are inspired in my family, which is a motley crew, myself included.

Just recently you published La Regenta en La Habana. Can you tell us a little bit about this book?

It’s a rewrite of the final chapters of La Regenta, by Leopoldo Alas, (Clarín). In this classic nineteenth century Spanish novel, Ana Ozores, the main character, is married to a much older man and courted by the local Don Juan and by a priest, Don Fermín. My novel has two parallel plots: one about Yoana, a University of Havana professor who is teaching La Regenta in her literature class, and the rewrite of the original novel’s last chapters, done by Yoana as a soul-searching exercise. I don’t know what the critics of Clarín’s work would say about my book but I had tons of fun writing it!

How difficult was it to get your works published, and what advice can you provide to our readers in this arena?

I think I lucked out with my first novels. I sent the ms. of A Girl like Che Guevara to Soho Press, unagented, and they bought it. The same happened with Posesas de La Habanaand PurePlay Press. Now I have an agent in Spain and I am very happy with her. I have more time to write and don’t have to worry about peddling my books. But I still like marketing and also enjoy promoting my work. So my advice to writers is, get an agent (that always helps a lot) but in the meantime, try to sell your books on your own.

Who or what inspires you to write?

My crazy family life—I mean my Cuban family life. Dysfunctional families are wonderful sources of inspiration, especially when one is far away and can look at them with detachment, and even laugh at things that used to be exasperating or embarrassing. My friends. The places where I live. The places that I visit, and the people, particularly the quirky ones… there is a great deal of quirkiness in Taos, which makes it a great place for a writer. Traveling also inspires me. Last Christmas my husband and I went to the Gutenberg Museum and I left thinking of a story.

What do you want your readers to take away after having read your works? In other words, what do you want to be remembered for as a writer?

I want to entertain my readers. I want them to spend a good time while reading my stories, and if in the process they learn something new and interesting about, let’s say, Cuba, that’s icing on the cake.

Can you share some upcoming projects that will be forthcoming in the near future?

As I said, I love marketing. I am putting together a collection of articles I wrote for Taos News and will publish them in Amazon as a book—a comprehensive guide to Taos. The articles are already written so now comes the fun part, letting people know about the book! 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Interview

Tagged , ,

Papaya Suite: a three-city journey to adulthood

Posted on June 16, 2011 | 1 Comment

Interview with Cuban Writer Teresa Bevin 

Teresa Bevin is an educator, author and psychotherapist. Born in Cuba, she emigrated to the United Statesfollowing several interim years in Spain.  She is a graduate of the University of Maryland and George Washington University. Ms. Bevin resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico and works with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence at Esperanza Shelter for Abused Families.  She also offers private counseling.  Additionally, Teresa is a popular translator and interpreter in the Santa Fe area.

In addition to teaching and writing, Teresa has counseled immigrant and refugee children and their families through the Children’s National Medical Center and the Washington, DC public schools; worked as a crisis intervention therapist; and continues to lecture and conduct seminars on the implications of cultural diversity for counselors and other public service personnel.  Integral to her methods of counseling are play therapy, story telling and bibliotherapy, which have proven to be especially helpful when counseling children or adults with limited verbal skills.

Teresa’s most recent publication (April 2011) is her second novel, “Papaya Suite.”  Her bilingual collection of short stories, Dreams and Other Ailments/Sueños y otros achaques was the recipient of several awards, including ForeWord Magazine Bronze Prize for Best Translation, and was a Finalist for Multicultural Fiction by the Independent Publisher Online.  Her first publication, the novel Havana Split, is used as part of Latin American studies curriculum throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.  Additionally, Teresa is a contributing author to a collective study of women and immigration, An Interdisciplinary Introduction to Women’s Studies, and has contributed to several textbooks for practitioners of psychotherapy.

Her bilingual children’s book, Tina Springs into Summer/Tina se lanza al verano, received the Writers Notes Magazine Book Notable Award for the Young Adult Literature Category and is listed in the Association of American Publishers Recommended Latino Books for Children.

Additional information and a full listing of publications can be found on her web site, http://www.teresabevin.com.  Contact: Teresa@teresabevin.com

Interview

T. Dovalpage: Where does your inspiration come from?

Teresa Bevin: My inspiration comes from all around me, anything that moves me or makes me pay attention.  I draw from memories that don’t necessarily place me in the protagonist spot.  I have traveled, met many people, and I think I am a good observer.  I rarely write directly from what I have lived or witnessed.  I tend to knit together threads of many colors and textures until the original scene is completely lost in the fabric of fiction.

T. Dovalpage: And there lies the art of the writer, in that complex weaving of fiction and reality that creates the fabric of books…. Talking about books, what particular kind do you enjoy reading?

Teresa Bevin: I enjoy biographies for the historical value, but my taste is wide.  I don’t read mysteries or fantasy, but books that transport me to another place and time, and especially those that can teach me something.  I love humor, quirky characters, journeys into human psychology, but I don’t enjoy philosophical angst.

T. Dovalpage: Well, your novels also transport the readers to another time and place…Reading both Havana Split and papaya Suite, I felt back in Cuba. Now, when did you begin writing? Why?

Teresa Bevin: I began writing long letters to keep my parents informed of my life inSpain.  I heard that people came to my parents’ home in Cuba to have my letters read to them.  When I heard this, I knew I had something.  Then one day, an editor of textbooks for graduate students invited therapists (which I am) to contribute a chapter for a book that had to do with children of war.  At that time I was working with children that had been traumatized by the war inEl Salvador.  I accepted.  This editor encouraged me to write more, because my chapter read like a story, not like a dry case study.  And from there, I dared write more academic chapters and began to step into fiction.  It seemed that anything I wrote was published with relative ease, so I just kept going.  But most of all, I write for the joy of writing.

T. Dovalpage: The joy of writing has allowed you to create a pretty impressive collection of books. Before Papaya Suite, you wrote a novel in English, Havana Split, as well a bilingual novel Tina Springs into Summer/ Tina se lanza al verano and a bilingual collection of short stories, Dreams and Other Ailments / Sueños y otros achaques. Which one is your favorite language to express yourself in fiction writing? Why?

Teresa Bevin: I enjoy each language depending on the kind of story I’m writing.  If I write about someone’s childhood or children’s themes, I prefer Spanish because that is my first language and the child in me expresses herself in Spanish.  But when I write adult themes it seems that English flows best, with much less of my own censorship.  Spanish is also best when I write about life inCuba or inSpain.  What I generally do is to write in the language that best fits first, and later I translate if necessary.

T. Dovalpage:  There is the whole translation issue. That is another interview in itself. And I understand the self-censoring mode—it is as if our mother were there saying “¡Eso no se dice!”  (That should no be said!) in Spanish…Teresa, you wear a variety of hats (counselor, translator, writer, bilingual educator). Does your work as a counselor influence your writing? How?

Teresa Bevin: It is inevitable for me to be influenced in my writing by what I do.  Since I have always worked directly with people, I have developed a sharp sense for hidden emotions and ways to cover them.  I find the human mind fascinating, as well as the many behaviors that we engage in so that we are not “discovered” in our vulnerabilities.  The different guises that we utilize to protect ourselves from being rejected, hurt, or perceived as “less than” are endless.  So the material is endless as well.

T. Dovalpage: And your supply of hours every ay must be close to endless to do so many things at the same time. How do you manage your writing schedule?

Teresa Bevin: I don’t.  It manages me.  Many times I wish I could be writing when I am facilitating a group or completing a long translation.  But then, when I put time aside to write and I place myself in the “zone,” I may stay there for days forgetting to eat and sleep.

T. Dovalpage: Ay! How can one forget about eating? That has never happened to me… Are you working on a new literary project?

Teresa Bevin: I’m always working on a project.  I have two works in process at this time.  One novel in English and a collection of short stories in Spanish.  I can go from one to the other.  I am still debating whether I will translate the short stories or leave them only in Spanish.

T. Dovalpage: If I am allowed to put my long nose where it doesn’t belong, I’ say translate them. We need more bilingual books! My Spanish-language students loved your collection Dreams and Other Ailments/Sueños y otros achaques. And what advice would you give to beginning writers?

Teresa Bevin: A writer is someone who writes.  Get past the point of talking about doing it, and do it.  Don’t wait for the inspiration.  If you go ahead without it, the inspiration will catch up with you.

T. Dovalpage: Now that you mention inspiration, let’s talk a little about it. What was your inspiration to write Papaya Suite?

Teresa Bevin: My inspiration came from an amalgam of characters and some students I had in the past who confided in me when they knew their parents would not accept their homosexuality.  I joined all this with my own journey from adolescence to adulthood in three different countries so as to not have to research the background since I knew it from experience.  But the book is not autobiographical except for glimpses of the hitch-hiking adventures therein.

T. Dovalpage: Yet your description of Cuba and the scenes which take place there are so vivid that the reader feels transported to the island. Did you base much of the plot and characters in your own Cuban experience?

Teresa Bevin: I tend to create characters from parts of different characters until I can “see” someone real.  Also I can think of someone I knew and then place that person in a new environment and imagine how he or she would have fit.  I would recall someone from my life inCuba and transform that person into someone older, younger, of another race or gender, and so on.  But I did transport myself to that time inCuba.  I smelled the air, heard the sounds, and recalled my own feelings while there at the same age as the main character.  I did the same for the chapters that take place inSpain.

T. Dovalpage: And it gives that texture of reality to the novel. Now, lesbian relationships are the main theme in your novel. In that sense, do you consider Papaya Suite “lesbian fiction”?

Teresa Bevin: I believe Papaya Suite can be considered as such, but I consider it a mixture of a romp, a travel log, and an adventure novel.  I had a lot of fun writing it, and my hope is to transfer that sense of fun and adventure to the reader.

T. Dovalpage: You certainly did! Thank you so much, Teresa. Muchas gracias for this interview, and here is an excerpt of Papaya Suite. Enjoy!

An Excerpt from Chapter 1

Reluctant to leave the bay to the night’s caress, sunlight frolicked with sea ripples along the horizon, riding each playful crest one last time under a sky that changed from pink to orange to the depths of blue. Beyond the salty spray that splashed the seawall, cloud clusters set themselves ablaze to light the way out into theGulf of Mexico.

            The view was marred by two ships silhouetted against the evening sky. The charcoal and red Soviet freighters and tankers that docked inHavanaHarborbrought with them an iridescent trail that slid over the surf and settled by the rocks at the foot of the seawall. There, dozens of small fish struggled against the scum until they gave up and floated on their sides. The toxic fumes clashed against the salty breeze over the city waterfront, echoing the merging between the frigid empire and theCaribbeanisland.

            Havana, bringing in her wash of well-worn whites and faint ochres, prepared for another night of lovers’ whispers and soft music that rose above the grim reality of constant suspicion and vigilance. Years earlier, the smoke-filled piano bars had closed their doors to libidinous customers, and ritualistic Afro-Cuban batá drums had fallen silent by order of the new omnipotence. The dazzling neon signs had long become a memory, replaced by drab billboards covered with slogans that warned the enemy across theFlorida Strait against any plans of invasion.

            Anyone who attempts to possess our nation, will only gather ashes amidst our blood-soaked soil!

 

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Interview

Tagged , , , ,

Always and Only and Ever About Love

Posted on March 7, 2011 | Leave a comment



Mom’s collage, by Marlena Valdez Freelove

The Taos Gallery will be hosting a talk and exhibit on March 9th from 3:00-8:00 pm on the end of the Mayan Calendar. The title of the show is “Always and Only and Ever About Love.”

Artists Patricia Padilla, Janie Cutliff and Marlena Freelove will be exhibiting their art. Padilla will give a talk on the energetic of this time.
Padilla and Freelove are completing a Tarot deck and manual based on what is known of the Mayan calendrical system of energetics. Much of the art at the show will be originals from the deck.

An opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday, March 9th at 6:00 pm. Tarot readings from their deck will be offered from 3:00 – 6:00 pm and refreshments will be served at 5:30 pm.

Marlena Valdez Freelove currently lives in Northern New Mexico in a small community nestled at the foot of the Taos Mountains.  As a child of immigrant parents, she was provided with a rich backdrop of cultures and sensibilities that always encouraged her to think deeply and to embrace the world from different points of view. Although Marlena spent 26 years as a salaried computer professional, her true passion was art. After a near fatal car accident, she was told by several eye specialists, late in her career, that she was losing her eyesight. She decided that it was time to stop chasing a paycheck and start pursuing her artistic vision.

Although it took another decade to move from a predictable life, she packed her suitcase and household in 2009 and moved to Taos to pursue art.

The ability to shift gears into different life situations and places has served Marlena well. She enjoys finding new and innovative ways of looking at life. She uses many different mediums to express her experiences by combining acrylics, collage, digital art, assemblage and crafts. Her present focus involves combining texture, color and images to tell a “story.”

Her desire is to move fluidly through three dimensions as a cohesive whole, with a multitude of layers both obvious and hidden. She is interested in capturing a fourth dimension which allows her visual image to change with light and the position of the observer.  Like life, our perceptions of what we are observing change, from moment to moment.

Though she worked for over two decades in the computer field, Freelove’s true passion was art. She had a mentorship with several scientists and complimented this study with university courses to work with computers, and she still uses the computer as a medium in her artistic pursuits. For instance, in the memorias, she used scanned photos, digital images and personal artwork.  The past year, she self-taught Adobe Photoshop to add digital photography and downloaded images to collage and crafts projects.

Art is also in her blood. Her mother was an artist, a singer and dancer. “She was a seamstress extraordinaire,” said Freelove, “she made some of the most beautiful hand-quilted, embroidered and designed quilts and was a doll maker too. My father loved to paint; he was good but suffered from so much insecurity around his art.”

Freelove studied art at the University of Colorado in Boulder for a year and also worked with several artists in the Boulder area that were truly inspirational in their approach to creating art.

Dreams 2, by Marlena Valdez Freelove

Here is Marlena Valdez Freelove, in her own words:

Teresa Dovalpage: Where does your inspiration come from? How do you choose subjects and themes?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: I draw inspiration from all that surrounds me and from my own interpretation of life circumstances. I am particularly drawn to spiritual ideas and nature.

Teresa Dovalpage: And it shows in your work! Do you have any upcoming shows? When and where?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: I will be participating in a collaborative project on March 9, at The Taos Gallery in Taos, NM. The theme will be the prophesies of the Maya, and the transition we are in presently.

Teresa Dovalpage: A very appropriate there, I would say. Are all the pieces for sale? Is so, where can they be bought?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: Yes, I will sell all the artwork that I exhibit.  I occasionally offer some art work on Ebay, plan to exhibit in several arts shows in Taos and special shows at The Taos Gallery throughout the year.

Teresa Dovalpage: Here is The Taos Gallery website

http://www.thetaosgallery.com/

Now, I know how difficult it is to explain one’s own art, but…let’s try. Is there some hidden meaning in this gorgeous piece, Dreams 2? All the explosion of oranges and blue…what do you want to transmit with this piece?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: In a word… freedom.  The sometimes hidden watery depths of “blues”, the fire and transformative energy of “oranges,” and strength, grace and movement conveyed in the image of “galloping horses across an unknown pathless landscape of possibilities.”

Teresa Dovalpage: What about Tree hugger? That sphere of light where the head is suggests…

Marlena Valdez Freelove: Letting go…of personal identities such as judgment, past experiences, future fears, allowing the greater experience of the “universe” to merge with your being. The pieces you are referring to are experiments with paint and freedom. I use this technique by squirting paint on canvas or paper and watch how the colors flow together. The fun part is looking at the juxtaposition of form, color and texture to see what emerges. This accomplishes many things, learning to work with color and opening the door to the subconscious mind.

Teresa Dovalpage: There is one that I loved at first sight—Mom’s collage is a particularly emotional piece. Who is Jesusita Velez? Is this your own family?

Marlena Valdez Freelove: Jesusita Velez Lehmann was my beloved, artistic and beautiful mother. I was lucky to spend two intimate years with her after a major stroke. As a memorial gift to her sisters and extended family, I created this memoria on the second-year anniversary of her death.

Teresa Dovalpage: That is such a beautiful piece. What about Private Yole?

This was a commissioned piece I did for a client in Las Cruces.  From the pictures chosen, to the small flowers that I fashion from polyclay, to the poetry included; these are from memories of the client.  These are intimate pieces to honor those that have passed and are on a commission basis only.

Teresa Dovalpage: Thank you so much, Marlena, and I hope to see you in The Taos Gallery on March 9th. ¡Buena suerte!



Visit Marlena’s profile in Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001394575302

To learn more about Patricia Padilla, visit her blog

http://curanderapadilla.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/bien-venidos%E2%80%A6welcome/

http://teredovalpage.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/curanderismo-an-old-message-for-a-new-world/

And don’t forget the March 9 Event!

La Paloma Guadalupe by Marlena Valdez Freelove

The Taos Gallery is located at 133 Bent Street, Taos, New Mexico 87571Phone:   575.758-3911


http://www.thetaosgallery.com/

the taos gallery


→ Leave a comment

Posted in Interview

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Cubans around the (publishing) world

Posted on January 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

An interview with three Cuban publishers

Fabio Murrieta

Image of "Marlene Moleon"

Marlene Moleón

I met Marlene Moleón and Andrés Pi during the 2010 Miami Book Fair. They represent two faces of the modern publishing industry: e-books and printing on demand, which are relatively new and not completely understood…at least by some. As for Fabio Murrieta, I read one of the books published by Aduana Vieja, Cuba, última novela. Treinta años del Mariel, by Ramón Luque, and immediately felt curious about this Cuban transplant to the Old World. I interviewed the three of them hoping to shed some light in the long and winding (and often whining) road to publication. And here they are, in their own voices…

Marlene Moleón (Eriginal books, Miami, USA) http://eriginalbooks.com

Andrés Pi Andreu  (Linkgua USA, Chicago, USA) www.linkguausa.com.

Fabio Murrieta (Aduana Vieja, Valencia, Spain) www.aduanavieja.com

Teresa Dovalpage: When and why did you decide to start your publishing house?

Marlene Moleón: I started Eriginal Books last year, in September. My novel En la isla de los pregones was an Azorín Award finalist, but despite this I couldn’t manage to publish it. After three years, I decided to do it on my own as an electronic book, so as to not have it simply die in a drawer, (or, to be precise, in some corner of my computer’s hard drive). I was surprised by the success! I was asked for interviews in Mexico and I had readers from all over the world. Since I have over 10 years’ experience working in electronic publishing and promotion, I decided to start Eriginal Books for other junior authors so that they may have the same opportunity.

Andrés Pi Andreu: I decided to open Linkgua USA in January 2010. I felt it was time to have a publisher in the States that would represent, publish and promote literature in Spanish or from Hispanic authors, to create a space where our authors could feel represented. Our idea is more a cultural platform than strictly a publisher, because we also have a music label and a multimedia section (films, short films, and documentary made by Latinos in the USA). Another important part of our catalog (more than 3500 titles) is our academic catalog. We possess the more extensive and comprehensive digitalize collection of the Spanish classics in the world. Since we are in Barcelona and in Miami we think we could provide text books or curriculum books for all colleges in the USA, Central and South America. Only check our catalog inwww.linkguausa.com.

Fabio Murrieta: Soon, Aduana Vieja will be ten years old.  I’ve always liked working as a publisher. Rather, I’ve been fascinated by this work. I had good teachers, both in Cuba and in Spain. And I also had good friends who happened to be publishers. In Cuba we have a great tradition of literary publishers, from Martí to Rodríguez Feo. I had already worked in several magazines and books, and I gradually came to realize that I liked writing with a certain style. I began to think of the books I’d like to see printed and how I would print them. This particular way of understanding literature, books, design and publishing led me to decide, in the end, to create my own label, with specific characteristics that distinguish it.

Teresa Dovalpage: Do you publish books in English and in Spanish?

Marlene Moleón: At first I planned to publish only in Spanish because I wanted to focus on Latino authors. But I found that in reality, the new generation of Hispanics that has grown up in the United States and Canada prefers to write in English because they consider it their mother tongue. Soon I will publish three books in English: Jinetera, a novel, and two children’s books: Alony and the Butterfly and The Talented Demetri.

Andrés Pi Andreu: We publish book in both languages. We also have a couple of projects for bilingual books.

Fabio Murrieta: We publish books in English and in Spanish…and sometimes in French. For example, in English we have published Encounters in exile. Themes in the narrative of the Cuban Diaspora by Belén Rodríguez Mourelo while Voces de America contains texts in Spanish, English and French.

 

Teresa Dovalpage: Do you publish only Cuban-themed books?

Marlene Moleón: Let me tell you a story. One day I was teaching Geography to my niece, who is 6 years old. She was born in Miami. I explained to her a few facts about Cuba, Spain and the United States. Suddenly she began to ask: “Where was Grandma born?”  “In Cuba”, I answered. “And auntie?”  “In Cuba.” “Godfather?”  “In Cuba.”   “Uncle?”   “In Cuba.”  She was puzzled and replied: “I’m surrounded by Cubans!”  Well, you could say that Eriginal Books is inevitably surrounded by Cubans in Miami so I naturally have more Cuban authors so far. But Eriginal Books is not a publisher dealing exclusively with Cuban authors or issues. It’s mostly for Hispanic authors – even if they write in English- but we also publish non Hispanic authors and we deal with any topic. I already have a Chilean author published, and may soon have a Dominican writer and an American author as well.

Andrés Pi Andreu: No, we have right now five different collections. Ediciones Malecón (Cuban contemporary literature from inside and outside the Island), Centauro (Sci-fi, Horror, Detective books and fantasy), ErotiKa (erotic literature), Tres Aguas (non-Cuban Latin-American literature written in the USA) and Vitral (essay written by Latinos or about Latino culture or sciences)

Fabio Murrieta: While Aduana Vieja has published mostly Cuban literature in Spain, or rather, Cuban literature in exile, we have also published books focused on realities and issues as diverse as contemporary German literature, the legacy of the United States Constitution to American literature, twentieth century dance, history and pedagogy in Spain, the methodological problems of translation, or a book about Arabic interiors, just to name a few. Cuban literature is just a line in Aduana Vieja, maybe the most important, but we also remain very interested in other proposals and contents.

 

Teresa Dovalpage: What is your best-selling book up to now?

Marlene Moleón: Novels are my best sellers: Memory of Silence by Uva de Aragon, mine, and Sindo Pacheco’s novel, Mañana es Navidad which is the most recent and is now taking off quite well.

Andrés Pi Andreu: Until now its “274” a novel… we have also two offers to convert it into a movie. (http://www.amazon.com/274-Spanish-Andr%C3%A9s-Pi-Andreu/dp/8499534902/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295101021&sr=8-1)

 

Fabio Murrieta:  Guayaba Sweet. Literatura cubana en Estados Unidos, co-edited with Dr. Laura Alonso Gallo. Often the life of a book, commercially speaking, is estimated at two years. Guayaba Sweet not only sold well at first, but people are still asking us for it almost ten years after its publication. We want to thanks the contributors, those great writers who sent us their texts. It was a fun experience, because we knew that, besides publishing a book, we were creating a publishing house.

 

Teresa Dovalpage: Which are your biggest challenges as a publisher?

Marlene Moleón: Finding good literature that rightly promoted could also become bestsellers.

Andrés Pi Andreu: There are three:

1. To get the people or institutions to know us, to have an effective marketing strategy with our products

2. The financial crisis (sales are down)

3. The loss of the reading habit.

Fabio Murrieta: Today a publisher faces many challenges. To begin with, the arrival of the electronic book, whose biggest headache is not exactly created by copyright issues, as it is commonly believed, but by pirated copies. Second, this kind of ”democratization” of publishing, which allows anyone to ”publish,” or rather “to self-publish”, a book, print it and sell it. It is an improvement, no doubt, but for the professional publisher the challenge is to explain that one thing has nothing to do with the other. I mean, creating a publishing house linked to a blog, or self-publishing, are both processes that involve little more than using a home computer. Trouble arises when someone tries to take these ”three easy steps” we’ve seen described on a web page and bring them into the world of professional publishing. Technology is a blessing, in fact we use it at Aduana Vieja and Grupo Publiberia by printing our books on demand, for example, but fighting improvisation is the biggest challenge ahead for the publisher. We will never do things “the easy way” because it would mean betraying our authors. The truth us is that a book is not made by following three “easy steps.”

 

Teresa Dovalpage: How do you envision your publishing house in two years?

Marlene Moleón: As the best Hispanic book publisher in the U.S.  I want to clarify that I am also publishing printed versions of the books, but I am doing it only as a promotional tool for the electronic versions.

Andrés Pi Andreu: First, I hope we come through with our extensive Academic Catalog. I know our contemporary literature collections will have success, so I plan to expand them into 7 collections and about 30 new books a year. We will continue to expand our classics catalog… Also our eBooks catalog: at the moment is the biggest e-Book catalog from all Spanish Publisher in the world… We have approx. 3000 eBooks.

Fabio Murrieta:  I hope that by then we can be celebrating our tenth anniversary. I also hope to have more than one hundred published titles, new authors and many more readers. We have other projects, such as publishing our own magazine, which may have become a reality by that time

Teresa Dovalpage: Are you actively looking for new writers?

Marlene Moleón: Many authors come to me. They learn of the existence of Eriginal Books through their social networks and decide to take the initiative in contacting us. But I also make proposals to recognized authors to see if they want to have an electronic version of their work published with Eriginal Books. And I am always on the lookout for talent.

Andrés Pi Andreu: Yes, always, we receive books from new authors constantly. We have an Editorial Committee. We evaluate new texts from February until April for the next’s year editorial plan.

Fabio Murrieta: For an independent publisher like Aduana Vieja, the iconic writers (that is, those who are able to write great books regularly, the kind that after a few years are identified with a publishing house and somehow represent it) are the ones that become “iconic” after being with a publisher for a while. They are authors who trust the publisher with their work. We have never sought them, because we actually have little to offer them. They have come to us, and then decided by themselves whether to stay or not. Fortunately, we already have many authors whose work is today a symbol of Aduana Vieja and  we are really proud of that.

Teresa Dovalpage: Thank you so much for answering these questions! Good luck y muchas gracias!

 

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Interview

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

The Seven Teachings of the Anishnabe people

Posted on November 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

Old wisdom travels from Winnipeg to New Mexico

In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Cambridge architectural scholar Frank Albo is studying the Province’s classically designed legislative building and soon recognizes it as an homage to the legendary King Solomon’s Temple. Upon meeting Albo, Anishnabe Elder Dave Courchene begins to see a connection between the building and the spiritual teachings of his people and ancestors. Albo and Courchene form a bond that may help release valuable information to a new generation… and the entire world.

This is the main theme of Manitou API-Where the Sun Rises, the documentary at the center of the gala Native American screening event on September 23rd and 24th at the Taos Community Auditorium, and that may be screened in Albuquerque soon.

Last September Dave Courchene also gave a talk to UNM students and faculty, where Miriam Foronda, the Computer Technology Chair and a long time admirer of the Anishnabe Elder, introduced him with a Native American song, an invocation to the grisly bear “because it represents healing and courage in the heart,” she explained.

Teresa Dovalpage interviews the directors and producers of the documentary, Cindy Pickard, and her son, Andy Pickard.
            Teresa Dovalpage: This is a film about connections and shared history. In that sense, what message does it bring to a multicultural, multilingual state like New Mexico?
            Cindy Pickard: Just from my personal point of view, it seems to me that New Mexico is a unique and magical place with its multiple cultures and languages… I love it! It’s beautiful, and coming from Texas where I lived in an all white environment—one culture, one language, one religion part of the state—I feel super privileged now to be able to live in a mixed community. I have learned so much just in the year that I’ve been here. (I live in Los Hueros, near Ocate, New Mexico.) So, from my point of view, New Mexico multicultural heritage just confirms the message of Manitou API-Where the Sun Rises—that we can all live together, learn from each other, appreciate and respect each other without trying to change one another or impose our views. And in this way, we all become much richer, happier, compassionate etc… Here in Mora County with its agricultural history, it seems to me that a part of the bond between people is the land, nature and the animals we all care for… confirming something Dave Courchene once said to me that “like it or not, we are all going back to the land.”
            Andy Pickard: For me, the film says that the past is the present. We see that through these markers and buildings that seem to be from the history books, but are really living around us. And so in New Mexico, I see this rich Pueblo tradition mixed with Spanish colonialism. The two forces are at once separate and intertwined. The history continues to write itself as people participate in each others culture. In Winnipeg, I think it was very unusual to see the Western correlate so tightly with the indigenous. I think the film shows how connected we really are and in surprising ways.
            Teresa Dovalpage: And that connection is superbly shown in the documentary. Now, how did you get interested in the story of the legislative building and its connection with the Sacred Teachings of the Anishnabe people?
            Cindy Pickard: I have worked with Dave Courchene for about five years; I made a commitment to help him in whatever way I could to bring forth his message. Before  Manitou, we made a film called The 8th Fire, which is very much Dave’s story and vision. Working with him, I have come to trust his intuition, his dreams and visions and so when he talked to me about his idea for a new film (which turned into Manitou Api), I knew, though I didn’t really understand at the time, that there was a higher purpose in what he saw and that we should go ahead with the project. I really wasn’t at all interested in the legislative building and it took me a while after putting all the information and interviews together, to understand the really amazing connections… basically it was a giant leap of faith!
            Andy Pickard: I came to this story because of the connection with Dave Courchene, from the previous film The 8th Fire and working with my mom. But the story was strangely familiar. When we started, I had been doing research for a TV special about Nostradamus. I was looking up buildings that I could film in France and Egypt, and they all shared some Masonic themes. As I began to do both projects, I wasn’t sure how things were related. Until one day, I was walking through a public park in Paris and came across an impressive bronze statue of a pride of lions. Since I am a Leo, I took note of the sculpture and the name of the artist. Later that day, I started to think about Frank’s book on the Canadian building and the chapter about the statue of Mercury. I realized, the lions were made by the very same sculptor who had designed the “Golden Boy” statue that stands on top of the legislative building. That sort of blew my mind and I realized I was in the flow of history, and history was no longer in the past, but very present and in my face. As far as the teachings are concerned, I was impressed that all the cathedrals in Europe display the four gospels in animal form, lion, bull, eagle and a man (or angel). The Seven Teachings are also in animal form and are represented in rock at the Whiteshell site. The connections still amaze me, and all it takes is to look at the story from a different angle. 
            Teresa Dovalpage: What reactions did you receive about the documentary from the Native American community? The mainstream?
            Cindy Pickard: Manitou Api has been shown to a wide variety of audiences both in Canada and in the United States since it was released in February 2010. The reactions from the Native audiences in Canada have been an expression of tremendous appreciation for a film which brings forth to the world their beliefs and teachings in such a positive way. In Canada, Manitou Api has received several standing ovations.  In Texas, it was shown to a mainly all white, rather elderly audience and the reactions were surprising (at least to me): many comments expressing appreciation for helping them understand the extraordinary wisdom of the Native People… things that they had never been taught in Texas history books. Other reactions from audiences…mostly white, middle class have been super positive—appreciation for the beauty of the film, for being allowed into an often private world and to hear The Seven Sacred Teachings brought forward in such a clear and easy- to-understand way.
            Andy Pickard: After the screening in Canada, I talked with the drummers who were in the film. Drumming for them goes hand in hand with ceremony, and I feel like they saw their art represented in a respectful way through the film. I was humbly grateful that they participated in the movie. Mainstream reaction has been good too. Those who see the whole film at a screening feel like they have entered into a sacred place and appreciate the beauty and positive message.
            Teresa Dovalpage: That makes it even more powerful, the fact that an inspiring message is delivered in such a gorgeous setting. And it also does a wonderful job of conveying that message weaved in with a piece of real history. What do you expect your audience to get from it?

            Cindy Pickard: I think we hope to allow people to take whatever they can or want… for the people that we’re working with in Beverly Hills, it’s mainly appreciation for the beauty of the film, the music and a captivating story… But truthfully, I think for all of including Dave our greatest hope is that the people who see Manitou Api would really take the teachings to heart and begin to live them…and in that way, we might make a real change in this chaotic and violent world.
            Andy Pickard: I can’t really have any expectations of an audience. You never know what kind of a mood people are in when they are about to watch a film. Most are looking forward to be entertained, so I made this as entertaining as possible. Once they get deeper into the film, I would hope that people see that their world, the world they live in now, has been created in spirit. Their ancestors recognized the mystery of spirit, and the architects of the building, and those who laid the rocks, were honoring that force of nature. And so, I hope that this film invigorates people to reclaim that spirit of building and artistry that expresses their relationship to nature and spirit.
            Teresa Dovalpage: Now that Governor Bill Richardson and Robert Redford have launched the project Milagro de Los Luceros there are lots of opportunities for Hispanic and Native American filmmakers here. Have you considered filming in New Mexico?
            Cindy Pickard: We would love to whenever an opportunity is presented.
            Andy Pickard: I’ve been very interested in getting involved with film in New Mexico, and would like to see a boom in Native filmmaking. With influx of high budget films and professional talent immigrating to the state, it seems like a golden opportunity for native filmmakers to blossom. I’d like to be a part of that. I don’t have any specific plans, but I have visited several times, looking for the right opportunity.
            Teresa Dovalpage: What is your next film project?
            Cindy Pickard: We never know about our next project until one pops up and seems right. At the moment, we are focusing on bringing the teachings out on an international level through Seven Teachings t-shirts, posters and jewelry. We will very likely be signing a contract within the next month with a film distribution company that will distribute Manitou Api to an international audience. There always seems to be another film project though, waiting around the corner.

            Andy Pickard: I actually started writing a screenplay that I would like to film, and I have a couple of TV show ideas that I am trying to sell.

            After the second film screening and gala, on September the 24th, Michael A. Knight, Executive Director of The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, wrote to the filmmakers:  

“Dear Cindy and Andy, I want to thank you both, all of your crew and others who made the production of the film possible.  The whole evening was a true blessing and the film was excellent.  I really don’t have words to express how deeply I was touched and inspired by the timely and important message of the film……. For me, it confirmed the urgency of the age and brought many thoughts and insights, which have been incubating within me for the last six years, into focus.  The film, with the Seven Teachings, conveys an essential message to all mankind.  I trust it will find circulation all over the planet.  The time is now.”

            It is also poignant that a man who is the Director of one of the oldest and most prestigious artist in residence programs in the USA that specializes in helping writers, had a loss for words to express his feelings about the screening event.  Now that is a significant statement  about the power of the film and the alchemical magic that he experienced with all the participants, audience and the screening on Friday night!  

            For more information about the Cindy and Andy Pickard’s films, DVD’s, merchandise and the entire event, log onto www.the8thfire.org.  To book a screening event or to connect with the filmmakers, call Public Relations Director, Julia Pyatt at 575 -779-4778 or email her at juliapyatt@gmail.com.  To learn more about the work of Andy Pickard, log onto www.imagicapictures.com. For information about Dave Courchene go to www.theturtlelodge.com and for Frank Albo go to www.frankalbo.com

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Interview

Tagged , , , ,