People who shapeshift
with Rebecca Hirsch Garcia author of 'The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories'
#NuevasPáginas is a space that aims to amplify and spotlight Hispanic/Latine/x authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to their next favorite Hispanic/Latine/x authored book through a mini casual get-to-know-the-book-and-author interview. So please help me connect to more readers. So that together we can continue to build the love/support of Latine literature!
Hey Book Franz!
I know I keep disappearing on you all but my excuse this time is that I attended my first ever AWP - Association of Writers & Writing Programs, in Kansas City! Ever since I joined the #Bookstagram world, I have slowly been feeding this inner voice that whispers “learn more about writing, learn more about what it takes to write a book” and I haven’t ever really asked myself “why do we want/need to do that"?”. So when I’d see posts from writers/authors I follow posting about their experiences attending panels for AWP every year and gathering, I told myself “I want to go”. I don’t want to make this intro to the issue today super long so the short of it, is that I made that dream happen with the help of some really amazing people this year……..
AWP was everything I imagined and more. I got to be on a panel about book criticism on social media moderated by one of my favorite people (and the person that has always encouraged me to see myself as a writer) Yohanca Delgado (pictured on the left crouched down in front) which also included some bookish creators I greatly admire: Traci Thomas from The Stacks Podcast (standing behind Yohanca and I),
(in the fabulous colorful jumper) and Marines from (with the beautiful smile on the right) .We had such a dynamic talk about how we each differently approach book coverage, how authors should approach folks providing coverage on social media and more importantly the importance of negative book reviews. It was such a dream even with all the anxiety I was feeling leading up to the panel. One thing about me is that I’m always going to wonder if I belong in a place/space — perhaps thats some sort of imposter syndrome, perhaps its my self esteem trying to protect me from failure. Whatever the case, I was anxious and worried and I’m glad to report that it was all for nothing because my entire time at AWP felt magical.
Though, I don’t think I’m ready to answer internally why I want to learn more about the craft of writing or why I want/like to surround myself with writers — I feel like its pretty obvious right? BUT NO ONE SAY IT OUT LOUD PLEASE lolol I’ll just keep on pushing towards creating connections and community around me.
Speaking of learning more about writing, I am teaming up with the folks at MFA FOR ALL for a giveaway in today’s issue! What is MFA FOR ALL?
MFA for All, is a new project from American Short Fiction, which was born from their desire to create a space where MFA-quality instruction are widely accessible to writers no matter their age, background, location, or financial situation. MFA for All is not a degree-granting program—it is a community-rich online educational experience led by top-notch faculty, free of the significant hurdles of time, expense, and geography that MFAs demand.
Each semester is comprised of three classes taught by three different authors; each class—two linked lectures, a couple weeks apart—will include the opportunity to engage in Q&As with the instructor and fellow students, writing prompts, suggestions for further reading, and more. Their first semester includes new classes from Lauren Groff, Carmen Maria Machado, and Luis Alberto Urrea. Individual classes cost $150 and the full semester is $360. To read more about the semester offerings and to register, please visit their website.
One lucky winner will win a free semester pass. If you want to enter to win, here is what you have to do to enter: comment below that you are interested in attending and for a bonus entry — share this issue via social media or to a friend via email. Once you’d shared this issue, comment again. Good luck my loves and until the next issue, I’m wishing some really solid reading (and writing) time.
love,
Lupita <3
Without further ado, our special guest author for today’s Nuevas Pagina issue is…Rebecca Hirsch Garcia author of The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories….
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
The photo is my author photo. It was taken in my home, in Ottawa. It's actually incredibly special to me. Shortly before it was taken I had a relative die unexpectedly. It was a really traumatic time for my entire family and I remember we were all in shock. Right in the middle of this my book deal was announced and my agent and press started asking me for author photos and I was so overwhelmed. It was my sister who took me aside and said, No, we're going to find time to do this. And we did.
We carved out two hours and she did my makeup and kept taking photos until I got a few decent ones.
I'm so glad my sister did that for me because now every time I see it I feel what it was like to be so cared for during a difficult and scary time for both of us. It's a happy memory from a sad time.
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book
When my older sister was in grade 8 she permanently "borrowed" an anthology of short stories from school. It had a lot of classic works like The Most Dangerous Game, The Birds, The Lottery, All Summer in a Day, The Lady or the Tiger and so many more. I would have been around 8 years old at the time she was reading those to me and those stories imprinted on me and have formed the basis for my entire writing life. They’re the reason I naturally gravitate towards short stories in my work. And the eeriness, the twist endings, the lean towards the surreal, all of it told in a compact space are things I'll always be trying to emulate no matter how long I live.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
Re-reading the collection for editing I thought it was funny how much all the stories focused on the body in some way. There are people who are injured physically through violence, people who shapeshift (into clouds and wolves), people whose bodies get lost in time.
I was injured as a child which made me hyper conscious of my body in a way that maybe others weren't that young. But this self-awareness comes for everyone. Women, particularly women of color talk about this a lot, the sense of being aware of how other people react to their bodies. How the body can become politicized. And all of us, if we’re lucky enough to age, watch our bodies go through multiple evolutions.
There's also a sense of futility in a lot of my stories. It's not that I don't believe people can change, it's that I'm interested in all the stories about people who don't. People trapped in bad situations who surrender or can't get out or learn to survive by adapting to their oppressors. That choked up feeling of wondering, What if everything isn't going to be okay? What if this bad thing that's happening is forever? is something I like to poke at and examine.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
Not in my own work, which is kind of unrelentingly dark. My favourite picture book as a kid was this sweet book called Miss Rumphius that teaches kids how to live a beautiful and kind life. I'd want to live in that book where one of the lessons is to do something to make the world a more beautiful place.
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
Florence Welch! I love her maximalism and the passionate romanticism of her songs.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
There's a story in my book where a character eats potato chips and ice cream mashed up together so maybe that. Salty sweet at the same time.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
I'm Canadian so very early on I grew up reading mostly Western lit by white, usually male, usually dead authors. My dad is Mexican though and Mexico has a really rich literary history so I was very familiar with Gabriel García Márquez and Sor Juana de la Cruz. Valeria Luiselli is a recent author I've come to admire very much. From there I started reading more works by Chicano authors and then from there more from the diaspora as a whole.
One of the beautiful things reading Latine literature has taught me is how diverse the community is. We’re a mosaic and I'm just a part of it. I don't just have Mexican roots. Through my mother I also am Jewish (which is another disapora with a rich literary history) and reading other people's work has pushed me to write more specifically about my own heritage.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
I’m currently working on my debut novel, Other Evolutions, with ECW press so you can follow them to hear about publishing dates first.
And I'm on Twitter, Instagram and Bluesky @rhirschgarcia Come say hi!
Thank you to Rebecca Hirsch Garcia for taking the time to chat with me about her book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) #SupportLatinxLit!
Rebecca Hirsch Garcia lives in Ottawa, Ontario. She is an O. Henry Prize-winning author whose work has been published in the Threepenny Review, PRISM international, The Dark, and elsewhere. The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories is her debut collection.
Synopsis for The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories:
A girl born in a small, unnamed pueblo is blessed--or cursed--with the ability to produce valuable gems from her bodily fluids. A tired wife and mother escapes the confines of her oppressive life and body by shapeshifting into a cloud. A girl reckons with the death of her father and her changing familial dynamics while slowly, mysteriously losing her physical senses.
Infused with keen insight and presented in startling prose, the stories in this dark, magnetic collection by newcomer Rebecca Hirsch Garcia invite the reader into an uncanny world out of step with reality while exploring the personal and interpersonal in a way that is undeniably, distinctly human.
Oh wow, I loved that interview, especially the story behind Rebecca's author photo. An excellent piece, Lupita!!