Spilling the Tea
Spilling the Tea
Accidentally leaned really hard into Mental Health Awareness Month + featuring Dr. Raquel M. Ortiz author of 'Broken Butterfly Wings'
#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’ve touched on this before in previous newsletter issues but I don’t think I’ve really fully been honest. Heres the tea — many of you might already know this — I have a full time job that has nothing to do with reading or books. Due to that and life in general, there have been times that I had to skip a week, weeks even months posting on Instagram, TikTok and sending out author interviews via my newsletter. I share that to say that I currently have a backlog of wonderful Latine authors who have previously submitted their interviews to be featured here. Many of them submitted them last year.
I’ve felt guilty and ashamed about that and those feelings caused me to feel overwhelmed which resulted in me ultimately shutting down instead of working to clear the backlog. I have thought about hiring someone to help and even have someone in mind but again all these overwhelming feelings have prevented me from any form of action. For some reason thats how my brain works when it comes to anxiety and feelings in general. I get stuck in a circle of negative thoughts.
So I’m spilling the tea in hopes that standing/facing those feelings and truth, might help me let go of some of the shame I am feeling around it and free me up to work through the backlog. I also share that because I have always prided myself in being honest and transparent about my mental health and the ways in which it impacts me. Though in hindsight its easier to share “lessons learned” instead of share the raw reality of it. So if you have any cheering energy — cheers are welcome and I’m so thankful to the authors that have been so patient and kind waiting to be featured here. You can expect a lot more newsletter issues featuring author interviews!
Celebrate Asian/Pacific Islander Month & Mental Health Awareness month (what a coincidence!) with me:
This month I get to be in conversation with three authors that I deeply admire! If you live near the DC/MD/VA area, join us. All events are FREE and open to the public to attend. Registration is highly encouraged. Also, one of these conversations is hybrid so you can join us virtually:
TONIGHT! Help us celebrate Nicole Chung’s paperback release of her stunning memoir ‘A Living Remedy’ via East City Bookshop. Register to attend here. Virtual attendance welcomed.
May 16th at 7 PM ET via Politics and Prose (Union Market) join us to celebrate Sahaj Kaur from Brown Girl Therapy debut book ‘But What Will People Say’! No registration required!
Tuesday, May 28th at 7:00 PM ET join us at the MLK Library in partnership with Loyalty Books & The Writers Center to celebrate R.O. Kwon’s electric sophomore novel ‘Exhibit’. Register to attend here.
See you online or in person soon and in case you missed it, there was a special newsletter issue that went out earlier this week in honor of my nine year #bookstaversary <3
Without further ado, our special guest author for today’s Nuevas Pagina issue is…Dr. Raquel M. Ortiz author of Broken Butterfly Wings
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
This photo was taken in a SoHo boutique, Zuri, the first day of my 2023 New York City book and album tour. I fell in love with the beautiful animals made out of African textiles, that reminded me of an illustration in Broken Butterfly Wings. The scene in the children’s picture book of the moment Gabriela remembers the sounds of the rainforest, El Yunque.
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
My story (Broken Butterfly Wings) is about imagination and resistance. Days after Hurricane Maria I read my first book, Sofia and the Magic, Musical Mural, to all the kindergarteners of PS 9 (Brooklyn, NY). The line about Sofi flying over the lush mountain vegetation of El Yunque was hard to read aloud. That day there was no lush vegetation, or electricity, or even drinkable water on the Island. As the island slowly began to recover I reflected on what it takes for a place, and a people, to rebuild. This gave birth to Broken Butterfly Wings.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
I strongly connect with the theme of the power of imagination because I need to believe in a better tomorrow, in a better, safer, more beautiful world, and in our power to imagine and then make change happen. The other theme I connect with is trusting someone to help in the process of realizing a dream. Every day I become more aware of how important it is to have people to lean on and trust when I’m trying something new or doing something scary. Learning to be humble enough to ask for and accept help has been and continues to be something that I try to practice.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
In Loíza, Puerto Rico, a coastal town that’s full of art, culture and tradition. Loíza has a bittersweet sort of beauty, tastes like coconut and mango and is full of intense Afro Puerto Rican bomba music. It’s also the home of the Vejigante, a carnival figure, a trickster who pokes fun at us and makes us take a look at and question who and what we are.
I wrote a song about Loíza:
In the small town of Loíza
with a beauty bittersweet.
There’s a carnival fiesta,
to a bouncy plena beat.
Every summer there’s parading,
Lots of dancing in the street.
And the super star attraction?
A Vejigante, what a treat!
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
William Cepeda because his music creates new sounds, new fusions and takes Puerto Rican music to a new level. When William plays the conch shell, an instrument played by the indigenous people of Puerto Rico, the Taínos, his music fills me with pride and hope and reminds me how beautiful and resilient Puerto Ricans are.
To learn more about William, visit at williamcepeda.com
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
A hot cup of chocolate (made with Chocolate Cortés, of course), with cheese and crackers. The hot chocolate should be sipped while wearing cozy pajamas and wrapped up in a soft, warm blanket.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
The lack of Hispanic/Latinx/e literature created a hunger that led me to read Puerto Rican writers from the Island, as well as great Latin American writers, in Spanish. I remember Esmeralda Santiago's first book, When I Was Puerto Rican (1993), which was published when I was in college. Finally, there was a book about a diasporic Puerto Rican, like me, written in English. Then I came across poetry by Sandra María Esteves and soon began reading Nuyorican poetry. There writing gave me hope and gave me wings.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
All my published works can be purchased via links on my website and linktree. My social media links are included below as well as a link to the new Bomba album Que Vengan Los Ninos.
Website: https://drraquelmortiz.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmargueritte
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drraquelmortiz/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/drraquelmortiz
Spotify Album:
Dr. Raquel M. Ortiz, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, is a social anthropologist, educator, storyteller, playwright, performer, poet, composer, editor, illustrator, and author of children’s books and songs. Her newest project, an Afro-Puerto Rican bomba album for children, entitled Que vengan los niños, includes songs that are sung in Spanish, English, and also bilingual. The album, created in collaboration with William Cepeda, a four-time Grammy-nominated Latin Jazz legend, composer, and educator, contains 12 songs ranging in topics from the beauty of the island of Puerto Rico to animals, bomba music, and Boricua pride in the USA, and incorporate traditional Latin American children’s songs. Four songs are inspired by Dr. Ortiz’s children’s picture books and theater productions.
Synopsis for Broken Butterfly Wings:
Gabriela is super excited when her gift from Titi Sylvia finally arrives. She loves the colorful, glittery butterfly wings! She stands in the middle of her room and flaps and flaps her new wings, but nothing happens. She jumps off her bed, vigorously moving the wings up and down, but again, nada. She hops down the hallway and the stairs, but she still can't fly! Disappointed, Gabriela goes to the garage, digs into her father's toolbox and sets about trying to fix the broken butterfly wings. Maybe she can add a battery or an engine. Her father has a better idea, though, and encourages her to close her eyes and think about where she would like to fly. Soon she is envisioning El Yunque, a rainforest on the island of Puerto Rico that is full of tall green trees, humming waterfalls and chattering birds. She can even hear the coqíu, a tiny tree frog that lives only on the island, singing its special song: coqíu-coqíu. Demonstrating the joy found in using one's imagination, this bilingual picture book depicts a young girl drawing on her senses-smell, hearing, sight-to return to a beloved place. Kids will appreciate the beauty of the rainforest's birds, frogs and other natural wonders while admiring a strong girl willing to create solutions to problems.
Thank you to Dr. Raquel M. Ortiz 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!
It's wise to pause when you're overwhelmed. You and your family come first, and that's nothing to apologize for or be ashamed of. Thank you for returning to your interviews, among all the other things you do, so that more readers are exposed to Latine literature. I liked what Dr. Ortiz had to say and am glad you included her social media places.
Thanks for sharing so openly and vulnerably Lupita. Hang in there and continue to nurture those things that move you and give you satisfaction. Perhaps through them you can find your power and purpose. It seems that Lupita Reads is one of them. In our book, The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses, we focus on five amazing powers that I now use on a daily basis to fuel my existence and access unlimited power and potential. They are (1) Awareness: The ability to observe ourselves in 3rd person and question why we feel, think, say, and act the way we do. (2) Gratitude: The magnificent feeling and energy that comes from appreciating the gift of ourselves and everything around us. (3) Forgiveness: The liberation we experience when we choose to release grudges against others (or ourselves) and stop carrying the burdens of our past or present. (4) Acceptance: The all-encompassing feeling that comes when we recognize that everything is guided by a powerful force, that all is unfolding exactly as it needs to, and that all is perfect just as it is. And finally, (5) Intention: The process of planting a seed in our consciousness to grow, create, and manifest what we want in our lives. I cant wait for you to read our book and for us to have a conversation about it. Un fuerte abrazo. Angel Orengo y Rocio Aquino, co-autores.