Sofia Moraga Franco Arizona Daily Star
As a Chicana girl growing up in East Los Angeles, it was hard to envision young Estella Gonzalez becoming a writer. She grew up devouring her books from the public library, and though she was always doing well in her writing, her lack of expression made her dreams come true.
She never considered it a realistic way to make a living, but it was always something on the back of her head.
“I feel lucky to have grown up in East LA because the public library has the Chicano Resource Center and the Chicano writers’ books were actually there,” says Gonzalez. “It was mostly men. It’s true, but at least I could tell myself that one of my books might hit the shelves one day.”
She took a snippet of this expression along with what she found at school when she was assigned to read a Jane Austen book.
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Putting these two things together, it didn’t seem like a big dream for a Chikana girl to become a successful writer.
But there was another obstacle. This was more than the lack of representation, having immigrant parents. Her mother was from Chihuahua and her father from Jalisco, Mexico.
It’s hard to justify becoming a writer to parents who have sacrificed so much in order to give their children a better chance in life than what they got.
“They used to ask me, ‘How can I make money with it?'” Gonzalez says. “And I said ‘I don’t know.’ I’ll figure it out.'”
Entry into the industry
She got a BA in English from Northwestern University and then got a job “adjacent writing”. She worked in marketing and later as a reporter, but it wasn’t until she was living in Tucson in the 1990s that she decided to venture creatively into her writing.
After taking several fiction writing classes at Pima Community College and starting out by submitting work to literary journals, Gonzalez left the state to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction at Cornell University.
It was a different time back then. Of course, there are still many hurdles for women of color to become writers, but in the 90s it was even worse.
During the workshop, students in her class focused primarily on her Chicana presence, sometimes using Spanish words that made them unable to understand or relate to her work. I told her
“If you’re a reader and a writer, you have to be open to all different cultures, but there’s resistance,” says Gonzalez. “There was always resistance among English readers to say, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter to me.’ Well, I still relate to Shakespeare. is great, especially Jane Austen, what am I supposed to do with a woman who lived during the Regency period in England? We were going through crap, we have families, we are all human.”
Gonzales was always rebellious. From breaking the mold and pursuing writing to pursuing it “the wrong way.” But it paid off for her to stick to her guns.
Her story has won multiple awards and prizes. Most recently, she won the ‘Rising Star Award’ at the annual International Latin Book Awards.Chola reliefwon the gold awards for Best First Book and Best Short Story Collection.
The book is made up of interconnected narratives, largely set in East LA, depicting the complicated life of a conflicted Chicano community much like the one in which she grew up.
Two years later, Gonzalez is now Resident Writer at Pima County Public Libraryshe plans to conduct one-on-one consultations for writers and workshops for the community through April.
“I think she’s going to be really great,” says literary librarian Margie Farmer. “She has taught at her college in Pima and has had considerable experience with her teaching, and her new book is something we are all familiar with.”
The farmer last saw Gonzales Tucson Festival of Books And when it came time to choose a new writer for residency, she invited Gonzalez to submit interest form.
was going to Quincy Douglas (library)I don’t think a writer has ever lived. Valencia (library), which is also new to that community,” says Farmer. “So I look forward to reaching out to those areas and introducing her and her book to the community.
Consultations and workshops are for writers of all ages, all genres, and all experience levels. Gonzalez does her eight 30-minute sessions a week.Quincie Douglas Library, 1585 E. 36th St. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays Flowing Wells Library, 1730 W. Wetmore Road. Sessions start at 1:00 PM and run every 30 minutes, with the final session starting at 2:30 PM.
She says her Spanish is “not perfect,” but she wants to help Spanish writers improve their skills, even if they have to use Google Translate.
“I hope writers support their dreams, especially aspiring writers looking for the courage to do this for a living,” says Gonzalez. “I also want writers to realize that libraries, especially public libraries, and librarians are resources to boost you and nurture those aspirations for writing. not.
Call 520-594-5335 or stop by the Quincie Douglas Library to register for a consultation. To register for these sessions, call 520-594-5228 or stop by the Flowing Wells Library. Limited to once per week per person.
The three workshops during my stay are:
Mapping Memory: Using the Five Senses to Create Character, Conflict, and Setting — Sunday, March 5, 1-2pm, Tucson Festival of Books, 254/Main Floor, University of Arizona Main Library
Mapping Memory: Using the Five Senses to Create Character, Conflicts, and Setting — Saturday, March 25, 1-2:30 p.m., Valencia Library, 202 W. Valencia Road
Community Writing — Saturday, April 22, 1-2:30 p.m. Nanini Library7300 N. Shannon Road
For more information on the Writer in Residence program, please visit: tucne.ws/wirpcpl.
Watch now: Hola Chingona (412 E. Seventh St.) has concha-shaped slippers, horchata-flavoured lip balm, and funky earrings. The store is celebrating its one year anniversary this weekend.
#ThisIs Tucson
