Writing My Book: Going Back to Chart My Future
Beautiful Puerto Rico
Photo Courtesy of Rick Lipsett on Pixabay.com.
I’m an avid audiobook listener. This new year, I decided to start my year with the books from my #ForeverFirstFamily, the Obamas. I started with Michelle Obama’s Becoming. Part memoir, part motivation, Michelle takes us through her life and pulls out the big lessons she hopes you get from learning about her journey from the south side of Chicago to the White House.
Barak’s book, A Promised Land, was an inspiring look at how someone embraces their past and becomes someone new. A child of a white midwestern mother and a Black Kenyan father, he had to create a new identity from the aspects of his life that made the most sense. In the end, he created a persona that would eventually lead him to be the first Black president of the United States.
Hearing their stories and how much of a life they’ve lived, I wanted to see if I could bring my own story to life. I’ve always wanted to write my own story. A memoir of my life – born in Vieques, growing up in Culebra, moving to Carson, CA, and ending up a college professor. My story is compelling, and I hoped it would be motivating for others. I don’t have a title for it yet, but I’m thinking about using my childhood nickname, Merita.
To get reacquainted with my roots, I decided to listen to only Puerto Rican authors writing about the Puerto Rican experience. My first book was Valerio, by Xavier Navarro Aquino. This book is a sort of historical fiction about a family’s plight during Hurricane Maria. The next book was What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez. This story is about a young woman and her family’s quest to find her once she goes missing. Finally, I’m about done with Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez, a story about Olga and her journey through her and her family’s varied and complicated lives. As of this writing, I am not done with this book… I have about two hours left.
All these books give me a different aspect of the Puerto Rican experience in the US and on the island. My relationship with my Puerto Rican identity is complicated. I was born in Vieques in hospital on an island occupied by the US military. I then spent the first six years of my life in Culebra before moving stateside to southern California. Because of finances and time, I have never returned to the archipelago. 49 years have passed since I last stepped foot there. Until I’m able to go, I am left to learn through others what it is to be Boricua.
The books I noted above are a way for me to learn how to tell my story better. They help fill in the gaps in my memory of the Puerto Rican experience from the perspective of others. I have never done any deliberate academic work to learn about the history of Puerto Rico. I learned through accidental and incidental reading of books, articles, and films, as well as listening to podcasts. My knowledge is spotty. Spotty like my own memory of the island.
Earlier this week, I met via Zoom with a Boricua who works for an academic publisher. I became acquainted with her through a panel of Boricua publishers put on by the Latin American Studies Association’s Puerto Rico section in April. They were focusing specifically on helping AfroBoricuas bring their stories to life in books. Although I missed the panel, luckily it was recorded. I contacted the organizers, and they sent me the link. From that, I reached out to one of the representatives from an academic book publishing company. What Beth shared on the panel gave me the impression that she would be a good person to start with, and I was right.
Before our meeting, I sent her a copy of my 11-page proposal. She actually took the time to read it over and during our hour-long meeting, we talked about it. She gave me great pointers and took the time to learn about me. Beth is from the Big Island of Puerto Rico, a place that I am not familiar with. We shared stories of family and our experiences on the island and stateside. Her warmth and commitment to helping me tell my story was genuine. She promised to share with me her notes on the proposal and I hope to get those from her soon.
I named this blog going back to chart my future because that is what this book requires me to do. I must dig deep into my past, read how others see and experience Puerto Rico, and create a way of sharing my story that is all my own. This is not always an easy task.
After our conversation, it was clear that I needed help working on my outline before it was ready to turn into a book. The task feels daunting, but important. Many of us in academia are working to tell our story through articles, or via a larger project like a book. I don’t have any tips because this journey is new to me. I’d love to connect with you so leave a comment.