Spotlight on Alexandra Diaz

Alexandra Diaz is the author of The Only Road, which was a Pura Belpré Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, and the recipient of two starred reviews. She is also the author of Of All the Stupid Things, which was an ALA Rainbow List book and a New Mexico Book Award finalist, The Crossroads, and Santiago’s Road Home. Alexandra is the daughter of Cuban refugees and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but got her MA in writing for young people at Bath Spa University in England. A native Spanish speaker, Alexandra now teaches creative writing to adults and teens.

Q: Many of your books involve refugee stories and immigration, topics that are no less timely now than they have been in the past. Where do you draw your inspiration for these stories from, and what kinds of research do you need to do to depict these stories accurately? With increasing conflict at the border, what do you want readers to take away from your novels?

I am the daughter of Cuban refugees, so I grew up hearing stories from my parents on what it was like to leave their family, their country, and their home, and not know if they were ever going to see them again. So when the opportunity came to write these books, I immediately felt a connection and knew these were important stories that had to be told. Even though they are works of fiction, they are based on real events real youths have experienced. I've read through newspaper articles, biographies, web posts, etc., and consulted with immigration lawyers to depict these situations as accurately as possible, while still keeping my own artistic creativity to make the books feel true. I wanted to create books where the reader could feel a connection with the characters. For some readers, that's seeing themselves or their family members because they too have had a similar experience; for others, it's shedding a light on situations that are happening in the world today and could very well have happened to their friends or other members of their community.

Q: You are the translator of the Spanish editions of The Only Road, The Crossover, and Santiago’s Road Home. Did you know initially that these books would be translated into Spanish, and did you know you would be the one to translate them? What was that process like for you?

My mother and I translate the books together. When it was suggested I do the translation for The Only Road, it was a mix of panic and excitement. I definitely wanted to have the books in Spanish and to have the control of how they were translated was great; I've read a few books translated into Spanish and I find them so academic and stiff, I didn't want that for mine. I wanted something that flowed better and remained true to the character's/narrator's voice. On the other hand, I knew there would be a lot of challenges in translating the book because I never “learned” Spanish and my experience writing in Spanish is limited. My mother, however, excels on the grammatical side of Spanish, and she's the one who said we definitely have to do the translation. She handles the grammatical side, and I handle the creative side of the translations. After that first book, it is now assumed that we will translate each sequential book into Spanish together. It's great, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Q: Not only are you a writer, but you also teach creative writing to teens. How did you get started as a teacher and mentor to young people? What is the most common problem you see with teens who are struggling with their writing, and how do you help them resolve it? What advice would you give to young aspiring writers today?

Teaching creative writing came about in a roundabout way, starting with being in critique groups and members of that group wanting me to read full manuscripts and provide feedback. I also used to take care of children and would help them when they had to write stories for homework. I have gone to schools and taught workshops, set up my own classes, and been a private creative writing tutor. The biggest challenge for most writers (whether young or young at heart) is finishing their story/book! Everyone has great initial ideas and then the interest/motivation fizzles out. After that, it's editing their work that poses a challenge. There's this misconception that once a story is done, it's done, and they don't want to do anything more with it. So for any aspiring writer, start off “thinking small.” By initially thinking of the project as a short story instead of an epic tome, it's easier to finish. That story can then be expanded upon. I also remind my writers that they don't have to write chronologically. With the use of computers, it's very easy to move scenes around, and even writing by hand, a writer can always write a note about where to put the section. Not writing chronologically helps with finishing the story because the writer works on the scenes that interest them, instead of getting into the classic slump of “I don't know what will happen next,” and also helps with the editing process because scenes often need to be adjusted to fit in to their allocated spot. There are many ways to be creative and following a structure doesn't have to be the only way to do it!