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Author Spotlight: Sonia GutiƩrrez

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Buy: Paper Birds: Feather by Feather / PĆ”jaros de papel: Pluma por plumaĀ  by Sonia GutiĆ©rrez | El Martillo Press | Publication Date: 2024 | ISBN: 979-8-8689-0730-2 | 182 Pages | $16.98


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What are some key themes present in your book?Ā 


Paper Birds: Feather by Feather / PĆ”jaros de papel: Pluma por plumaĀ (El Martillo Press, 2024) explores a variety of themes, including love (the human connection), the spirit world, racism, homophobia, white supremacy, sustainability, by honoring the environment. As a Chicana/Latina ecofeminist poet, my bilingual poetry advocates for the planet and humanityā€™s well-being.

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What was your writing process? Your editing process?Ā Did you adopt a unique process for this book, or do you have a ā€œgo-toā€ approach for all your writing?Ā 


Some poems in Paper Birds: Feather by Feather / PĆ”jaros de papel: Pluma por plumaĀ originated from pressing thoughts that demanded my attention. I needed time to think, to sit down, to write, and to type the poemā€”the messageā€”into existence. My poems like luminous fantasmitas haunted me until I set them free. I recorded the idea on my iPhone, on a napkin, or wherever inspiration struck; the early drafts of these poems could take a day, a week, months, and sometimes, though rarely, even years to complete. I envision the poems in this collection as precious diamantes from deep below the Earth; as a poet, I have broken through the surface and must share an important message with humanity.Ā 



How did your relationship with your family influence your writing?Ā 


My parents are illiterate, yet they are the true poets in my family, making me a descendant of Oral Tradition. My mother, Estelita, would call me to dinner using poetic language: ā€œSonita, afila tus dientitos porque ya casi estĆ” la comidaā€ (ā€œSonita, sharpen your little teeth because food is almost readyā€). Who else speaks like that? My mom, a poet now in the spirit world, would share these loving words. For me, poetry comes from a place of curanderismo but with words.

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Growing up, my father spoke with the eloquence of a poet or philosopher. He would sit my sister and me down in a chair and pose philosophical questions to us. At times, I would respond with a blank stare, and my father would say, ā€œNo estĆ”s lista.ā€ (ā€œYou are not ready.ā€) My parents are my literary maestros; both taught me the richness of Oral Tradition, to think critically about the world, and to engage the listener with sacred palabras.Ā 



How did writing this book transform you?Ā 


This fourth book, Paper Birds: Feather by Feather / PĆ”jaros de papel: Pluma por pluma, saved me. I remember driving to Rosarito, Baja California, my second home, and immersing myself in my writing, specifically my manuscript, Paper Birds: Feather by Feather / PĆ”jaros de papel: Pluma por pluma. I had never approached poetry in this way, but it made sense at the moment.Ā  Writing poetry is my flowā€”my happinessā€”what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls flow theory. Since 2023, the worst year of my life, marked by a toxic work environment and a breakup, I needed to self-medicate myself, and for me, that medicine came through poetry. I knew continuing to work on the poetry collection during that difficult time would heal me, and it did! Paper Birds: Feather by Feather / PĆ”jaros de papel: Pluma por plumaĀ was the antidote I needed. This latest book, released in 2024, truly saved me.Ā 



You can often tell a lot about a book by how it begins and how it ends. What is the first line and last line of your book?


Opening line from the first poem, ā€œWicked World,ā€ in Paper Birds: Feather by Feather / PĆ”jaros de papel: Pluma por pluma, a bilingual poetry collection


I was five / TenĆ­a cinco


Last line in the last poem, ā€œCosmosā€Ā 


And, you, who are you? / ĀæY, tĆŗ, quiĆ©n eres?



How did you get into writing? Can you pinpoint a memory where it all began for you?Ā 


During my time as a graduate school attending California State University San Marcos, I found myself guilty for not affording gifts for my beloved parents and best friend. And thatā€™s when the voice came to me. My voice. I heard my voice say: ā€œYou do not have money, but you have words.ā€ Thatā€™s how poetry came to find me. I began writing poems for my best friend, Rich, and my parents on special occasions. In my early twenties, when money was tight, I would craft poems, buy the coolest, affordable frames at Picā€˜Nā€™Save, and gift framed poems to my loved ones.


You know, reflecting on your questions, I realize that I was a writer at eighteen without even realizing it. At the start of classes, my English professors would showcase my work, by reading excerpts from my essays and poems during the first five minutes.Ā 



Do you have a new project that youā€™re working on? Could you tell us a bit about it?Ā 


Yes, Iā€™m working on two: The Adventures of a Burrito Flying Saucer and Sana Sana Colita de Rana: Poems to Not Perish / Sana Sana Colita de Rana: Poemas para no morir. For this question, I will focus on The Adventures of a Burrito Flying Saucer,Ā an illustrated book. During the pandemic, musician and poet, Profe Francisco J. Bustos provided an online platform to foster community, the Puente Drum Circle. Bustos encouraged attendees to write ā€œa la brava,ā€ on the spot, and so that day we all wrote about food. The idea of the burrito flying saucer came out on paper effortlesslyā€”a story that I had been contemplating in my imagination. For this book, the voice I heard in my head was the Alacranes Mojadosā€™s lead singer, Chunky SĆ”nchez, whose music I admired and listened to during my college days. I also had the honor of reading alongside Chunky SĆ”nchez for Georgette GĆ³mezā€™s Fundraiser when she was running for San Diego City Council. In The Adventures of a Burrito Flying Saucer, I personify the burrito, much like the badass Chicano Chunky SĆ”nchez. In this book, the burrito tells the story of the history of the burrito and four Chicanitas who are embarrassed to eat burritos at school. I dream of collaborating with Chicano artist, El Moises, for this project.Ā Ā 



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Sonia GutiĆ©rrez is the author of two full-length bilingual poetry collections, Spider Woman / La Mujer AraƱaĀ (Olmeca Press, 2013) and Paper Birds: Feather by Feather / PĆ”jaros de papel: Pluma por plumaĀ (El Martillo Press, 2024), recipient of an honorable mention for the ILBAā€™s The Juan Felipe Herrera Best Poetry Book Awardā€”One Authorā€”Bilingual, and the novel, Dreaming with Mariposas (FlowerSong Press, 2020), winner of the TomĆ”s Rivera Book Award 2021, the International Latino Book Awards 2022, and the ILBA Book into Movie Awards 2023. She teaches composition, critical thinking and writing, and creative writing. Sonia GutiĆ©rrez is currently working on her first illustrated book, The Adventures of a Burrito Flying Saucer and Sana Sana Colita de Rana: Poems to Not Perish / Sana sana colita de rana: Poemas para no morir, a bilingual poetry collection. She lives in the Californias. To learn more about Sonia GutiĆ©rrez and her work, visit www.soniagutierrez.com.ā€ÆĀ 


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