Episode Seventeen: ”Incredible Endings and Mother, Grandmother and Child Relationships,” Featuring Pat Mora and Helena Maria Viramontes (Spotify-Friendly)

2020-09-09

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SHOW NOTES: On Episode 17, Pete discusses “Incredible Endings and Mother-Child Relationships,” as seen in writing by Pat Mora and Helena Maria Viramontes. Mora's poem, "Elena" has been a favorite of Pete's in his high school classroom for years. The poem, about an immigrant mother and her isolation as her kids learn the English language that eludes her, is alternately beautiful and sad and resonant. Viramontes, with "The Moths," crafts a short but incredibly powerful story about a misfit girl who look...

SHOW NOTES:

On Episode 17, Pete discusses “Incredible Endings and Mother-Child Relationships,” as seen in writing by Pat Mora and Helena Maria Viramontes. Mora's poem, "Elena" has been a favorite of Pete's in his high school classroom for years. The poem, about an immigrant mother and her isolation as her kids learn the English language that eludes her, is alternately beautiful and sad and resonant.

Viramontes, with "The Moths," crafts a short but incredibly powerful story about a misfit girl who looks for her place as a woman, a sister, a daughter, and a granddaughter. In the process, she gains an incredible insight into transformation and rebirth.

**SPOILER ALERT** As this episode focuses on "incredible ENDINGS," there will obviously be some "plot spoilers," but they are well worth it!

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You can find the literature referenced today in Pat Mora’s collection from 1984, Chants, published by Arte Publico Press. Helena Maria Viramontes’ The Moths and Other Stories, was published in 1995, also by Arte Publico Press.

The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other cool song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental Version”) by Matt Weidauer, used through Arches Audio. Matt’s artist page can be found here.

Authors Mentioned and Allusions and Songs Referenced During the Episode:

Pat Mora: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Mora

Helena Maria Viramontes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Maria_Viramontes

Definitions and Etymology of Catharsis:

https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095555720#:~:text=The%20process%20of%20releasing%2C%20and,Dictionary%20of%20Phrase%20and%20Fable%20%C2%BB