Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton go in-depth with Rubén Degollado, author of the novel The Family Izquierdo, which started out as a short story collection about a single family.
Degollado's story “The Seven Songs” was featured on last week’s episode, and he discusses his journey to writing and publishing the book, as well as how he navigated his writing journey alongside his career as an educator. He first started writing the Izquierdo family stories in the late '90s, eventually developing the family curse and tensions, and playing with point of view to inhabit the lives of the many family members.
Support Ursa Short Fiction! Become a Member: https://ursastory.com/join/
Degollado aims to represent his own family, experiences, and community through The Family Izquierdo, and he quotes Toni Morrison, who said “if there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
“A lot of the stories I read were about immigrants, and I think those are great stories. I love immigrant stories, but that’s not what I wanted to write. I wanted to write about what happens after. What happens post immigration.”If you haven't already, be sure to listen to last week's episode featuring Degollado's story, “The Seven Songs.”
Reading ListRubén Degollado’s work has recently appeared in Literary Hub, CRAFT, The Common, and elsewhere. His novel Throw won the Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult book for 2020. His debut literary novel The Family Izquierdo is a long list title for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. Rubén lives and writes along the southern border, in the Río Grande Valley of Texas.
More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:***
Episode editor: Kelly Araja
Associate producer: Marina Leigh
Producer: Mark Armstrong
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
Shows We Love: Black & Published
That's a Wrap on Season Two! A Special Message from Deesha and Dawnie
What Denne Michele Norris Learned as a Writer and Editor
[Free teaser] Member Exclusive: Deesha’s 7-Figure Book Deal, Listener Questions
Story: ‘What Got Into Us,’ by Jacob Guajardo
Story: ‘The Seven Songs,’ by Rubén Degollado
Nafissa Thompson-Spires on the Making of ‘Heads of the Colored People’
Jonathan Escoffery on ‘Under the Ackee Tree’ and Walking Your Own Path
Story: ‘Under the Ackee Tree,’ by Jonathan Escoffery
Jamil Jan Kochai on Separating Writing from ‘the Noise’
Story: 'Enough!' by Jamil Jan Kochai
‘No Saints, No Demons’: Sidik Fofana on Creating Characters and Protecting Dreams
Story: 'Tumble,' by Sidik Fofana
Dantiel W. Moniz on Hometowns, Girlhood, and the Life Experiences that Fuel Fiction Writing
Story: ‘Rioja,’ by Shannon Sanders
Jocelyn Nicole Johnson on Bravery in Writing and ‘the Introvert's Revenge’
Story: ‘Virginia Is Not Your Home,’ by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
ZZ Packer on the 20th Anniversary of ‘Drinking Coffee Elsewhere’
Nana Nkweti: ‘I Always Knew I Was Going to Write Stories’
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
Black Beauty
The Turn of the Screw
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends