Manny Interviews Esmeralda Santiago

Photo Credit: Belongs to Esmeralda Santiago´s personal files

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por Manny López

(para el blog Gaspar, El Lugareño)

I remember when I read Esmeralda Santiago´s When I was Puerto Rican. I was immediately connected to her style of writing. I felt the freshness in her words. This new wave of latino women writers which she is a part of, I happen to admire very much. As I have said before, I have been blessed with the modern day tactics of Facebook and the like. It was thru Facebook that I have kept in contact with Esmeralda and her world. It feels wonderful to be able to interact with a writer or anyone you admire, in a more personal way, even if it´s thru cyber space. I took the courage to ask her to answer the questionnaire and she was extremely gracious and responded right away.

I thank you Esmeralda, and I invite all of you to see for yourselves her answers....

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

- I don't know. I haven't reached it.

What is your idea of happiness?

- Recognizing happiness when it arrives.

Who are your favorite characters in history?

 - The Little Dutch Boy who pressed his finger into the crack of the dyke.

The quality you most admire in a man?

 - His ability to respect women.

The quality you most admire in a woman?

- No fear of the mirror.

Your most marked characteristic?

- My gray hair.

What do you most value in your friends?

 - Laughter.

How would you like to die?

- Very old.

What is your present state of mind?

- Motivated.

What is your motto?

- I think I can.

Esmeralda Santiago is the author of three acclaimed memoirs: When I was Puerto Rican, Almost a Woman, and The Turkish Lover. Her novel, Conquistadora, will be published on August 2011

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