The PEN Ten is PEN America’s weekly interview series. This week, Jared Jackson speaks with Yamile Saied Méndez, author of Furia (Algonquin, 2020).
1. What was the first book or piece of writing that had a profound impact on you?
The first book that impacted me as a reader and inspired me to write was El Visitante by Alma Maritano. Maritano was an international award-winning author and educator from my hometown, Rosario, Argentina, who wrote during and after the military dictatorship. Although her work was banned by the authoritarian government, she showed the truth of our society through the eyes and experiences of her young protagonists, kids like me growing up in their barrios, trying to make sense of life in a new democracy.
2. How does your writing navigate truth? What is the relationship between truth and fiction?
Truth depends on the person telling their story. I don’t claim to tell the truth in my fiction, but everything I write comes from the same well of lived experiences and observations. My job as a writer is to tell my characters’ truth and hope that it will help the reader see the truth in themselves.
3. What does your creative process look like? How do you maintain momentum and remain inspired?
I’m a very disciplined writer, and since writing is my full-time job, I dedicate the time and effort that my stories require in the different stages of the process. I also make sure to stay current in my reading, and I delight in enjoying everything from picture books to adult nonfiction. My love of words stems from my love of reading, and I stay inspired by discovering new worlds created by my fellow authors. Also, writing is more than time spent sitting at a desk in front of a computer. It’s important to allow ourselves to be surprised and enchanted by the world and people around us, to be inspired by the injustices and the sorrow we experience and witness, and leave a record of the beauty and the dark aspects of our world in our stories.
“Truth depends on the person telling their story. I don’t claim to tell the truth in my fiction, but everything I write comes from the same well of lived experiences and observations. My job as a writer is to tell my characters’ truth and hope that it will help the reader see the truth in themselves.”
4. What is one book or piece of writing you love that readers might not know about?
I love The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta. Although I write mostly contemporary fiction, I love to read fantasy novels, and the trio by this Australian author is so meaningful and expertly crafted that I love to lose myself in it. The first installment, Finnikin of the Rock, won the Printz Award in 2009, but I wish more people would know not only about the rest of the trilogy, but also her complete body of work which explores such a wide spectrum—from racism, to exile, religion, language, love, family, etc.—that I’m always in awe when I read her words.
5. How can writers affect resistance movements?
Writing is a revolutionary act in itself, especially for members of marginalized communities who have sometimes been incorrectly labeled “voiceless” through the years. We have a voice, and traditionally marginalized authors have been writing for a long time. The stories they created paved the way for me, and authors like me, to tell our stories today. Not only stories of resistance and oppression, but also of joy and fulfillment, of victory and love—which are revolutionary concepts too. The mind can change when exposed to different ideas and worldviews, and as an author, I recognize the power and responsibility I have to be as authentic as possible in every word attributed to me.
“Writing is more than time spent sitting at a desk in front of a computer. It’s important to allow ourselves to be surprised and enchanted by the world and people around us, to be inspired by the injustices and the sorrow we experience and witness, and leave a record of the beauty and the dark aspects of our world in our stories.”
6. What is the last book you read? What are you reading next?
I read Lobizona by fellow Argentine-American author Romina Garber, and the book is about Latine werewolves and wizards. I loved it, and I can’t wait for its sequel, Cazadora. The next book on my queue is the finished copy of Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz. I read an early draft, and I loved this story about the first Puerto Rican dragon rider competing in the dragon world cup games. It comes out October 6!
7. What do you consider to be the biggest threat to free expression today? Have there been times when your right to free expression has been challenged?
The biggest threat is soft censoring by “gatekeepers” that prevent stories from reaching their readers because of their own prejudice or even fear. From publishing professionals who can’t connect with stories told from different perspectives, to well-intentioned but misguided parents who think some themes will be too hard for their kids—when the world their kids live in can be darker than the stories in the pages of a book. Vital stories fail in reaching their intended audience, which is tragic.
8. What advice do you have for young writers?
The advice that has helped me the most is, “To thine own self be true.” Write what inspires you, what makes you proud to have your name attached to, what makes you laugh or think or keeps you awake at night. Don’t go chasing for trends or other people’s approval.
“We have a voice, and traditionally marginalized authors have been writing for a long time. The stories they created paved the way for me, and authors like me, to tell our stories today. Not only stories of resistance and oppression, but also of joy and fulfillment, of victory and love—which are revolutionary concepts too. The mind can change when exposed to different ideas and worldviews, and as an author, I recognize the power and responsibility I have to be as authentic as possible in every word attributed to me.”
9. Which writers working today are you most excited by?
So many writers are doing amazing work! I’m very excited by everything being published by the authors who are part of Las Musas, the first marketing collective of Latine children’s authors in the United States. From picture books to middle grade and young adult novels and anthologies, the Latine community is showing that the stories of our nations aren’t competing against each other, but building on each other.
10. Which writer, living or dead, would you most like to meet? What would you like to discuss?
Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who tragically passed away this year, and whom I never had the pleasure to meet. I’d love to talk about his characters in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series whom I love as if they were my friends. And also, Melina Marchetta, to talk about everything Lumatere.
Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez is a fútbol-obsessed Argentine American who loves meteor showers, summer, astrology, and pizza. She lives in Utah with her Puerto Rican husband and their five kids, two adorable dogs, and one majestic cat. An inaugural Walter Dean Myers Grant recipient, she’s a graduate of Voices of Our Nations (VONA) and the MFA program in writing for children and young adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Méndez is also part of Las Musas, the first collective of women and nonbinary Latinx middle grade and young adult authors. Furia is her first novel for young adult readers.