Interview with award-winning author & poet, Aida Salazar

An in-depth discussion on developing heartfelt stories from personal experiences

I feel very lucky to have connected with Aida during our work on In The Spirit Of A Dream: 13 Stories of American Immigrants of Color. When I first came up with the idea for In The Spirit Of A Dream, I knew I couldn't bring it to life on my own. I realized I needed an amazing author with a strong vision and a captivating voice to tell the stories of 13 incredible individuals. That's when Aida Salazar came on board, and her work has truly made a significant impact. Aida is a fantastic poet, storyteller, and author who put in so much effort to research each person's story, resulting in a beautiful series of poems for each narrative.

I'm thankful to have Aida as a friend and an author I greatly admire. Thank you, Aida, for sharing your story with us today.

Alina: Did you enjoy writing as a child? When did you decide to become an author and poet?

Aida: I was in 5th grade when I fell in love with reading. My teacher gave me a novel to read independently for the first time and it was as if an entire world opened up for me. When I graduated from 5th grade, he gave me a fancy pen and a book of poetry entitled WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein. This planted the first seeds that I could use those tools myself to write my own poems and I did though it was loads of bad poetry. When my sister died by suicide when just three years later, poetry became a lifeline. It became a way for me to understand the deep feelings of grief but also confusion that I felt as an adolescent. However, it wasn’t until I read Latinx literature for the first time in college at eighteen and truly saw my culture, my use of Spanish/English, my communities reflected in those books that I believed that I could be a writer as a career. Despite my practice with my fancy pen and the reems of notebooks filled with my bad poems, it wasn’t until I saw those Latinx authors succeed, that I truly believed it was an option for me. 

Alina: You have a wide range of books, including novels, poetry, and children's picture books, spanning fiction and nonfiction. Can you share the similarities and differences in approaching writing for readers of different age groups?

Aida:I write in the service of story and in the service of my readers (which mostly happen to be children). No matter the age, I focus on communicating a story to the best of my ability, using all the craft I have learned over the years of study with many readings, with many professors and through graduate school and, of course, a good bit of ancestral magic. I am always conscious about being able to use the right vocabulary and right worldview for each age group but ultimately with the idea to pull the reader in so they may share in the magic of a good story. In terms of the story, I write what I wish existed in the world when I was little or when my children were little. I write for them to see themselves in the world that would otherwise ignore or dismiss them. Making them real and visible is a form of not only resisting these silencing forces but also a way to heal from the effects of these kinds of erasures. 

Alina: Do you approach creative thinking differently when writing a poetry book compared to a novel?

Aida: Since my books are novels in verse, I am doing both – telling a story through poetry. This is one of my favorite ways to write and I have yet to write a novel in prose, though, JOVITA WORE PANTS is written in prose but with lots of lyricism which is one of the hallmarks of poetry. I hope to challenge myself to write a novel in prose one day. 

Alina: We collaborated on In The Spirit Of A Dream. Could you share your experience of writing nonfiction biographical poems for the book?

Aida: This was a difficult task. To start, I had to fully fall into the world of the figure I was writing. I read or viewed everything I could find on them. I hung out with them for days. All the while, I was looking for their biggest longing – what was their dream. When I tapped into that dream, the poem came naturally. From their lives, their experiences, and their longings, metaphors, figures, imagery, and song emerged. 

Alina:  "In The Spirit Of A Dream" contains 13 stories of first-generation American immigrants. Some of these stories are well-known, while others are less famous. What is your research process before writing about their stories, and what is your biggest challenge?

Aida: We worked so hard to find figures in the present and in history who would be representative of the many aspects of what it means to be an immigrant and this included people from all of the continents or regions, people of different abilities, and different genders and fields, documented and not. But also, people like immigrant parents who brought their children with them or who had given birth here who have sacrificed so much for the futures of their offspring. This book can easily be thousands of pages long and we would only begin to scratch the surface of what it means to be an immigrant.

Alina: Is there anything that surprised you or was unexpected during your research or writing process for the book? Perhaps a story that deeply touched you or a story that unexpectedly moved you?

Aida: I was in awe of everyone’s contributions and what they had to face and each surprised me but none like Pakistani neurosurgeon and inventor, Ayub Khan Ommaya. One of his many inventions was a pump inserted into the brain of people suffering from hydrocephaly. This disease traps spinal fluid in the brain and puts extreme amounts of pressure on the organ which causes not only excruciating headaches but debilitating seizures which render the person almost unable to function. This is a disease that my father had and which was relieved only with the help of Dr. Ommaya’s invention. It was such a delight to find out and I poured extra care into writing about him and all he did as a humanitarian and scientist.  I felt so much gratitude to Dr. Ommaya and all the goodness he brought to our lives and continues to bring into the world. 

Alina: Your books have such a strong, distinct voice that reflects your heritage and life experiences. Can you share your writing inspiration?

Aida: I am inspired by different things in life - death, love, injustice, but these days, I have mostly drawn inspiration from my children’s wonders and experiences as they learn to navigate their changing bodies and their interpersonal relationships with others. I wrote my latest novel ULTRAVIOLET after my son suffered his first heartbreak for instance. He didn’t understand how a heart could break and what to do about it. Advice coming from his mom only went so far but reading a fictional story about how to be constructive and not destructive with pain was a much better way to learn. Iit is a story about confronting our toxicity, but boys especially, and not using violence as the only way to express our hurt. It was a story too important not to tell. 

Alina: Earlier in March, you released a new picture book, "Jovita Wore Pants." I love the story so much. Can you share more about the story behind this book?

Aida: Jovita Valdovinos was a distant great aunt who dressed as a man and fought for religious freedom in Mexico in the 1920’s. Her story had been all but lost to history and it was one of the biggest privileges of my life to bring it out of that loss and into the hearts and minds of so many readers. She was a revolutionary woman who did something very brave, took up arms, in the face of an oppressive government. But also, she went against her gender expectations in a very patriarchal society. I was lucky to be paired with a fabulous illustrator, Molly Mendoza, who won a Caldecott honor for their illustrations. We also won two International Latino Book Awards for the book and it was selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. All of these accolades show me how important Jovita’s story is and also assures me that her story will be around for generations to come. I am so proud of this book!

Alina: If you could spend a day in the world of any book, which book would you choose?

Aida:I have always wanted to be in the world of “Where the Wild Things Are” since I was a kid and that feeling has never left me.

Alina: What advice would you give to aspiring writers or poets?

Aida: Tenacity is everything. Be tenacious about learning everything you can about the craft of writing, and also be tenacious about actually completing your writing projects and be tenacious against rejection because it will come but not without lessons. Then when you sell your work, be tenacious with the business of getting your best deal and always getting your work out there. No one is more of an advocate for your work than you and so if you use this tenacity at all levels, your work will make its way to readers. 

Alina: Do you have any new book projects you are working on or upcoming book events that you would like to share with our readers?

Aida: WHEN WATER FLOWS is coming on September 24th. It is the second board book in a three-books series called “My Living World”. The series focuses on the connection between a child and the natural world using wisdom derived from my Mexican indigenous heritage. It is very sweet to be writing stories for babies. I certainly wish I had them for my kids when they were little. Now I write them for my grand nieces and nephews and all the new ones coming into the world. 

Alina: Where can readers keep up with your future projects and follow you?

Aida: I can be found online social media platforms @aida_writes and then also on my website, www.AidaSalazar.com.

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