Xavier Navarro Aquino
Velorio
(Literary fiction, January, HarperVia/HarperCollins)
“In the wake of Hurricane Maria, a remarkable group of survivors search for hope on an island torn apart by both natural disaster and human violence.”
Always from home: Puerto Rico. But I currently live in Indiana. I was previously publishing stories in literary magazines while working on a novel about sibling trauma and familial legacy (which I’m still working on). Also, writing poetry that may never see the light of day.… For the longest time after the storm, I wrote more poetry than fiction. I wrote a full draft in five weeks while in an artist residency. I met my agent at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. The conference has a signup form for attendees to meet with agents and/or editors. Funny thing was, I almost didn’t meet with her that day. How important it is to have a team that understands your vision. How essential it is to be surrounded by people who understand what you want to achieve with the work, and how defining feedback is when channeled in that direction. I still feel like I’m trying to break in. I don’t think it stops. The publishing process and its aftermath are constant states of stubborn belief in the importance of your work. Persist. That seems to be the universal truth in most things that deal with trying to get your voice heard. But also learn to celebrate every accomplishment, however small it may feel. The adage “the journey is the reward” holds some weight when working to get your writing out there. I write and teach at a university. The “platform” I leave to others more skilled at such things. Two, actually. “Write the damn thing” by one of my mentors, Jonis Agee. But also, the poet Roger Reeves once told me about honesty in your work. How essential it is. I think about that often. A book I’ve been picking up and letting go for about four years. I need to finish writing the damn thing again and again.
