LIVE EVENT: An Interview with Catalina Claussen, Friday, October 22, 5:00-6:00 pm MDT

Face-to-Face event at Miller Library, WNMU, Silver City

Catalina Claussen, a Grant County author and a member of the Southwest Word Fiesta’s publicity committee, allowed me to interview her recently about her books and the Southwest Word Fiesta. As part of her work for the Southwest Word Fiesta’s publicity committee, Catalina writes press releases for local and regional authors, sending them to the editors of periodicals throughout the Southwest. 

Kris: What inspired you to start writing?

Catalina: I was standing at the school bus stop with my daughter, which consists of a row of mailboxes at the end of our dirt road, and the Bookmobile, our local library on wheels, passed by. At the time I was voraciously reading young adult literature and was struck by the fact that most of these stories are set in urban environments with few opportunities for a rural teen to "see themselves" in a narrative. And thus, the Diamonds series set in the Mimbres Valley began, focusing on the adventures of ranching teen, Cassie and her best friend Ahzi. Treasure hunt, romance, and backwoods intrigue abound. 

Kris: How did you hear about Southwest Word Fiesta? 

Catalina: From the beginning and under its former name, Southwest Festival of the Written Word, this event has drawn a phenomenal lineup of literary artists to our community and provided a unique opportunity for readers, writers, publishers, etc. to delight in the craft. I'm a co-founder and teacher at Aldo Leopold Charter School and for each Festival I have encouraged my students to participate and attend. More recently, I have had the chance to support the Fiesta by working on the publicity team. It is also a great honor for me to participate in the festival this year as a presenting author.

Kris: You will be presenting your new young adult novel, Holding on to Hope. Can you tell us about the genesis of this novel? 

Catalina: Holding on to Hope tells the story three best friends, Ana, Rose, and Imani, who live in a small town on the US side of the southern border.  Due to their mixed immigration status and the constant shift in US policies, Ana's family members live under relentless threat of deportation. Ana's brother is taken, then her father and the girls' Spanish teacher, Senora Garcia. In their haste, immigration and customs enforcement leave Ms. Garcia's five year-old son,  Pedro, behind. The girls have no choice but to spring into action. How can this be in a country predicated on freedom and justice for all? This story is inspired by my daughter, Ajalaa and the real-life experiences of her best friend Michelle Narvaez and my friend and Michelle's mother,  Xochitl Hernandez Moctezuma.

Kris:You also have a radio show on KURU, 89.1 called “Being Home.” Can you tell us about it? 

Catalina: I’m a huge fan of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon series on public radio and with his recent retirement, I couldn't imagine a life without it. I'm struck by his tender yet quixotic treatment of his characters rooted in rural life and after spending hours on my carpet indulged in listening to tale after tale, I decided I wanted to follow in his footsteps, creating quirky characters who find themselves caught up in comedic situations arising right here in the Mimbres Valley. 

The first book Being Home: A Southwestern Almanac is illustrated with my daughter's photographs and the second book, Being Home, Too,  released on August 31. The stories are archived on my website: https://catalinaclaussenbooks.wordpress.com

Kris: What do you enjoy most about writing? 

Catalina: I really enjoy playing with voice and perspective. In my second novel, Diamonds at Dawn, Ahzi the protagonist is a quiet character grieving the loss of her mother and at the same time falling in love. I wanted to depict both the interior and the exterior life of the character so I developed a series of poems where Ahzi talks with her mother who now lives among the star people. And the prose depicts the current action which is filled with adventure and romance. When I started writing the Being Home series I was fascinated by Keillor's use of the 3rd person omniscient perspective. To me, it's such a bold notion to dive into the thoughts and feelings of your characters and mercilessly depict their humanity on the page, which of course is the essence of good humor. Oh and one more thing I love about writing is the act of telling myself the story. The thing is when I start a piece, I never know how it's going to end.

Kris: Great interview, Catalina. Thanks for your publicity work for the Southwest Word Fiesta, and for sharing insights into your writing with us. 

Catalina Claussen is a southwestern storyteller, young adult novels, and poet whose works include YA novels, Diamonds at Dusk (2016), Diamonds at Dawn (2018), and Holding on to Hope (2020). Born in Edmonton, Alberta Canada and now a longtime resident of the Mimbres Valley, Claussen has gained appreciate for the slow pace of small town living. Her work has been recognized by the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards, Wishing Shelf Awards (in the UK), and the New Apple Book Awards for Independent Publishing. 

Ms. Claussen will be on the Fiction panel on Friday, October 22, 5:00-6:00 pm. She’ll be appearing with Phillip Parotti and Peter Riva, and they’ll be reading from their most-recent works.

All events are free and open to the public. The 2021 Southwest Word Fiesta will be a hybrid one, with some live events in Silver City, while most events will be virtual online. See our website to learn how to register for virtual events: https://swwordfiesta.org

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