2008 Woodie Awards
Author Cristina Garcia comes to Saint Mary's
Alex Lavaroni
Issue date: 11/7/06 Section: News
Author Cristina Garcia came to speak at Saint Mary's College on Wednesday, November 1, in the Soda Center. The evening began with a quick introduction of this animated storyteller, given by Chris Sindt, the director of the Master's of Fine Arts program at Saint Mary's. Next, Professor Rosemary Graham came forward to share the many accomplishments of this well-known author.
In 1992 Garcia published her first novel, Dreaming in Cuban, which was a National Book Award finalist. This book documents the irreversible effects of the Cuban revolution on three generations of the del Pino family from the 1930s to the early 1980s. She has since published two more novels, The Aguero Sisters (1997), and Monkey Hunting (2003). As a result of her literary achievements, Garcia has been a Guggenheim Fellow, a Hodder Fellow at Princeton University and the recipient of the Whiting Writers Award.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Garcia moved to New York at the age of two with her family, prior to Fidel Castro coming into power.
Garcia received a bachelor's degree in political science at Barnard College in 1979 and graduated from John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in 1981 with a master's degree. Garcia worked as a political journalist, serving as Time magazine's bureau chief for both Florida and the Caribbean prior to becoming a novelist.
Once Garcia made her way to the podium, she dedicated her readings for the evening to her students. The first excerpt that Garcia read was from her novel Monkey Hunting. This story demonstrates the struggle of one family through five generations, four countries and two centuries. Garcia said "I wrote Monkey Hunting in my own interest in multicultural diversity." Garcia bases her novels on real events, which enable her to relate to the characters she creates.
The next two excerpts Garcia read were from her newest creation, A Handbook of Luck, which has yet to be published. This novel follows the lives of three young individuals through their journey into adulthood. The novel describes the struggles of each character as they are forced to face the process of migration. Because she is bilingual, Garcia easily incorporates both Spanish and English into her novels. Garcia said, "The challenge is to capture English musically in what Spanish does."
Through her novels, Garcia expresses the various difficulties of a dual cultural identity and her views of the immigrant experience. Garcia said, "You can't be Cuban because you write in English. I am out here in California and may not fit in anywhere, but I am Cuban, too. As I started to figure things out, I began to write."
After her readings, Graham sat with Garcia to discuss her work. Graham said, "That was wonderful. Your work is very intriguing." She continued to ask Garcia questions and soon opened a question-and-answer session for the audience. When asked if she outlined her novels, Garcia said, "I do not outline my novels for all kinds of things happen. For me, I try to remain as open as possible and go with the mysteries and surprises along the way."
Garcia's forthcoming novel, A Handbook to Luck, will be published in April of 2007.
In 1992 Garcia published her first novel, Dreaming in Cuban, which was a National Book Award finalist. This book documents the irreversible effects of the Cuban revolution on three generations of the del Pino family from the 1930s to the early 1980s. She has since published two more novels, The Aguero Sisters (1997), and Monkey Hunting (2003). As a result of her literary achievements, Garcia has been a Guggenheim Fellow, a Hodder Fellow at Princeton University and the recipient of the Whiting Writers Award.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Garcia moved to New York at the age of two with her family, prior to Fidel Castro coming into power.
Garcia received a bachelor's degree in political science at Barnard College in 1979 and graduated from John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in 1981 with a master's degree. Garcia worked as a political journalist, serving as Time magazine's bureau chief for both Florida and the Caribbean prior to becoming a novelist.
Once Garcia made her way to the podium, she dedicated her readings for the evening to her students. The first excerpt that Garcia read was from her novel Monkey Hunting. This story demonstrates the struggle of one family through five generations, four countries and two centuries. Garcia said "I wrote Monkey Hunting in my own interest in multicultural diversity." Garcia bases her novels on real events, which enable her to relate to the characters she creates.
The next two excerpts Garcia read were from her newest creation, A Handbook of Luck, which has yet to be published. This novel follows the lives of three young individuals through their journey into adulthood. The novel describes the struggles of each character as they are forced to face the process of migration. Because she is bilingual, Garcia easily incorporates both Spanish and English into her novels. Garcia said, "The challenge is to capture English musically in what Spanish does."
Through her novels, Garcia expresses the various difficulties of a dual cultural identity and her views of the immigrant experience. Garcia said, "You can't be Cuban because you write in English. I am out here in California and may not fit in anywhere, but I am Cuban, too. As I started to figure things out, I began to write."
After her readings, Graham sat with Garcia to discuss her work. Graham said, "That was wonderful. Your work is very intriguing." She continued to ask Garcia questions and soon opened a question-and-answer session for the audience. When asked if she outlined her novels, Garcia said, "I do not outline my novels for all kinds of things happen. For me, I try to remain as open as possible and go with the mysteries and surprises along the way."
Garcia's forthcoming novel, A Handbook to Luck, will be published in April of 2007.