The first piece I wrote was a poem dedicated to family, it lacked rhymes, it had verses that were too long, and its images were somewhat out of place. At that time I was a chubby sixth grade boy in a city school in San Miguel, El Salvador, and the motivation for such an undertaking came from an event in which I had been allowed to read a poem called “10 Roses for Mom” .
Although from the age of 11 some of those verses no longer run through my mind as often as I would like, I do remember the thought I had when reading the poem the first time, “I want to write something like that”. Over the years and the subsequent adolescence and high school, those writings were replaced by lyrics from rock songs from the Mago de Oz (a famous rock band from Spain).
In 2007, already at the University of El Salvador, I did have time to write, inspired by the poetry of Amado Nervo and various historical figures from my homeland, I wrote poetry here, essays there, and the occasional theater scene of those full of cliches in which a couple realizes that they are perfect for each other, romantic me. Between Pedagogy and Didactics the verses moved, and from time to time they danced to the rhythm of one of my classmates. However, being an educator took shape before being a writer, and having graduated as an English Language Teacher, the desire to bring money weighed more in the wallet.
Now a secondary education teacher, I went from having to work at 7 national schools in a single year, to bilingual schools, up to the only Binational Center in the country in 2015. I kept doing my writings at night, after making lesson plans, I read those verses under a faint light that came from the street, reclining in a hammock, sleepy, but with desire.
In 2017 I moved to Wisconsin, where I live to this day. I work in a Dual Language Education Program and I love my job. I will never get tired of being an educator but, with my dreams and suitcases also came my writings.
And well, out of my desire to write, I think it is finally time to pay attention to it and give in, as we say in my beautiful El Salvador, all in.
The desert and nature in diaspora: Tumble by Adriana Hernández Bergstrom
Por Jorge Inzunza Tumbleweed, or steppicursors, break their roots and set out on a journey across the desert. In Tumble, the initial work of Adriana Hernández Bergstrom, the plant rolls and rolls, encountering various animals, insects and traces of human presence. Adriana illustrates a silent cycle that is carried away by the force of the…
Writing in Spanish for children of the United States: Empty Shelves or the Challenge for the Literary Industry?
By Jorge Inzunza The home of the Spanish language in the United States is inhabited by stories of uprooting, struggles and hopes. The movements against the Spanish language have been led by those who believe that English should be the only language of the country . We live this tension in the streets, shops, schools and official government agencies. This dispute even now exists at the presidential…
A Trip with Marcus Vega
By Jorge Inzunza In September 2017, Hurricane Maria struck Central America and the Caribbean. I remember at the time I worked as a teacher in the Delavan-Darien School District (Wisconsin). The images were bleak. Soon after, I contacted the Lorencita Ramírez de Arellano School in Toa Baja (Puerto Rico) to start a small aid campaign. Lizbeth, April, Beyoncé, Destiny, Carol, Belinda and Ashley, my fourth-grade students, stayed at recess helping in the collection of materials. In the end, we sent…
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Hilo Colectivo 