Interview of Alex Espinoza by Xánath Caraza

Interview of Alex Espinoza by Xánath Caraza

Alex Espinoza is the author of Still Water Saints, The Five Acts of Diego León, and Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime. He’s written for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times Magazine, Virginia Quarterly Review, LitHub, and NPR's All Things Considered. The recipient of fellowships from the NEA and MacDowell as well as an American Book Award, he lives in Los Angeles and is the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair of Creative Writing at UC-Riverside.

Xánath Caraza: Who is Alex Espinoza? 

Alex Espinoza: Never really given it much thought. I guess I would say that I’m a writer who likes to both read and produce stories that illuminate the marginalized voices that typically go on undocumented in the world.

Xánath Caraza: As a child, who first introduced you to reading? 

Alex Espinoza: My elementary school teachers who constantly read stories to us, who encouraged us to fall in love with books, and my mother who would often take us to the library.

XC: How did you first become a writer? 

AE: I don’t know the exact moment when I first became a writer. I think I’m in a constant state of “becoming” with each new project I take on. That is, the process is always teaching me new things, always challenging and tempering me. I published my first piece in my community college literary journal. I won the short story prize and was awarded $50. It was one of the biggest ego boosts, and it motivated me to continue to pursue the art.

XC: Do you have any favorite authors?

AE: Tons. James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Flannery O’Connor, Helena Viramontes. These are just a few.

XC: When do you know when a piece is ready to be read by others?

AE: When I answer yes to the question, “Is this the best that I can make this piece?”

  

XC: Could you comment on your life as a cultural activist? 

AE: I see my writing as a means to incite and support social change. My writing is always grounded in the belief that art and words can shape communities of color to act up and resist preconceived notions about class, race, gender, and dis/ability.

XC: What projects are you working on at the moment that you would like to share?

AE: I just completed a novel about a family of luchadores. I will be revising it this summer.

XC: What advice do you have for other writers?

AE: Edit. Revise. Read. Be humble in your efforts and let yourself be challenged.