Acclaimed author Reyna Grande uses her writing to heal, connect and inspire
Writing can be a lonely business, especially for authors of color who already feel marginalized by society.
For acclaimed author Reyna Grande, having the chance to meet her readers helps alleviate that loneliness.
“It’s always nice to be able to leave that and come out to interact with the community,” Grande recently told a gathering at Martin Regional Library in Tulsa. “I feel the bond that literature can create between us. I feel so much love, such a strong connection, through the words I’m putting on the page. I’m building bridges.”
Grande was in town to accept the Hummingbird Award in Literary Arts, a biennial award honoring a nationally prominent author, poet or artist whose work has elevated and affirmed the voice of the Latinx community.
The author of multiple novels – including Across a Hundred Mountains and Dancing with Butterflies – Grande gained wide acclaim with her 2012 memoir, The Distance Between Us, which tells the story of her childhood in Iguala, Mexico, and eventual immigration to the United States.
As Grande is the first to admit, her journey toward the “American Dream” was fraught with trauma, including long periods of separation from her parents, difficulties with assimilation after crossing the border as an undocumented child immigrant at age 9, and even physical abuse.
“I started writing because of that trauma,” she recalled. “I felt it in my body. It’s true what they say about our bodies keeping score. I watched my father drown his trauma in cans of beer. I tried to find other ways, ways that were healthy.”
She ultimately found comfort in band class – she learned to play saxophone – and writing, which she took up at age 13.
Now 49, Grande’s writing continues to focus on the same themes she first explored as a student, namely family, identity, displacement and trauma.
Though her works draw heavily on her own experiences, she has not escaped the criticism of those who feel she proliferates stereotypes, including those of alcoholism and abuse within immigrant families. Grande rejects that notion.
“When people read my work, I don’t want them to think this is how all families are,” she said, conceding that she grappled with how to portray her father’s alcohol-fueled rages in The Distance Between Us. “I struggled, but that was the reality. When my father was kicking my ass he was not worried about being a stereotype.”
Grande hopes her honesty inspires those who read her work to seek help if they need it.
“Writing about it gives children permission to talk about it, and to realize it’s okay to talk about it and ask for help,” she said. “I hope I have empowered other people who have been full of shame for being victims to speak of it and release it so it doesn’t have power over them anymore.”
Beyond inspiring readers, Grande also takes her role as a role model for the next generation of writers very seriously. For that reason, she often finds it hard to call a work “done.”
“I feel a sense of responsibility to work hard to open that door for other immigrant writers,” she said. “Every time I publish a book I edit it like crazy. The editor has to take it away from me! As writers, we remove whatever obstacles we encounter so the next generation doesn’t have to face those same obstacles.”
Having written multiple memoirs that delve deeply into the immigrant experience, Grande is angry that immigrants continue to be targeted for blame in some quarters.
“Time and time again, immigrants are used as scapegoats for trouble in this country,” she said. “The United States is not good at taking responsibility for the displacement of people. It’s a moral responsibility and an obligation to people coming to this country because of the history of intervention in Latin states. We need to bring that into the conversation when we talk about immigration.”
At the end of the day, Grande concedes her writing – while potentially inspiring others – is most helpful to one person: herself.
“I embrace writing as a form of therapy,” she said, “and it has made all the difference for me.”
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