The pandemic continues. Around the world, people are still dying from the Covid-19 virus. The Russian war against Ukraine continues to devastate Ukraine and its people. Millions of people, now refugees, fled their country. Roe v. Wade is threatened, again. Women’s rights continue to be abused and trampled on around the world. Baby formula is scarce. A Palestinian-American journalist was slain. No one is taking responsibility for her death. Gas prices are close to $5.00. White supremacy and advocates of this pestilence continue to ooze from behind every corner. They no longer hide in the shadows. It’s out of control. Massacres due to gun violence continue. Mental health beyond a critical place. Folks are getting laid off and are forced to work two, three jobs to try to make ends meet. Crypto millionaires are snatching up land and properties in Puerto Rico, encouraged by US tax breaks. Greed and power. And the rich keep getting richer. I could go on and on.
I no longer ask, “What now?” Each day, there is a new or ongoing crisis that keeps my head reeling and my heart hurting.
In early April, I stopped watching news broadcasts and reading newspapers. It was too much for me. Believe me, enough news still seeps in through social media outlets. That’s where I learned about the monkey pox virus and that an asteroid the size of the Empire State building is hurling through space toward the Earth. Last night, I learned the asteroid will miss us. What the hell.
Note: I edited this blog post in the morning. Late afternoon, I discovered that 19 elementary school students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas were murdered. I was stunned. My heart broke as I watched the news broadcasts in evening. My April news fast was broken. How long can we stand by and watch the murder of innocents? When will our elected political leaders finally do the right thing and pass sane gun laws that protect us? Sadly, I don’t know the answers to those questions.
I worry about my niece, an elementary school teacher, and all teachers and their students. They are frightened. Parents are frightened and suffering. Feeling unsafe, not in control in our lives and the lives of our children and family members is not normal.
I do know one thing: The line, “This is not who we are”, is a lie. This IS who we are.
There is one woman speaking truth to power — Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados. If you haven’t heard of her, look her up. I admire her very much. Watch the video of her speech at the Opening of the COP26 World Leaders Summit of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
On a more positive light, in mid-April, I cohosted my beloved daughter and her fiancé’s engagement party. The joyous, elegant, and intimate celebration was held in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Our family and friends joined my future son-in-law’s family and friends for the first time. It was wonderful to celebrate the happy couple and to hug family and friends after two years of being apart. It was healing to forget about the cares of the world and the pain and suffering of the last two years for one beautiful weekend of love and family. There were a lot of tears, mostly happy tears, but I know our tears were also a mixture of releasing of pent-up emotions, of negativity, fear, and anxiety mixed with a great need to connect with others. God knows we all needed something to celebrate. My daughter’s wedding is to be held next year.
I drove back to West Virginia with my dog Miss Sophie, happy that I chose not to sell my house and move to Northern Virginia. It would have been a huge mistake for me. This old house has its quirks and issues, but it’s home. My refuge. A sanctuary. This is the home where I wrote and saw my first novel, A Decent Woman, and my first poetry collection, Tight Knots. Loose Threads. published.
These days, I’m focused on preparing the draft manuscript for my second novel, The Laments, for a story development editor. I’m excited to work with her this summer. I finally ordered a printer and a package of red ink pens, which will help as I work best with physical copies of my manuscripts. I’m old school.
So, we move forward. I can’t control much of what happens in the world around me, but I can do my small part to help. I can also control and make sure my creative life continues to thrive. My creative goals are front and center again, where they belong.
As my friend Jack says, “Art is salvation”. Amen.
Be well. Ellie x
ABOUT ELEANOR PARKER SAPIA:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning historical novel, A DECENT WOMAN (2017 & 2019 International Latino Book Awards) and the award-winning collection of poetry, TIGHT KNOTS. LOOSE THREADS. (2021 International Latino Book Awards). Eleanor’s books are published by Winter Goose Publishing.
Eleanor is currently working on her second novel, THE LAMENTS, and a new collection of poetry, currently titled ERASE AND REWIND.
AUTHOR ELEANOR PARKER SAPIA – WRITER OF CARIBBEAN FICTION AND WOMEN’S FICTION, POET, AND ARTIST
By Marsha Casper Cook
Please talk about your roots and how you found out who you wanted to be in your new life. Your story is very inspirational.
I was born in Puerto Rico into a family of exceptional oral storytellers: my grandmother—the matriarch of our family—my mother, and my aunt. Their magical stories included lives of struggle, spirits, herbal recipes, ancestral rituals, good food, and a fierce love of family. I was the child at my grandmother’s knee, always begging for one more tale.
I doubt it surprised anyone in my family when I turned to storytelling through painting and later with writing. A simple trip to the corner store can yield ideas for new stories or poems, and a cast of characters for future novels. However, my journey to publishing novels set in Puerto Rico with a good dose of history and magical realism took a circuitous route. Publishing my first collection of poetry took even longer. Each stage of my journey was as important as the last—steppingstones to where I am today—living and thriving in a creative world.
Following in my parent’s footsteps, I married a US Army officer, and we raised our children in Belgium, Austria, and France. To date, I have lived in Europe longer than I’ve lived in the US and Puerto Rico.
For 25 years, I painted and exhibited portraits and still lifes in the most unforgiving medium—watercolor— which speaks of perseverance and keen observation. I stashed drafts of poems in an old cookie tin and volunteered with refugee organizations and counseling centers in Brussels, Belgium.
In 2000, two life-changing events coincided: my maternal grandmother’s 90th birthday and receiving a copy of Julia Cameron’s seminal book on creativity called The Artist’s Way. The following year, I invited five girlfriends to experience the course with me. I learned just as much as my friends, who encouraged me to keep writing. Around that time, the paintbrush no longer told the stories of my soul—I was hooked on writing. I would go on to facilitate four more creative clusters with participants who felt blocked creatively or were interested in discovering their artistic passion.
In honor of my grandmother’s 90th birthday, I wrote a tribute to her that included many of her life stories. After reading the tribute, my then-husband encouraged me to write an outline. That outline turned into the first draft manuscript of A Decent Woman, set in turn of the century Ponce, Puerto Rico, my hometown.
In 2005, life changed dramatically. Before I knew it, I was a single woman in her 50s. I left one life and started a new one in the U.S. when my children headed to American universities. I was forced to face the unknown, dig deep, and tackle many challenges, much like a baptism of fire.
How has writing novels changed you as a person? If yes, please feel free to elaborate.
I believe my creative journey had more to do with my personal growth than the actual writing of my books. Before my divorce, I volunteered as a Spanish language refugee case worker and as a volunteer counselor in the only English-speaking counseling center, both in Brussels, Belgium. After my divorce, I moved back to the U.S., where I graduated from a massage therapy institute, I worked full-time as a bilingual (Spanish) social worker with the immigrant/refugee population and became a Reiki Master.
During that same time, I honed my writing skills, but the draft manuscript of A
Decent Woman wouldn’t see the light of day for five years until a shoulder injury precluded me from continuing a career in massage therapy—I was at a fork in the road. I made a life-altering decision to leave my job and to move from the Washington, D.C. area to West Virginia, where I could afford to write full-time.
Through writing novels and poetry, I found my voice quite organically. My previous career choices bolstered and inspired me to write novels of courageous women living simple lives in extraordinary times. The characters in my book said what I needed to share with the world—stories of misogyny, domestic violence, racism, and early feminism. Sterilization of women against their will or without their knowledge. Hate crimes against women and prostitutes. Class struggles. I use it all in my stories.
I believe life helped me grow into the role I was destined to fulfill—that of a storyteller. My hope is to continue to honor my maternal line and my Puerto Rican roots with my writing.
In your new book, a debut collection of poems titled, Tight Knots. Loose Threads, you expose a side of you that no one knew. Was that decision difficult for you?
Just before my first poetry collection was published in April 2021, a good friend, a therapist, read my collection. She wondered if readers would view me in a new way, and wondered if my raw, emotional poems of love desired, love denied, and heartbreak would confuse friends and readers who’d loved A Decent Woman.
While readers and friends on social media know me as a writer, a divorced mother of two awesome adult children, a feminist, an activist, who loves to garden and travel, my reply to my friend was, “How well do we know anyone?” My close friends and family weren’t surprised, at all.
I understand it’s human nature to often put people in boxes to better understand them, but I don’t enjoy limits, literary or otherwise. I was ready to unpeel more layers of my emotional onion. To stretch out and take up more room as a mature woman and as a writer.
I didn’t shy away from writing about controversial, delicate, taboo themes in A Decent Woman and there were many. Writing poems about controversial and delicate situations and exposing raw emotions wasn’t difficult either.
Now, although every poem isn’t about me, I admit to feeling a bit vulnerable about the intimate nature of some of the poems. What helped me move forward with publication was the Coronavirus pandemic and turning 63. We were and are still living in a world of unimaginable loss, grief, and fear. The year 2020 moved me enough to retrieve the poems I’d stashed in the old coffee tin for over twenty years and to write new poems for my first collection.
In my opinion, it was the perfect time to release Tight Knots. Loose Threads. I hope readers will relate to the poems and not feel alone as we’ve all experienced heartache in love and relationships. I thought, if not now, when? I’m glad I listened to my gut.
What do you think the Publishing Industry could improve on?
One frustration I share with many writers is the push by some publishers and agents for writers to garner as many reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads before and after a book is published, as if that guarantees literary success. Honestly, writing and marketing our books are hard enough. Of course, I absolutely adore hearing from my readers and am incredibly grateful when a reader takes the time to review my books, so the last thing I want is to annoy them with constant requests for reviews. So, there’s a delicate balance.
Then, there’s paying for literary reviews—a gray zone. Most writers I know don’t have extra money to pay for reviews. I don’t know the answer to the dilemma of literary reviews. I write stories I’d like to read, and if I connect with a reader, that’s wonderful.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
I’m a slow writer. On occasion, as I watch writers publish a book or two each year, I can fall into doubting my process. But that is short-lived. My process works for me. I believe in allowing a story to come together in an organic way. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about my story 24/7. I don’t begin with a firm outline or a firm ending. I always have a rough idea of where I’m going and what I want to highlight in the story, such as domestic violence, misogyny, racism, growth, or battling personal demons. Being locked into a particular storyline or ending without deviation disrupts my creativity. What I want for myself as a writer is to reach others. As a reader, I want to be moved.
Life has taught me to be open to change, discovery, and that starting over can be golden. I am a big fan of rewriting as much as necessary and to listening to my characters. It’s not uncommon for my story to change and evolve. That can only come from knowing your characters inside and out. With time and patience, the dividends pay off.
What keeps you up at night as you near the end of finishing one of your books?
Great question. What I struggle with is knowing whether a story is finished, which is easier to discern with painting.
I ask myself if I’ve done my best with what I know today to rewrite a sentence, a page, a chapter for clarity, rhythm, and lyrical meaning and weight. Ultimately, I listen to my gut—I trust I will know when I’ve reached the end. Readers may, of course, feel differently about our story!
What does Literary Success look like to you?
While receiving literary awards and accolades were a thrill, success of any kind can be a short-lived, slippery slope. I remind myself to not rest on past laurels. After each published book, I’m back at the beginning—learning more about the craft of writing, honing my skills, working hard, and doing research for the next novel.
Marsha Casper Cook – CEO, Author, Screenwriter
If readers love, remember, and recommend my book(s) to other readers over years and years, that is literary success to me. I want to move my readers as much as I need to be moved to continue to write good literature. It’s never been about making money.
Because of your new book, a collection of poems called Tight Knots. Loose Threads, you have increased your readership into a different market. Will you continue that path?
I wrote poetry long before I considered writing a novel. So yes, I will continue to write poetry, which feels as natural as painting, writing novels, and keeping a journal, where many poems are birthed. Painting for over 25 years helped me write A Decent Woman and The Laments. Writing poetry helps me access emotion and continue to write poetic prose in fiction, and writing fiction helps me write deep poetry. It’s all connected.
Writing poetry is also cathartic and healing. It’s a great way to peel away, examine, and discover old or new layers of my personality and life experiences in an intimate way. While poems of a more sensual nature may bring up feelings of vulnerability or of feeling a bit exposed, I tell myself that by being “naked” and unafraid, I’m connecting with readers who I hope will realize they’re not alone—we’ve all experienced love and heartache and pain. It’s universal.
In the future, I also hope to write a poetry collection and a novel in Spanish, a beautiful, lyrical language.
Are you pleased with the way readers have admired the courage it took to compose such a wonderful collection of poems? And did you expect readers to find themselves understanding your journey in a way that many poets never achieve?
Thank you for your kind words, Marsha. The readers who reviewed Tight Knots. Loose Threads before and after publication were gracious and generous with their praise. I am grateful for the gift of their precious time as many are busy writers. It is always heartwarming and validating when others understand our journey and resonate with what we’re trying to convey.
I had hoped readers would find themselves in the collection. It reads like the journey of a love affair from flirtation, passion, and love to confusion and sadness, followed by anger and grief. The death of love. There are many voices in this collection. It’s real life. Love is universal.
While I don’t consider it an act of courage to put out a poetry book of this type, it did require me to reach deep into myself and to push the boundaries of my comfort zone. I grew as a woman and as a poet.
What advice would you give to new aspiring authors?
Sounds cliché but learn to write by reading. I encourage aspiring authors to read books in their chosen genre, books by their favorite authors, and books recommended by favorite writers. I also encourage folks to write through the scary bits of the story as that’s usually where the meat and essence of the story are found. If you’re not passionate about your story or if you rush the creative process, it will show.
Lastly, your story matters. The saddest thing to me are unwritten stories.
What are you working on now?
Since 2016, I’ve been working on a second novel called The Laments. The story begins in 1926 in a Roman Catholic convent in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and a Spanish-built leprosarium on Isla de Cabras, an islet located five miles off the coast of San Juan.
The Laments is the story of an idealistic novice nun whose monastic life is shattered by crimes at her Convent. As a means of escape, the conflicted novice volunteers to serve the patients at Lazareto Isla de Cabras. A colorful cast of characters and chaotic events will clash with the nun’s mission to save souls for God. She will be challenged to take a hard look at making her final vows and to take an even harder look at truth.
The Laments will be in reader’s hands in early 2022. I hope readers connect with this story.
My thanks to eYs Magazine and to you for the wonderful opportunity to connect with the eYs audience.
You can find out more about Eleanor at linktr.ee/ EleanorParkerSapia
Special note to Eleanor: It has been my pleasure to interview you and I would also like to thank you for the wonderful friendship we have developed over the years. Marsha
The writing life can be a pretty sedentary life. It’s my life and a personal passion that involves heavy thinking, research, learning, hard work, and sitting. Lots of sitting. I can’t recall as sedentary a year as 2020. My body craves movement. My heart desperately needs to hug and kiss my children and loved ones. My soul dreams of beautiful vistas, a gorgeous beach, a turquoise ocean, a pool bar, new adventures, good times.
The year of the plague. Prolonged stress. Managing emotions. Emotional well-being.
Older people surveyed in the first couple of months of the pandemic showed a higher resilience to the pandemic lockdown. It’s not that older folks were not suffering at the same levels as younger folks, they were and they were more at risk. It appears older folks coped better with the stress of living and surviving a global pandemic.
Why is that? I believe it’s because older people have more life experience. We have better coping skills and resilience gleaned from a lifetime of challenges and difficult experiences along with a good dose of wisdom thrown in that only comes from experience.
For two weeks now, younger tourists and spring breakers in Puerto Rico, my birth place, are losing control and forgetting themselves and others. Friends and family members on the island say it’s been a nightmare dealing with tourists and young people ignoring mask mandates, running amok in cities and on beaches, and being rude and violent with the police and with locals. Seriously?
We’re all dreaming of a beach vacation with a fully-stocked pool bar and dancing under the stars. Come on!
If you can’t behave like a civilized human being during a global pandemic, stay home. If you can’t show respect and obey the rules while on vacation in destinations, such as Hawaii, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, where people live, work hard, wear masks, and try to keep their Covid-19 infection rates low, stay home. Period. Yes to stricter laws for dealing with such ridiculous behavior.
Run amok in your own neighborhoods and cities. Don’t ruin it for others. I want to get home soon.
Stay safe. Wear your mask. Practice safe distancing.
Eleanor x
ABOUT ELEANOR PARKER SAPIA:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, “A Decent Woman”, published by Winter Goose Publishing in 2019. Eleanor’s debut novel, set 1900 Puerto Rico, garnered awards at the 2016 and 2017 International Latino Book Awards. She is featured in the anthology, “Latina Authors and Their Muses”. Eleanor is working on her second novel “The Laments”, set in 1926 Puerto Rico. Her debut poetry collection, “Tight Knots. Loose Threads. Poems” is due for release in April 2021.
MY DEBUT POETRY BOOK IN THE PIPELINE: TIGHT KNOTS. LOOSE THREADS.
March 17, 2021
I hope you and yours are well and soon, fully vaccinated! I am anxious to hug and kiss my kids and my loved ones! I’m excited to travel again! I’m dreaming of lying on a beach in Thailand and Puerto Rico! Four exclamation marks and I don’t care! Spring is right around the corner. I’m happy and hopeful.
I’ve been crazy busy since the beginning of the year. In January, my publisher suggested it was time to publish my debut poetry collection with an April 2021 publication date, just in time for Poetry Month. I am thrilled and grateful to her for taking a chance on me, a new poet.
As my publisher had an old copy of the draft manuscript (I was in the cue for a bit of time) and I like to think I’ve grown as a writer, I did a heavy edit on the collection. I rewrote many of the poems and included several new poems. Half of the poems were written between 2000 and 2007, the rest between 2011 and last month. We decided on the title, Tight Knots. Loose Threads. I love it. It’s the perfect title for this collection. The tentative book cover is wonderful, too. I can’t wait for the cover reveal and to see Tight Knots in print, in reader’s hands, where it belongs.
I am anxiously awaiting the editor’s second pass and trying to keep busy with my second novel, The Laments, which is coming along nicely. It’s such a great story if I do say so myself, smile. I am, however, finding it incredibly difficult to keep my editing pen in the drawer and away from the poetry collection. The word obsession comes to mind…
Reviews from wonderful and very generous advanced readers filled my heart with big emotion, gratitude, and hope that readers will enjoy my debut collection of love poems. I say love poems, and they are love poems with a reminder that love can also feel expansive, sexy, confusing, hopeful, painful, and at times, hopeless.
After my debut poetry collection, Tight Knots. Loose Threads. is published, I will order a big box of books, and by then, I will be able to mail signed copies of the book to readers from a real post office. What a great thought.
Now I understand why the Roaring 20s were so wild–it was the end of the Spanish Flu epidemic. I won’t be that wild (or maybe I will!) but I sure plan on celebrating big when we can travel, dance, and make merry with our families and friends again. Amen!
Stay safe, wear a mask, and continue to practice social distancing. Get your vaccines. The end may be in sight.
Eleanor x
ABOUT ELEANOR PARKER SAPIA:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, “A Decent Woman”, published by Winter Goose Publishing in 2019. Eleanor’s debut novel, set 1900 Puerto Rico, garnered awards at the 2016 and 2017 International Latino Book Awards. She is featured in the anthology, “Latina Authors and Their Muses”. Eleanor is working on her second novel “The Laments”, set in 1926 Puerto Rico. Her debut poetry collection, “Tight Knots. Loose Threads. Poems” is due for release in April 2021. Fingers crossed.
Thirteen hours from now, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. will become the 46th U.S. President. Kamala Devi Harris will be our Vice President, the first female Vice President, the first black of South Asian descent as Vice President. Tomorrow will be a historic day in US history, in women’s history, and black American history. A momentous day, indeed.
Today I was filled with restrained joy. Cautious hope. Sorrow. I pray for a return to sleeping through the night and not grinding my teeth. Lord knows, I feel hopeful for tomorrow. I do. But this week, that hope was mixed with sorrow, fear, and there’s tension in my shoulders. Our hearts are broken. We feel strong emotions today. We are in mourning. We need time to mourn as our family members, loved ones, friends, and strangers suffer and die from Covid-19. We mourn for those who took their lives last year and this year.
Today, a visibly emotional Joe Biden spoke in Delaware before his journey to Washington, DC. With grief etched on his face, he spoke about his son. I cried. What a blessing and relief to have a decent, compassionate man in the White House. Tomorrow at noon. Thank God.
Early in the 2020 Presidential campaign season, I explained my feelings and emotions to a friend. I felt as if I were dating a textbook narcissist, an abuser. Americans were gaslighted, lied to repeatedly, and we had the rug pulled out from under our feet over and over again by trump and his cowardly administration. We’ve endured a horrific four years under his presidency.
Tonight, I recognize much of what I feel. It resembles the anxiety and fear I felt the night before I left our family home in Brussels, heading to the US with my college-bound children and toward a divorce after a long-time marriage. I could not fully relax until 20, 30 minutes after our plane took off. It was awful.
As surprising as it feels now, it would take a few years to stop looking over my shoulder and thinking in a more positive manner. I believe Joe Biden’s presidency will feel like that for most of us. For as long as white supremacists, far-right extremist groups, and Q-Anon believers live among us, we must remain vigilant. They’ve already shown us who they are.
We will mourn our dead and we will never forget. Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in this country. The 400 lights along the Washington Reflecting Pool are beautiful. I hope they remain in place as a forever tribute to the over 400,000 COVID deaths in this country.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. I pray Joe Biden and his administration begin work immediately to find all the missing immigrant children and reunite them with their suffering parents and families. Innocent victims of trump and his callous, ruthless, and heartless administration.
Finally, we will celebrate trump’s final exit from the White House at the butt crack of dawn. I can’t wait for tomorrow. I can’t wait for his trial(s). May he never ever hold public office again. Nor his daughter. smh
Praying and thinking good thoughts for the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow. Prayers tonight for those who lost their lives to the novel coronavirus and their loved ones. Prayers for those who are suffering tonight. I send you a warm virtual hug.
Stay strong, be well.
Eleanor x
ABOUT ELEANOR:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, “A Decent Woman”, published by Winter Goose Publishing. Eleanor’s debut novel, set 1900 Puerto Rico, garnered awards at the 2016 and 2017 International Latino Book Awards. She is featured in the anthology, “Latina Authors and Their Muses”, edited by Mayra Calvani.
Eleanor is working on her second novel “The Laments”, set in 1926 Puerto Rico, and an untitled collection of poems about the many facets of love, which often remind her of the complicated relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico.
Surprised? A week ago, the US Capitol was overwhelmed, stormed, and invaded by a mob. People were beaten. Five died. How is anyone surprised he was impeached? Yet today, millions of Americans are enraged, in disbelief–their leader was impeached again. Today was one for the history books–the 45th President of the United States was impeached a second time–the first time in American history.
As I see it, there’s not much the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans agree on. We disagree on national issues, the economy, on immigration, climate change, and government reach. During the past five years, we clearly haven’t seen eye to eye on zero-tolerance immigration issues, Black Lives Matter, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, racism, Covid-19 relief money, misogyny, separating immigrant children from their parents, caging immigrant infants and children, and then losing over 600 immigrant children in our current system. Don’t forget the children. I won’t ever forget.
We disagree on mask-wearing, social distancing, protecting our fellow Americans from a deadly virus, on vaccinations, and what constitutes a right/freedom. Folks still deny we’re living in a deadly global pandemic and still call COVID-19 a hoax. How do you deal with that mentality? Let me know when you figure it out.
Today, Trump loyalists are still screaming, “Stop the steal!”. Staunch Trump supporters and cowardly Republicans still believe Biden is the illegitimate winner of the 2020 Presidential election. Today, the House of Representatives voted to impeach this president. Ten Republican Senators voted for impeachment, a bipartisan impeachment. When was the last time that happened?
Tonight, many questions persist. New theories have come to light, and the FBI investigation continues into the US Capitol insurrection.
Why was there a glaring lack of police presence at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021? Where was the National Guard?
Why didn’t Trump walk to the US Capitol with his people as he said he would? Actually, that one’s easy to answer–he never intended to walk anywhere.
How in the world did the insurgents find Speaker Nancy Pilosi’s office so quickly? What about finding Majority Whip James Clyburn’s secret office?
Who removed the panic buttons from Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s office prior to the Capitol riot?
Was the insurrection a planned event or spontaneous event? An inside job? By whom?
What should be done to the non-mask-wearing Republicans, who sheltered in place with Democrats, who are now Covid-19 positive? Can the GOP members be fined and removed from their jobs?
Will GOP members be allowed to carry their weapons into any government building? Can they choose to not go through metal detectors? Will they be fined? Removed from their jobs?
Will Trump be convicted in a Senate trial?
Should President-elect Joe Biden’s outdoor swearing-in ceremony proceed as planned? Are 20,000 National Guard members enough to keep everyone present at the inauguration safe?
Truth, justice, and accountability must happen before we begin talks of unity. Welcome to 2021. So many questions. So many investigations. So many warnings, and it’s only January 13.
In my state, 80+ year-olds received their vaccines, which is wonderful. Seventy-plus-year-olds will receive their first vaccine this weekend. My group is next.
On the writing front, I submitted my poetry collection to my publisher last week. I believe we decided on a great title, and I’m hoping for an April publication date–Poetry Month. I’m excited!
Be safe and continue to wear your mask.
Eleanor x
ABOUT ELEANOR:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, “A Decent Woman”, published by Winter Goose Publishing. Eleanor’s debut novel, set 1900 Puerto Rico, garnered awards at the 2016 and 2017 International Latino Book Awards. She is featured in the anthology, “Latina Authors and Their Muses”, edited by Mayra Calvani.
Eleanor is working on her second novel “The Laments”, set in 1926 Puerto Rico, and an untitled collection of poems about the many facets of love, which often remind her of the complicated relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico.
Well, damn. The new year started with a BANG, literally. Shocking and sad, but not surprising. Tonight, I am still a bit shell-shocked and more than alarmed as dozens of news reports roll out with accompanying videos shot from different angles, inside and outside the US Capitol.
On Monday, I’d expressed concern to a friend about the MAGA crowds in DC. By Tuesday, the crowd seemed to grow in size and unruliness. I watched trump rile up his base, along with his son, Senators Cruz, McCarthy, and a junior Senator named Josh Hawley.
Today is Three King’s Day. As I replied to a Facebook message, a video popped up on my laptop screen. The Now Then video showed a large chanting mob at the US Capital, waving trump flags, Confederate flags, and placards with the words, “Stop the steal”.
I expected all that. It was nothing new, however, something felt different from previous trump rallies I’d watched. The intense rage of the crowd was palpable. Their faces were contorted in rage. I spotted camo jackets, gas masks, bull horns, American flags. Some protestors shoved reporters, yelled in their faces. Not a face mask to be seen in a sea of red MAGA hats. Then I saw a guy waving an American flag tied to a pitchfork. Something ugly and violent was about to go down. You could feel it. And go down it would, in a way I never thought I’d see in this country. Yet equally, not at all surprising.
Minutes later, a cameraman panned the crowd. Before I knew it, the mob surged forward. Folks clamored over the concrete barriers, ran up the steps of the Capital and fanned out in front of a small group of Capital Hill police. Holy shit. I immediately posted on Facebook. Why wasn’t the National Guard in full force? Where was the FBI? Homeland Security? This was no longer a crowd of protestors. It looked like a riot. How could the powers that be have missed that this protest could turn violent? Was the lack of police presence and push-back planned? By whom? I had my suspicions. I turned on the news.
The next videos were shot inside the Capitol. They were chilling. I felt nauseated. A bloody woman was rushed out on a stretcher. The president was silent. What the hell was going on?
An hour later or less, President-elect Joe Biden used the words domestic terrorists. Their crime? Insurrection. It is what it is.
The differences between the Black Lives Matters rallies and protests last summer and this mob are stark, black and white. The treatment of the mob and those who illegally entered the Capital and exited with souvenirs, smiles, and jeers was breathtaking, shocking. I joined millions of Americans who asked the question:
What would have happened if the mob had been black?Brown? I shudder to think what a blood bath that would have been.
In the next days, we’ll watch the GOP sidestep, lie, and present the case that trump did not, in fact, incite a riot, an insurrection. They will again gaslight the American public. But friends, myriad news videos, selfies, first-hand accounts, thousands of photographs will show the truth. And soon, patriotic friends and family members will point fingers and accuse the insurrectionists, who didn’t even bother to wear masks. Nice.
The majority of American people want trump out. The majority of Americans want his Republican henchmen and women out. We voted.
Most of us believe that deadly, bloody insurrection was inspired, incited, and led by the president of the United States. And it’s not over. Some say it’s only the beginning. Trump will be impeached. The first US president in history to be impeached twice will be Donald J. Trump.
Justice and accountability first. Unity second or third. Will this country ever see unity? That remains to be seen. I seriously doubt I will see real unity in my lifetime. I pray I’m wrong.
I pray Joe Biden and everyone at the Presidential Inauguration are safe on January 20th.
Stay safe and continue to wear your mask. Tragically, people are still dying in record numbers.
Eleanor x
ABOUT ELEANOR:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, “A Decent Woman”, published by Winter Goose Publishing. Eleanor’s debut novel, set 1900 Puerto Rico, garnered awards at the 2016 and 2017 International Latino Book Awards. She is featured in the anthology, “Latina Authors and Their Muses”, edited by Mayra Calvani.
Eleanor is working on her second novel “The Laments”, set in 1926 Puerto Rico, and an untitled collection of poems about the many facets of love, which often remind her of the complicated relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico.
This week, in a normal year (remember those?), I would have donated and helped hand out canned goods and coats at the mission down the street. I would have picked up a fresh turkey, fresh cranberries, baking and sweet potatoes, spinach, corn, and the ingredients for baking bread, muffins, and pumpkin pies for Christmas dinner.
If it was my turn to host our family, the white linen tablecloth and napkins would be pressed, white candles bought, the good plates washed and the silver polished. I would have gathered greenery, berries, and picked grape leaves from the grapevines in the courtyard to decorate the grapevine wreaths on my front door and the kitchen door. I love Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, the appropriate-sized baking pans, bowls, pots, and cooking utensils would be washed and ready for morning. Cookbooks propped open to favorite family recipes, piled one on top of the other in order of preparation, would wait on the oak table in my kitchen. The aroma of simmering cinnamon sticks, cloves, cranberries, and orange peel would fill my home as I wait for my children to arrive. I’m happiest when surrounded by my children and family.
Around 8 in the morning, still in my pajamas with a good café con leche, food prepping would begin–cutting, chopping, dicing, boiling mashing, sautéing, and blanching—with Christmas music playing in the background. My children would join me later in the kitchen. We have wonderful memories of Christmases past.
Christmas 2020 will be different.
This Christmas season, I’m blessed to spend time with my daughter and her boyfriend and we will sorely miss my son and his girlfriend. We will miss family. The separations will remind us how different this holiday season is, but what is normal this year? Not much. Our lives will never be the same…and if I think on it, for some of us, that’s a very good thing. Change is good. And Lord knows, this nation needs drastic changes.
Despite the challenges, heartaches, and anxiety of 2020, we shall make new memories, have fun, take photographs to share with each other at a later time, and count ourselves truly blessed.
From my home to yours, I wish you a safe and healthy holiday season. Stay safe.
Eleanor x
ABOUT ELEANOR:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, “A Decent Woman”, published by Winter Goose Publishing. Eleanor’s debut novel, set 1900 Puerto Rico, garnered awards at the 2016 and 2017 International Latino Book Awards. She is featured in the anthology, “Latina Authors and Their Muses”, edited by Mayra Calvani.
Eleanor is working on her second novel “The Laments”, set in 1926 Puerto Rico, and a collection of poems, titled “Thoughts on Near-Fictional Relationships”. The poems are about the many facets of love, which often remind her of the complicated relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico.
** This morning, I discovered this blog post was not published. I know. My brain feels fuzzy and my sleep patterns have been disrupted this holiday season. To be sure, it’s way too early to be up. I guess old habits die hard.
On this American holiday, I give all thanks to the Native American community and their ancestors. I think of the Spaniards, who settled in Florida and founded St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, in September 1565. One hundred years before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. One hundred years. It is more than time to rewrite American history books.
This holiday season, as Covid-19 rampages across this country, some people still refuse to wear masks and practice social distance. Airports are filled with passengers traveling home for the holiday. I will celebrate alone. In quarantine without my children and my family. For the first time. No cooking, no baking. No laughter in my kitchen, no stories around the dinner table. If I’m entirely honest, I will endure the day. Too dramatic? Yeah, it is.
Like me, millions of parents and grandparents are without their beloved children and cherished grandchildren today. Most parents won’t know what the hell to do with themselves. Millions of young adults are away from their families and friends. Many single folks, who’ve lived alone for years and years, will really feel alone today. I feel you.
All this makes me sad and nostalgic. I’m grieving the past. No one told me this would happen in my 60s and the only way I know how to snap out of this is to acknowledge my feelings, write it out, and count my many blessings.
I’m alive. Today, I woke up relatively healthy and virus-free. Thankfully, so are my children and family members. That’s why I’m celebrating Thanksgiving alone this year–I want to see my daughter and her boyfriend at Christmas (we’ll isolate for two weeks beforehand and drive to our rented cabin), and I want to see my son and his girlfriend in 2021. The only way to do that is to isolate myself along with my baby, my quarantine buddy, my Chihuahua named Sophie.
We are very fortunate. Today, many Americans don’t have roofs over their heads, they are out of work, and no paychecks are coming in. Families are going hungry and businesses are shuttering their doors. Please consider donating to the many organizations feeding people this holiday season and beyond.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have tragically died and hundreds of thousands more are suffering with the virus. A dear friend and his wife are currently battling the virus and I’m very worried about them. People are dying alone. Family members are saying their last goodbyes to loved ones over cell phones and laptops. It’s horrendous, unimaginable, yet it’s happening across this nation and around the world. Our heroes, the doctors, nurses, and hospital staff, are exhausted and emotionally traumatized.
For the sake of your family members and friends, strangers, and hospital personnel, stay home. It’s one day. A long weekend for some. As my friend said, “Better to miss Thanksgiving this year than to be ventilated in ICU for Christmas and the new year.” Amen.
Stay safe. January 20, 2021 can’t come soon enough.
Eleanor x
ABOUT ELEANOR:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, “A Decent Woman”, published by Winter Goose Publishing. Eleanor’s debut novel, set 1900 Puerto Rico, garnered awards at the 2016 and 2017 International Latino Book Awards. She is featured in the anthology, “Latina Authors and Their Muses”, edited by Mayra Calvani.
Eleanor is working on her second novel “The Laments”, set in 1926 Puerto Rico, and a collection of poems, titled “Thoughts on Near-Fictional Relationships”. The poems are about the many facets of love, which often remind her of the complicated relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico.
If you missed the opening of this wonderful artisan and author event, no worries– the 2020 National Puerto Rican Virtual Artisans Fair & Book Expo will continue for one year! So, you have plenty of time to peruse our vendor pages and to order books or hand-crafted items for those on your holiday gift list, and beyond.
This year, I’m honored to be a participating author. I invite you to visit the well-appointed and easy-to-navigate pages created by our webmaster extraordinaire, Vivian Monserrate Cotte.
Many thanks to Olga Ayala, Yadhira Gonzalez-Taylor, and Teresa A. Santiago and others for making this annual event a possibility and a success.
Stay safe. Wear your mask. Practice safe distancing this holiday season. We want to see you on the other side of this pandemic.
Happy reading and writing.
Eleanor x
ABOUT ELEANOR:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, “A Decent Woman”, published by Winter Goose Publishing. Eleanor’s debut novel, set 1900 Puerto Rico, garnered awards at the 2016 and 2017 International Latino Book Awards. She is featured in the anthology, “Latina Authors and Their Muses”, edited by Mayra Calvani.
Eleanor is working on her second novel “The Laments”, set in 1926 Puerto Rico, and a collection of poems, titled “Thoughts on Near-Fictional Relationships”. The poems are about the many facets of love, which often remind her of the complicated relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico.
The Writing Life Blog 