12 or 20 (second series) questions with Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes

Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes is the author of the novel The Sleeping World and the short story collection Are We Ever Our Own, winner of the BOA Editions Short Fiction Prize. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Strange Horizons, One Story, The New England Review, The Common, Cosmonauts Avenue, Slice, Pank, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from Yaddo, Hedgebrook, Willapa Bay, Millay Colony, Anderson Center, and the Blue Mountain Center. She teaches creative writing and Latinx literature at the University of Maryland.

1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?

My first book, The Sleeping World, was the culmination of years of work, of a decades-long goal. Publishing it was really rewarding, healing, and frightening. The publication of my second book, Are We Ever Our Own, feels different because it’s coming into the world in the “after” of what was for so long an unimaginable “before.” It’s coming into the world as I’m figuring out how to keep writing for the long haul, how to make this practice a lifelong vocation.

2 - How did you come to fiction first, as opposed to, say, poetry or non-fiction?

I’ve just always written fiction. I read a lot of poetry, but can’t seem to figure out how to break a line. I write some non-fiction, but fiction comes the easiest to me—though it’s by no means easy! It’s really important for me to be able to make things up, to stretch the believable and the factual to encompass the experience of living. But I have a couple of stories that I think have to be told as non-fiction and I’m working on how to tell those.

3 - How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes?

Starting a project is easy and fast, with few notes or plans, but editing is a years-long project, with lots of notes and endless rabbit holes. Even fairly short stories usually take me years—I don’t work on just one story for years, but I keep returning to it, setting it aside and working on others, and I repeat this process for a long time.

4 - Where does a work of prose usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?

My first book began as a short story and turned into a novel. My story collection began as many disparate, standalone stories, which, after a few years, I winnowed down and highlighted the connections between to make into a book. But now I tend to begin my projects knowing (or hoping) they will be books.

5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?

I love doing readings! I used to a lot of theatre and readings are a way to connect to that part of myself. And I love talking to readers—I always learn something and get inspired. If you’re reading this and have a reading series, invite me to read!

6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are?

I have so very many theoretical concerns! How can we heal from the past in the present? How can we write about that which cannot be put into words? How can we document pain and suffering without perpetuating it?

7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do they even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?

I’m really drawn to the writing of Minae Mizumura. She writes in A True Novel, that a book can be “a small boat on the vast ocean of literature.” Reading has always given me solace, hope, new ideas, and strength. I’d like to keep contributing to that project, keep adding small boats to that ocean.

8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?

I love working with a good editor. I learn so much about my work and literature from editors and readers. Outside feedback is really important to my process. I’m very lucky to be a part of a vibrant writing group that gives brilliant feedback and support.

9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?

Lan Samantha Chang writes here that writers have to protect their inner life and keep a separation between the chaos of publication and marketing and the quiet of creating art.

10 - How easy has it been for you to move between genres (novel to the short story)? What do you see as the appeal?

I am usually working on multiple projects at once, so for the past ten years or so, I’ve been moving between novels and short stories. After finishing a novel, beginning a new one can feel overwhelming. Stories are so fun to write because even from the beginning the end is in sight and when I’m editing, I can read through the whole draft several times in a day! And if a story doesn’t work, it doesn’t feel too devastating—more like a set of scales or training exercise, something to learn from.

11 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?

I used to have a pretty strong routine of writing in the mornings for as long as my work schedule would allow. The pandemic shook that up, as did finishing a couple of big writing projects and needing to take a break. I’m getting back into my schedule, but I’m going easy on myself—it’s a fine tension between respecting your work and pushing yourself too hard. I want my practice to be joyful and sustainable, which means it has to be flexible.

12 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?

I read! I go back to the books that inspired me to write the project I’m working on. I read what those writers read.

13 - What fragrance reminds you of home?

Sofrito frying on the stove.

14 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?

Many of the stories in Are We Ever Our Own are directly inspired by the work and writing of visual and performance artists: Ana Mendieta, Maya Deren, Hannah Wilke, Kazuo Ohno, and others. I’m also inspired by music—there’s a story in my book story inspired by several different folk songs.

15 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?

So many! There’s not much separation for me between works that inspire by writing and my life. Here’s a few off the top of my head: Helen Oyeyemi, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tarjei Vesaas, James Baldwin, Louise Erdrich, Toni Morrison, Emily Dickinson, Harryette Mullen, N.K. Jemisin, Herta Muller, Anne Enright.

16 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?

I’d like to spend more time in Cuba, to live there for a while. I’d like to write a play. I want to travel everywhere and eat every type of dumpling! I want to backpack in wilderness, far from cars and cell service.

17 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?

I would love to be a visual artist—to make sculptures or performance art. I would also love to be a playwright, actor, art restorer, farmer, or cobbler.

18 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?

I’ve always been a big reader and writing has in some way always been a part of my life. But for a long time, I was planning on being an actor. I studied theater in high school and college, but I got really sick of all the sexism and hated that what other people thought about my body was a huge factor in the type of art I got to make. I started writing more seriously and loved that with writing I could make the art I wanted. Even if no one saw it, I could still make it and I didn’t need anyone’s approval to do so. I think if I could have imagined a path in acting that gave me more agency—being part of a collaborate group or directing my own shows—I might have stayed with it. I really admire the people who create those paths.

19 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?

I’m currently rereading Halldór Laxness’ Independent People, which is this wild, gorgeous, and devastating epic about Icelandic peasants. It’s so good, it reminds me why I’ve devoted my life to books. I also just read The Book of Salt by Monique Troung, which left me in absolute awe.

20 - What are you currently working on?

I’m currently writing a collection of linked fantasy stories that revolve around an endless, constantly evolving hotel. I’ve never written a sustained work in a fully imagined world—it’s so pleasurable!

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