Writer Spotlight: Isabel Estrada O'Hagin

Summers with nana and tata, Whoppers, "Gone with the Wind" in one day, Equity and Inclusion, and the Tribute Fund

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our quarterly Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet Isabel Estrada O'Hagin, the SCBWI-MI Outreach Coordinator.

You grew up one of seven children in the barrios of Tucson. Since then, you’ve traveled to 14 countries and relocated to Michigan. Have you been back to Tucson? Has it changed much over the years? Is your childhood neighborhood still intact?

I love Tucson and the surrounding area! Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic I visited my family in the Ole Pueblo yearly. In some ways it’s much the same, but the city continues to grow—unfortunately, that means more bulldozing of the rapidly disappearing Sonoran desert.

My barrio is still intact, as are most of them. Some families leave, new ones move in. The celebration of Mexican-American culture is visible everywhere: bilingual signs, restaurants, shops, tortillerías, and the architecture. Restaurants there when I was a kid are still open. One great addition is a Latino-based bookstore.

You talk about spending summers in Nogales with your nana and tata. What do you remember about those summers with your grandparents?

I remember the love we shared and the relaxed lifestyle. My tata, Don Alberto, greeted everyone wherever we walked. We would cross the border and do our shopping while my tata chatted and then chatted some more. Mis abuelos lived in a magnificent old house full of intriguing nooks and crannies that I constantly explored. I was a curious child!

I remember running up and down the hilly streets of Nogales. Nana had a chicken coop perched on the side of the hill—we all remember the adventures in the chicken coop. I also remember the picnics we had in Patagonia on our way back to Tucson. The creeks were filled with water back in those days. We often had to jump out of our station wagon and push it out of the mud.

You mention “mud pies, mud people and mud villages.” That suggests your family was dirt poor, but also that you kids had a boundless imagination. What worlds did you construct in your young mind?

Oh, we were poor, but so was everyone else in our barrio. We had a piano, plenty of toys, board games, bikes and so on, but we liked to play outside. In that part of Arizona, you can live outdoors most of the year.

In addition to all kinds of sports, we liked to dig. Once we dug a hole in the backyard for over a month convinced we would find treasure. My kid brother loved to carve dirt roads for his race cars and we played, too. Our soil was always dry so we turned on the hose to carve out race tracks, streets, rivers, mountains and villages encircled by walls. I guess you could think of it as an organic sandy mudbox.

Another favorite pastime was hosting talent shows in the backyard. Our stage was an old wooden table painted red.

You said the family tradition was of telling “sapos” or whoppers. Was oral storytelling an important part of parties or every-day life? Have you ever written any of these tall tales for all to enjoy?

Yes, oral storytelling is still an important part of our family life. We would gather around the piano on Saturday evenings and sing, with stories coming afterward. My dad loved to tell stories of his childhood when he would hike the monte with his buddies and stay out all day. We listened to exciting tales of his mischievous youth, but he liked spinning spooky stories, too. We had a live-in family ghost and told lots of stories about her. I’ve not written any of these stories, but they live in my heart.

You loved to read. Where did you find your books? Was there a person or persons who encouraged your voracious appetite--like reading “Gone With the Wind” in one day!?

We didn’t have any public libraries near our home, but we could check out books from our school library and there was a mobile library that would come to the barrio. I don’t remember any particular teacher, but they all encouraged us to read. I do remember this practice at elementary school: if you finished your class assignments, you could get a pass to the library and hang out there. I learned to complete my assignments in lickety-split time.

Gone with the Wind? I was in eighth grade and bored and thought why not? Hooked immediately, I stayed in my bunkbed until I finished reading the book. I remember my shoulders were stiff and my eyes stung after that experience. I read through the night, so maybe technically the reading rolled over into day two. I only read it that one time, but I’ve seen the movie a couple of times.

You didn’t find many books where you could see yourself, that reflected your experience and identity. Which books came closest? What are you reading now?

Sadly, I didn’t encounter any books or articles where I saw myself on the page in grades K-12. None. I sometimes wonder what my childhood would’ve been like if I could have read books like Esmeralda Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. I did like books with strong girl characters such as Ramona, Nancy Drew, and Laura in Little House on the Prairie. 

Fortunately, my barrio experiences and the city of Tucson offered many opportunities to affirm my cultural identity. Today, some of my favorite authors include Meg Medina, Donna Barba Higuera, Elizabeth Acevedo, J.C. Cervantes, and Erin Entrada Kelly. I could go on and on: Kate DiCamillo, Katherine Applegate, Grace Lin, Kelly Barnhill. . .

You discovered modern dance and choreography in high school. You also found expression in poetry and creative writing, so much so that you eventually became editor of the journal. Was high school an awakening for you?

Absolutely! My school had a diverse student population of about 2,500—people from all walks of life—a real eye-opener for me. We were an open campus with the university and downtown only a few blocks away—a school without walls. My teachers were a super dedicated bunch who pushed us toward excellence. I took summer courses each year so I could fill my schedule with dance, choir/band, and creative writing during the regular semesters. I knew this is what I wanted to do the rest of my life— imagine, improvise, create!

Describe your path to teaching music, dance, and drama.

Throughout my childhood, I was passionate about music and dance, loving to perform. I wanted to be a famous opera singer, but I decided being a teacher was a great way to contribute to making the world a better place.

After I graduated with a music degree and a minor in dance, I taught music to elementary school children, and then I took a break to attend grad school. I returned to teaching music, dance, and drama to middle schoolers.

I was invited to start a creative dance program at a newly designated gifted and talented/arts middle school magnet where dance was a required subject for everyone. It was a blast! The school district built us a professional dance studio with an indoor and outdoor stage. Those were the days! 

You grew up in the arid Southwest but moved to Michigan. What, besides the obvious differences in climate, were the adjustments you had to make up North?

Our first “It Starts with Hello” story by Lisa Wheeler related how she sought “her people” and it had a happy ending. I undertook a similar quest when I moved to Michigan, to find my people—other Latinos. It was easier when we lived outside the Lansing area, but it’s been more of a challenge in Kalamazoo.

We’ve only lived here for a little over three years and the pandemic has made it difficult to explore the area and get involved with the Latino community. Hopefully, we’ll be able to return to a new normal soon. I miss the music and community celebrations—the fiestas!

Some of the KAST cast

You found SCBWI, and for years would attend Shop Talks in Lansing. When you moved to the Kalamazoo area, you started your own Shop Talk, and with an ambitious agenda and talented neighbors, you’ve built it into one of the premier regional meetings in the state. How?

You may remember, Charlie, that I was one of the quieter attendees at LAST, but I paid attention to all that you and the various leaders did to make the Shop Talks successful. Thank you for being such great role models!

I moved to Kalamazoo in July 2018 and at one of our state conferences I spoke to Carrie Pearson and Leslie Helakoski about my plans to start a Shop Talk. They suggested I speak to Jay Whistler.

Jay put me in touch with other writers in the area and in January 2019, we held our first informal introductory meeting at this is a bookstore in Kalamazoo. We had about nine people attend and our Shop Talks took off. Throughout that first year, we kept asking our members what topics they wanted to discuss.

Like most of our Shop Talks around the state, we’ve gone mostly virtual the past two years, but Melanie Bryce and I continue to work hard to stay in touch with our local members. We send out an email newsletter to bring our local members up to date.

You were awarded the Tribute Fund Award in 2021. What did that mean for you?

The Tribute Fund is a tremendous honor to receive and I deeply believe it is a shared award. For me, it represents how SCBWI recognizes the importance of volunteers who provide service to the organization. I believe that getting people involved and inviting them to share their expertise with others is one way to keep the organization functioning at the highest level. We can be here to support each other as we strive to become better at what we do as illustrators and writers for children’s literature. In other words, the Tribute Fund is a team award. Toot your horns, everyone! Yay, team SCBWI-MI!

You were one of the founders of the Equality and Inclusion Team.  What were the goals of the group, what has it achieved, and where has it set its sights?

The E and I Team worked diligently to write the mission statement that’s posted on our website: SCBWI-MI includes, engages, and embraces disparate voices. Our E & I Team met the challenge of how to best implement the 2020 initiatives outlined by the SCBWI national office, and we led successful outreach efforts such as the Books With Barbers book drive and the E & I Corner Blog in The Mitten. Doing so in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic meant we had to transition toward online efforts such as hosting a Zoom social hour. I’m glad to see that equity and inclusion issues are at the forefront of our current SCBWI initiatives.

You’ve got a unique cure for “writer’s rut.” What helps get your muse unstuck?

I wonder if you’re referring to my dancing? I’ve always loved to blast music throughout the house and dance freely. Improvisation is my thing! My approach doesn’t include a playlist, but I do find that if I play music that resonates with the core of my story and dance or spin while I write I’m free to embody the setting as its own character—and the story comes to life. Moving through music and imagery frees up my imagination. Or were you referring to the mental calisthenics where I channel a particular master writer and dictate? ; - >

You’ve got two mid-grade novels you’re working on (as well as picture books and a YA).  “Chavela’s Quest” deals with Aztec, Mayan and Inic lore. How extensive is the research required to keep the story authentic?

I’ve done extensive research to ground the story in relation to authentic lore and historical artifacts such as various codices that exist (library sources and purchased copies) and collections of various oral traditions. I have a full-color restoration of The Codex Borgia—it’s fabulous! I’ve traveled through Mexico and Guatemala, toured some of the Aztec and Mayan ruins, and visited several museums known for their Pre-Columbian collections.

Seeing those items first-hand and in some cases purchasing contemporary reproductions brings the history to life. I have a list of research books I’d like to own and study—that’s next on my list. BTW—I created the Inic, magical pre-Columbian, organic beings who live underground. I even made up a language for them that’s a mixture of Uto-Aztecan, Olmec, and Mayan languages steeped in my imagination.

Fun, fun, fun!

What is the WIP closest to your heart and writing brain at present?

I’m taking a break from contemporary settings to write a middle grade manuscript that takes place during the high middle-ages. It’s a story about a girl who escapes from al-Andalus and makes her way north. As a musician, I performed in several early music ensembles and sometimes feel I’m a medievalist born in the wrong century. I also studied and choreographed Renaissance dances and so this manuscript is close to my heart in a myriad of ways.  

 Follow Isabel Estrada O’Hagin here:

Instagram: isabelohagin

Website: https://isabelohagin.com