33. Adriana Erin Rivera ~ How Music and Family Helped a Girl Survive War

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:00:00) - Hola and welcome to Latino Book Chat. I am your host, Christian Meneses Jacobs. We invite you to participate in our conversations with Latino authors, illustrators and others who shared their insights into the book publishing industry. Adriana. Erin Rivera is a New Jersey raised author of Puerto Rican Descent. Her writing has been published in Bazzar magazine Metro New York Latina Magazine and Footwear News. She's also a singer and songwriter and has written theatrical pieces that have been performed on New York City stages. Her latest middle grade historical fiction book, Paloma Song for Puerto Rico A Diary from 1898, is a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum for the American Latino. It is 1890, and 12 year old Paloma lives in Puerto Rico with her puppy mama and little brother George. Their coffee farmers and Paloma love the goats, chickens and fruit trees that she helps to care for. But Paloma's work begins to change when the US soldiers in Puerto Rico long controlled by Spain. In diary format, the Nuestras Voces series profiles inspiring characters and owners the joys, challenges and outcomes of Latino experiences.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:01:16) - Latino Bookshop Welcomes Adriana Erin Rivera. Thank you for chatting with us today. Hi, Christiane. So nice to be here. Thank you for joining us. What motivated you to write historical fiction stories for Children about Puerto Rico specifically in 1890?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:01:35) - I was approached by Capstone Publishing and the Smithsonian Institution's Nossos Voices Book series, so they wanted to write this series for children ages eight through 12. That focus is on Latin American experiences through history. And they had this idea that it would be for a 12 year old girl from Puerto Rico during 1898. And that was all I had to go with. And so I ran with that concept and I built around it and developed the story further. I felt that Paloma having a creative outlet was going to be such an important part of her character. You know, music is so ingrained in Puerto Rican culture, so I needed to wave that in somehow. So that was really important. And then I wanted a hopeful story because this is historically accurate. It's the Spanish-American War, right? So it's a very grim time in Puerto Rican history.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:02:31) - So I wanted to tell with some hope and some inspiration, some positivity somehow throughout this time that was really important to me. Otherwise it would be a very sad story. It would be very turbulent and difficult to tell. And it's interesting because the Smithsonian Museum at the American History Museum in Washington, D.C., they have an exhibit called Present, and they had acquired some musical instruments and artifacts and objects from daily life in Puerto Rico from 1898. And I was able to incorporate those into the story as well. So that was exciting because I went to the exhibit and saw all these pieces from the wars of expansion display, and it was like, That's in my book, that's in my book and works in my book too. It was really great. And it all came together and it was all just really exciting.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:03:23) - That is so cool. You know, I wanted to know how the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino found out about you and how that came about. Sure. I have an agent that recommended you.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:03:37) - Yeah. So I have good author friends. That's what I'll say. Have really good author friends. One author really recommended me for this book. They had been reached out to about the project and they said, you know, I know someone who'd be really good at this project, so who could tell this story with the hope and the inspiration they were really looking for? And that tone and telling a story about a young, a young person and they said, okay, well, let's check her out. So they looked into me and we had a conversation about the whole project, and sent them a pitch. And they seem to love it. So that was that's how it came to be.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:04:18) - Oh, wow. See, it's always good to have those friends, right?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:04:21) - It's good to have good friends. Yes.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:04:24) - Oh, that's wonderful. So when I was reading the story, I thought it was interesting that you decided to write it in a diary form. Why did you decide to do that?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:04:36) - Well, the diary from 1898 is about the days leading up to the invasion of Puerto Rico by the American military.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:04:48) - So really dealing with the days that lead up to it was very important. And having those dates was important for the historical references as well as just the leading up time that takes the takes to get to that point. And really dealing with every single day of her life is. Important as a reader can understand that this is how she lives her life is how her family lives, her life. And Paloma's story takes place day by day, and it's important for readers to understand that. And then at the end, when, you know, we have this point where it's like years later in the 1920s now, looking back, I mean, July 25th was the day that the invasion happened. And then then 27, 20 something years later, you have January 20th. July 25th again. And it's like, wow, so much time has passed, but so little has changed.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:05:51) - What challenges or even joys you find writing in the diary format from the perspective of a 12 year old girl.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:06:02) - I think mean.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:06:03) - When I was a 12 year old girl, I was writing diaries all the time, so it was really fun to get to tap into that mode again. And when that.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:06:15) - Didn't always work out.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:06:18) - Yes, it was fun to kind of tap into that mindset of a 12 year old girl and think, What would I write in a diary for me when I was 12 years old, what was that like? And and what was that experience like? What would I write about? And that's how it turned out. So I'm really glad I did it that way.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:06:34) - Yeah, that's so cool. I know, I know. One of my daughters likes to keep a diary. I'm not sure if she writes every day, but I know that the other one tried to do it but was not very consistent. That's a problem. But she's very consistent, you know, with what she wants to express and what she's thinking and feeling at the time she's writing.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:07:01) - Yeah. Yes. And you see time passing as she's going through and she's from the beginning, you see her kind of these ideas and these percolating thoughts of a song and this hope she has for her island.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:07:14) - And as you keep going through the story, you see, oh, this is how she sees the world. And so she sees the island and this is how she sees the optimism of the future.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:07:26) - Yeah, that's very true. And I noticed, you know, how you incorporated elements of music, especially because of the island and family into Paloma's story, what do you think that that represents to her and to the people of Puerto Rico?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:07:46) - Well I think all of those elements are so important to Puerto Rico. Mean music is so critical to how we express ourselves as Puerto Ricans, especially, you know, in Latin America in general. Music is such a big part of our culture, and family is a very important, important element of who we are. And it tells us where we come from and who we're going to be. And and it's a really big lifeline for a lot of us. And nature. I mean, Puerto Rico is such a beautiful island. It's a beautiful place. So, yeah, it is.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:08:22) - It is. So for me how would I do this without expressing her love for nature and, you know, the birds and the coquies and and all the music that's around her, honestly, because there's music in the waves in the ocean and the rustling of the palm trees. Like, there's music everywhere in Puerto Rico. So just tapping into that was really important.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:08:45) - Yeah, I think that comes across really well. I think you did a very excellent job with that.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:08:51) - Thank you.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:08:52) - So I was wondering, do you have any specific knowledge about this time period in Puerto Rican history or do you have to research on the historical and cultural aspects of this story?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:09:06) - Yeah. So honestly, I didn't know a whole lot about the Spanish-American War at the time, especially not Puerto Rico's role in the entire piece. It's interesting because it's not so traditionally taught in school in history lessons. This Puerto Rico's story within the Spanish American war is not really told as easily or as traditionally. And it was an eye opening experience for me.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:09:32) - It's a piece of history that not enough people know about. And so I had to do a lot of research. Yes, a lot of research. I have to thank the Newark, New Jersey Public Library. They gave me access to so many resources and books and, you know, articles about the Spanish-American War and how Puerto Rico became involved with it and how Puerto Rico became a US colony as part of the war and everything that happened thereafter. It was so educational for me. It was an eye opening experience.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:10:03) - It's true because I, I don't remember like going into detail in school when I learned about the Spanish-American War. And, you know, people don't even know that Puerto Rico is part of the United States and the Puerto Ricans are US citizens.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:10:20) - Absolutely.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:10:22) - I have a friend from Puerto Rico who sometimes people say, So when do you come to the US and are you anemic? I'm like, No, you get so upset. You say, I'm not an immigrant and.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:10:35) - We are citizens.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:10:37) - Puerto Ricans are citizens. And it's so important that we learn that history. But people don't know what. You're absolutely right. 54% of us citizens do not know that Puerto Rico is part of the US and that Puerto Ricans are US citizens as well.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:10:53) - Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So when you were doing your research, you start thinking about what Paloma would look like and how you would develop that character.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:11:04) - Sure. So like I mentioned, music was definitely going to be a big part of her character. I thought that was really important, that she had a creative outlet. I think that the setting was really important to me as well. I looked up photos and illustrations from Puerto Rico during that time. I was able to track him down and, you know, found photos of people, women making lace and farmers harvesting sugarcane and coffee, people in marketplaces in Ponce, in San Juan, and what people looked like, what their houses looked like. And all of that was critical to the authenticity of the book.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:11:43) - I wanted to show the reader what Paloma was seeing on every page.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:11:48) - When she's writing, you can get into her head and also her heart. Like how she's feeling. Yeah. And what she's thinking. And you can feel the fear that she has in one of the scenes in the book.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:12:06) - Yeah. Yeah. You see her dreams? Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:12:11) - What was the most challenging part of writing the story?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:12:16) - Oh. Um, I think it was really difficult to really make it clear. And the challenge was to make it clear that, like, different characters have their own beliefs on the future of Puerto Rico, what it should be, right? So I wanted to make it very clear that there are divisions in people who are very divided on the island and then and now, even on the future of the island, what should it be? What should the future be? So, for example, Paloma's family is influenced by the owner of the finca, Don Antonio, and they see the US as kind of the savior for Puerto Rico by freeing the island from Spain's control.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:12:55) - Right. And then you have Dona Celia, who's more skeptical. She's a skeptic, and she's reminding Paloma's family about the history of the island's indigenous people. Our languages are people that diagnose and how their language and culture were erased by the Spanish. And then you have the optimist who wants to see independence for Puerto Rico. And I thought it was really important to see that difference that everyone has a different kind of point of view and that it's a very strong points of view.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:13:27) - Yeah. And it's interesting to see all those points of view in the same story because like you said, that it's still a struggle for people on the island. Yeah. How they perceive their connection to the US.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:13:42) - It's a very complicated and complex situation and they're very strong feelings from all sides.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:13:48) - So have you visited Puerto Rico?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:13:50) - I have. I have. It's interesting because as a kid we would visit my grandfather, my abuelo. He had a farm in Agua, Puerto Rico on the West Coast. And I still remember a lot of what it was like to see Puerto Rico from a child's eyes.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:14:05) - And it was I was really inspired by that and drew from those experiences when I was writing Paloma's experience and what her narrative was, you know, listening to the cookie frog singing at night and playing with the goats on the farm, the food, like you said, the music and experiencing the extraordinary landscape of the island with all five senses and really wanted to make sure that that was very clear and evident in the book that people reading this book can take that away when they're reading it. I've been to Puerto Rico many times since I was just there actually, in May. So yeah.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:14:40) - Were you visiting family?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:14:42) - We visited family. We did a whole West Coast tour, so we got to see some areas I not seen before and it was incredible. We just had an incredible time.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:14:51) - Where do you go? I'm curious because we saw 90% of the island.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:14:56) - Oh, wow.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:14:58) - Yeah. So which West Coast do you go to?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:15:02) - So we started in oh, gosh. So we went and we said in Aguadilla we came into Aguadilla, drove down to La Parra, went on the boat ride to see the bioluminescent bay and we got to see the stars.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:15:18) - The stars were so incredible at night. When you get to see it, way out in the bay where there's nothing else to see, and it's just the stars illuminate. It's beautiful. And then from there, we went from San Sebastian to which was incredible. The waterfalls, they're so amazing.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:15:38) - Right? Oh, my gosh.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:15:40) - Yeah. Yeah. So we got to see that. We went to San Herman. We went all over the West Coast. We really did it. Yeah. I never want to leave when I go either.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:15:55) - Oh, that is wonderful. Do you get to speak Spanish when you go?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:15:59) - My family tries to get me to speak more Spanish when I go. Yes.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:16:04) - Yeah. Because I know Paloma, you know, says some of her words are in Spanish and she's thinking or talking.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:16:12) - I thought it was really important to include the language in the story as well. So young readers can kind of take away a couple of words or phrases from that.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:16:20) - And there is a glossary at the end of the book too. So students can or students or readers of any age can learn some Spanish language.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:16:29) - And think it's a good age for young children to identify with the character. Like she's not too young, but she's not too old. It's like the right age.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:16:41) - Definitely. She's very relatable to a lot of different age groups and thinks it's nice that it's easily readable. It's not like it's a really long book, but it tells a lot in such a short amount of time.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:16:54) - Yeah, I found that out. Yeah, like a lot. I was like, Oh my goodness.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:17:01) - He packed a lot in. Yes. Yeah.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:17:04) - Are all the characters in this series around that age?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:17:08) - I believe they're all about 12 years old. Yes. There's different time frames. I think there's one from. World War Two. There's one from the current Times. There's another one from Dino Dino Times as well, which is like Way back, which is great.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:17:24) - They're showing that. I think it's just great that the Smithsonian is putting a spotlight on Latino stories and Latinx stories. I think it's so important for Latino children to see themselves as the stars of their own story and see themselves in the cover of a book. I mean, come on. I mean, you don't see that every day. When I was a kid, I'd not see characters who looked like me on the cover of a book. Yeah. So it's amazing that they're doing that.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:17:53) - Yeah, most definitely. Yeah. And that's one of the reasons why I started this podcast to let people know that our stories are important, that our kids need to know about them because we contribute a lot to the richness of American literature.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:18:12) - Absolutely.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:18:13) - Yeah. So that's very important that people know that we have stories that matter, that are important and that enrich the culture of this country.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:18:22) - Thank you so much for having me. Really appreciate it.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:18:25) - And I know that you chose your favorite theme from the story.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:18:29) - From the novel.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:18:29) - Yes. So I picked a scene from the story. This is from kind of the beginning ish. It's a point in which Paloma has been to the marketplace and she's seen a whole new world of bonds. And so this is a little bit of a little bit of a sneak peek into what the book is like. The serenade of the coquies would have been enough to sing me to sleep. I was so tired. But as I was heading to bed, Papi pushed with his deeply. One song before bed? He asked. He knows they can't resist singing along to his music. My sleepy eyes lit up. With a smile, Bobby tilted his head, motioning for me to follow him outside. Should he play something new tonight? He asked, tuning the metal strings and the light from the lantern. Papi plucks a melody and hums along. The song didn't have words. We sang La la la la la la instead. Music is the language. My father and I speak to each other best.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:19:39) - This song sounds hopeful, said. And yet Papi looked sad. Worries about what the war will bring are taking a toll on him. Think. Maybe you can think of some words for this tune and write them down near your diary. Papi suggested with a small smile. That night, the tune played again and again in my head as I rocked myself to sleep in my hammock. I danced to it in my dreams. All right.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:20:10) - That's great. Yeah, You can see that they have a strong relationship. A strong bond. Yeah.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:20:16) - Definitely think it was really important to showcase that too. You don't always see that very often either. The father and the daughter relationship and Latino stories.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:20:25) - Yeah, he's usually you know, sometimes the father doesn't agree with the daughter's choices or or they're always sometimes non-existent relationship. They're more mostly in the background. So that was very good. And I could feel as I was reading your story, the stress of Papi not coming back from the market. Oh, wow.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:20:49) - To come back from the market.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:20:52) - Oh, wow. That means so much to me because.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:20:55) - I know that Paloma was very concerned and she was stressed. You know, she was waiting for Papi to come back.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:21:01) - It means so much to me that you really identified and were able to get that emotion from it. Wow. Thank you.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:21:07) - Yeah, I was very emotional about it. I'm very invested in the books I read and the characters. So that's amazing. How do you hope your book will inspire young readers to learn more about Puerto Rico and its history?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:21:24) - Wow. I think. I think I'd like young readers to want to learn more about their heritage, no matter where they're from or where their heritage originates. Think. Think it's important to know where you come from and be proud of where you come from. I mean, as a kid going to Puerto Rico, as a, you know, as a child and knowing that I come from this amazing, extraordinary island that made me proud to be Puerto Rican as a kid and still today and knowing that is so fulfilling and it makes me really proud.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:22:01) - So I hope other readers, young readers, get to learn about their culture and get more interested in learning about it. So that's what I hope.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:22:11) - Yeah. And I think it's important that kids feel proud of where they come from, proud of their heritage, their culture, their language.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:22:18) - That too. Yeah.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:22:20) - When is the book coming out?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:22:22) - It comes out on August 1st, so only about a little more than a month to go.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:22:29) - Oh, my God. How are you feeling?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:22:31) - Nervous. It's anxiety producing for sure.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:22:39) - Oh, my goodness. I'm sure. Have you seen the actual book? Have they sent it to you? Is it already printed?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:22:46) - And I haven't seen it in person yet. Oh, my gosh. I've reached out to my editor and was like, when am I going to see this book?

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:22:56) - Oh, they're keeping you in suspense.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:22:58) - They are keeping me very much in suspense.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:23:01) - Oh, that's not fair.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:23:03) - No, it's not fair. But when I did see the pdf version.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:23:07) - The version. The version I was teary eyed. It was so beautiful. And I was amazed by how beautiful it looked. So I'm. I think I'll cry many tears when I see the book.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:23:23) - I think so. You just wait until you see your hands?

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:23:27) - Yes, definitely.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:23:29) - Because it's going it's going to feel like you gave birth to a baby.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:23:33) - You know it's a birthday baby. Yeah, it's a birthday book. Book birthdays. Yes. Yeah.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:23:39) - So it'll be very emotional, but very exciting, you know? And I saw the cover send me and is absolutely beautiful. So. So the artist is very good.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:23:50) - She did an amazing job. Amazing. Yeah.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:23:53) - I liked it very much. Well, the book is Paloma's Song for Puerto Rico, A Diary from 1898 by Adriana Erin Rivera. Please go to your favorite streaming platform and write a review of Latino Book Chat podcast. We appreciate all the support you can give us to continue to grow the podcast. You can purchase a copy of Adriana's book at our online store at nicagal.com. A Girl from Nicaragua, nicagal.com

Adriana, Erin Rivera, Thank you so much for chatting with us today on Latino Book Chat. It has been a pleasure to have you on the show.

Adriana Erin Rivera (00:24:30) - Thank you so much for having me on the show. I really appreciate it. This is so fun.

Christianne Meneses Jacobs (00:24:35) - Thank you for joining us today. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Latino Book Chat. Please subscribe on your favorite platform. Wherever you're listening to us today, please give us a positive review and as many stars as possible. Sharing this show will help it grow and continue to come to you. Thank you for your support. Latino Book Chat is a production of Nicagal Media. Today's episode was hosted, produced and edited by Christianne Meneses Jacobs.