Award-winning Puerto Rican author, Esmeralda Santiago, will be at the in Hartford on Wednesday to discuss her new novel "Las Madres." Santiago is known for her impactful coming-of-age stories about being a Latina in the United States.
"Las Madres" follows a multigenerational group of women in Puerto Rico who end up stuck on the island during Hurricane Maria and have to survive the aftermath of the hurricane鈥檚 devastation.
Santiago wanted to tell this story for Puerto Ricans impacted by the hurricane, both on and off the island. It鈥檚 a story that resonates for the community in Hartford and 海角换妻 at large. An estimated 13,000 Puerto Ricans came to the state in the aftermath of the hurricane.
There will be generations of people who will be traumatized by what they experienced and she wanted to write for them, Santiago said.
鈥淗istorians and meteorologists can give us the statistics and tell us what happened, but they can鈥檛 tell us how people felt. As a writer, I can,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t gives me more latitude to explore and remind people that Hurricane Maria wasn鈥檛 just a historical event, it wasn鈥檛 just a meteorological phenomena, it happened to people.鈥�
Santiago encourages her readers to attend the event because she says she learns a lot from the questions they have.
鈥淚t informs you as a writer whether your intentions are coming across or whether or not your themes are being understood,鈥� she said.
The event will include a Q&A with Ricardo Alberto Maldonado, the first Latino executive director of the Academy of American Poets. Admission to the event includes a copy of "Las Madres" for ticket holders to pick up at the event.
