Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Balcarcel.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
When John F. Kennedy challenged citizens to serve their country, my mom joined the Peace Corps and shipped out to Guatemala where she met my father-to-be. The couple almost stayed there and even put money on a house, but they reconsidered. Mom brought her beau home to Iowa where they married and had me. They built the hyphen I live in.
I was the one black-haired baby in the hospital when I was born and the only mixed-race kid in my class — or even in town. I enjoyed being different, the kid of a couple like Lucille Ball and Ricky Ricardo. When we moved to Texas, I found a new situation. Brown folks ran up to me and spoke Spanish — which I couldn’t understand. Most white folks accepted me once they heard my non-accent, but some still asked if I was my kids’ nanny. People of all types looked at my skin and hair and asked, “What are you?” I’m human, but I’m also half Guatemalan and half Iowan, or half brown and half white. That’s the experience that informs my debut novel, THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY, due out from Chronicle Books in fall of 2019.
Like the main character, I felt torn in two at times. I struggled to integrate my salt and cilantro. At the same time, I grew to be fairly fluent in two cultures, two ways of looking at the world, two lenses through which to examine life. I examined my Anglo side through the lens of my Latina side and vice-versa. I appreciated aspects of both, and I learned that differences can be strengths. I also developed an ear for language. Translation happened all around me, and one language in each ear gave me a love for how many ways there are to say something.
A bi-lingual household gave me a sense of flexibility around words. At the same time, I saw the trouble spots. About a Spanish song lyric, my mom might say, “It means this,” while my dad spent thirty minutes explaining what it REALLY meant. I picked up a sense of how precise language must be if it is to carry emotion and content all the way to a listener’s soul. When I started writing, I played with metaphors, and sound. I created images. I won my junior high poetry contest, but I never thought I would, so I didn’t even enter, my teacher entered my poem for me. Later, I got serious about writing by taking a community college creative writing course. That course, taught by Dallas artist Cuyler Etheredge, changed my life. I started down a path of becoming a writer. I got a few poems published and applied to Bennington’s MFA program before I finished my bachelor’s degree. They admitted me on the strength of my poetry writing, without any more undergrad coursework. I wrote a 60-page thesis, which formed the basis of PALABRAS IN EACH FIST, my first book, published in 2010 by St. Mary’s University’s Pecan Grove Press. While my book of poems explores some bi-cultural themes, I wanted to capture “life in the hyphen” in a deeper way. My next writing project began with the voice of a twelve-year-old, bi-cultural girl. Her voice led me to write poems, then chapters, then — encouraged by my agent — a whole novel. THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY emerged from the joys and trying moments of my own life as a mixed kid. Psst–I didn’t always appreciate both sides of myself and almost threw the babe out with the bathwater in trying to fit into the dominant culture. The main character of the book, Quijano, does the same. She rejects her Latina side until she realizes that she can’t be happy as half.
I love to help new writers in my role as creative writing teacher at Tarrant County College’s NE Campus, sponsor of the creative writing club, and editor of the student literary journal. Without my own formative semester at TCC, I’m not sure I would have taken this road. My first poetry publication was in UNDER THE CLOCK TOWER, the student journal that I now edit. I also teach the very class that I took as a 20-year-old. I’m pleased to give back to the community that gave me so much. It makes me “whole” happy!
Please tell us about your art.
I write for the fun of language and the power of story. I write to connect to others in a deep way, show our universal sameness while celebrating our variety, provide a window into the bi-cultural experience, and give a mirror to other mixed-race kids. Literature helps us explore what it means to be human, wrestle with big questions, and make sense of ourselves. I hope people who read my work find that they’ve learned not about me, but about themselves.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
If you write, you’re a writer. You don’t need permission or a degree or to be published to call yourself a writer. You will probably be happier, though, if you connect to the writing community. DFW writers have a wealth of options for learning their craft, networking, and getting publishing advice. I, myself, have made writer friends and exchanged work a lot. Without my first readers, I never would have seen my work as objectively and found ways to improve it so fast! Online writing advice is plentiful, but meeting local writers is inspiring and useful. Our community is rich in writing events and groups. Here are a few:
Free conferences:
Marine Creek Writing Conference at TCC NW Campus, usually in early November
WORD Fest, in March https://www.wordwriters.org
I’m part of several writing groups. These give you deadlines and critique–super-valuable! I especially like
SCBWI for those who write for children. Our North Texas chapter is at: https://northtexas.scbwi.org
Many local libraries host writing groups, and we also have many classes in our area. The universities and community colleges offer classes. These are excellent sources of workshops, classes, and conferences as well:
https://www.writersgarret.org
https://writingworkshopsdallas.com
http://www.dfwwritersworkshop.org
I’ve presented and attended this great local conference as well:
https://lonestar.ink 2/28-3/2 2019
My website has some writing advice, such as Finding Your Voice: https://rebeccabalcarcel.com/2017/05/23/exercise-for-finding-your-voice/
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My book of poems, PALABRAS IN EACH FIST, is available from Pecan Grove Press or for free download at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/296171
Come by my website at https://rebeccabalcarcel.com to sign up for my email list and see the latest news on THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY. Newest tidbit: Chronicle Books has just chosen a cover artist, for example–Nadia Hernandez.
Get to know me online through Twitter: rebalance
I’m also on Facebook!
Donate scholarship funds to Tarrant County College through their Foundation: http://foundation.tccd.edu/s/1262/foundation/start.aspx
I received the Jane Kenyon Poetry Prize, a scholarship from Bennington College. Give to their students here: https://give.evertrue.com/bennington/give.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rebeccabalcarcel.com
- Email: rebecca.balcarcel@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccabalcarcel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.balcarcel
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/r_balcarcel
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-balcarcel-688a92a/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
