Q/A w/ Leticia Gonzales

Posted by Nick Martinez in Creative Writing

As a part of an ongoing Q&A session with the Creative Writing and Literature Department’s Senior Reading class, Jackalope Magazine sat down with Creative Writing minor (and Contemporary Music Program major) Leticia Gonzales. Gonzales discussed high school insomnia, being uncomfortable, and played the hardest game of MFK for Parks and Rec fans.

Jackalope Magazine: How dare you?

Leticia Gonzales: Easily.

JM: How did you get into writing?

LG: When I was in 9^th grade I discovered a big book of Federico Garcia Lorca poems in translation, in Spanish class. I’m a book nerd, so I picked it up, and loved it. I had a lot of emotions when I was younger, and didn’t know how to think about them or talk about them. I went through a lot of insomnia in high school so I would stay up really, really, really late and write poems. I stopped doing that for a while, but it’s always something I would come back to if I’m feeling crappy or feeling really good. A couple years ago I transferred here and set up a meeting with Dana [Levin], became a Creative Writing minor and the rest is history!

JM: Do you solely work in poetry or do you work in other genres also?

Creative Writing minor Leticia Gonzales. Photo by: René Bjorheim

LG: I also write nonfiction prose. Looking back when I wrote informally there was a lot of prose there. I usually turned them into poems later. Lately, I think in the last year or so, I started writing essays just for the sake of writing essays.

JM: What three words would you use to describe your writing?

LG: Uncomfortable [long pause]

JM: OK, I’m just going to put uncomfortable, long pause.

LG: Perfect. (laughs) But, I don’t know if it’s like that for readers, just me.

JM: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever written?

LG: Oh man. Everything?

JM: Do you have a piece in mind?

MF: Umm, no, because I usually try to keep the things written badly to myself, which is a bad habit. I can tell pretty immediately if something is crap or not, and if it’s crappy I don’t tell anyone about it.

JM: How do you balance work and family?

LG: By not having a family.

JM: In honor of the series recent ending, Marry, Fuck, Kill: Parks and Recreation edition. Chris Traeger, Ben Wyatt, Andy Dwyer.

LG: Oh my God! How could I kill any of them! You’re an ass. OK, probably marry Ben, because duh. And I would probably fuck Andy Dwyer, because duh. And I would kill Chris Traeger even though I don’t want to.