Chicago, IL

Saturday, October 03, 2009

By Renata Sago

Gazette Magazine, Chicago

Chicago has plenty to boast about: the nation's tallest building, a president of the United States,  and even a self-titled Broadway musical.

Now Claudia Guadalupe Martinez has joined that list.

The witty, high-spirited author who hails from the Near West Side of Chicago has published her first young adult/tween novel, The Smell of Old Lady Perfume, and already has received a wave of recognition. Her novel adds both welcome flavor to the Latino literature market and originality to the sometimes humdrum contemporary young adult literature genre.

Kirkus Reviews and Hispanic Magazine have labeled her novel a must-read for all ages. For Martinez, the novel was more of a must-write.

"Everybody has a dream," she said. "Some are far-fetched, but I was looking to make mine a reality."

The prospect of becoming a writer appeared as luminous to Martinez as the Texas sun under which she spent her childhood—due greatly to close, supportive relatives who encouraged her writing. The second youngest of six children, she grew up in a large extended family. "We're like our own community," she said.

Cultural outlet

Writing proved an ideal creative outlet for Martinez's distinct cultural perspective. As a first-generation Mexican American on her maternal side reared close to where the U.S. and Mexico meet, she experienced a unique childhood. "I grew up on the border," she said. "They're very special communities. You leave there and things are very different."

What started off as a creative piece for a required creative journalism course at Claremont McKenna College developed into Martinez's semi-autobiographical novel. "I knew I wanted to write something," she explained. "When my dad passed away, my family didn't really talk about it. We didn't really explore that path. It all came out of that one short story and kind of developed."

The Smell of Old Lady Perfume tells a poignant story about death, family, inner strength, and optimism amid trying times. The plot follows Chela Gonzalez, an excited girl entering the sixth grade and the unexpected events that teach her to have stalwart faith.

The novel stresses balancing hope with reality. "It's about being able to push through," Martinez said. "It's not all about hoping and dreaming." The novel explores the universal human experience even as it examines situations specific to Mexican Americans. "It deals with issues of culture and language acquisition," Martinez noted. "It's impossible to write without taking them into account."

Personal experience lies at the root of Martinez's work. Completing the novel became therapy for her, a way of incorporating her past with her present in an ever-changing landscape. "To just write would take a lot of fun out of it," she explained. "It's something that I'm doing because I have a story to tell. I hope it would be therapy for someone else as well."

Seven years living in Chicago prompted Martinez to begin honing her novel, and she spent five years working on the draft. "I never really had the courage to do it before," she said. "I wanted to write something that would be a learning experience. It's like this baby I've been holding on for five years, and now it's out there."

Martinez attributes her accomplishment to her parents. "My dad was my inspiration, but my mom was my motivation," she said. "I feel like my mom is such an important part of my life."

A novel for the young

One of Martinez's goals has been to reintroduce the novel to a younger generation. "You can learn from everything; you can learn something from almost any book," she said. "Kids are so much into video games now. The fact they're reading is a big thing."

She admitted she faced some difficulty intertwining personal, adult experiences in a novel for young adults. "Writing something lyrical for a young audience is challenging," she explained. "You have to make it accessible, but at the same time you want to stay as honest as possible and not let the story you want to tell be affected by what people want to hear."

Being labeled a Mexican American writer, Martinez knows the risks of being pigeonholed by a commercial market where sensation sells. "There are contrived stories to fit what publishers think will sell," she said. "For many writers, there's a dilemma in putting together a book that's going to be quality and one that's not just going to sell a billion copies. [But] there's a difference between a published writer and a writer."

Martinez works for the Chicago Foundation for Education, an organization that provides grants to teachers for supplemental educational curricula. Working for a non-profit organization came as a welcome shift from her former job with a profitable Internet company. "You go home and feel like you're making a difference," Martinez said. "You're actually fulfilled by the job."

She feels content supporting efforts to improve education for youth and writing enjoyable literature for them. "I am lucky to be able to do both, and I would love to be blessed enough to continue to write and publish," she said.

Adapting to change

Living in Chicago has been the perfect inspiration for Martinez, but adapting to change seems to be her specialty. The El Paso, TX, native has lived in Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington, DC. She likes Chicago because of its balance. "It's a big city with all the benefits of a big city, but not the big city attitude," Martinez said. "It's inviting. It still has that home feeling. It's exciting to know that I have a place I feel settled in."

Those feelings prompted her to make Chicago the setting for an upcoming project, a novel in which she will address the effects of gentrification in a changing community.

Nonetheless, "I'm just a regular person," Martinez insisted, downplaying her recent accomplishment as an acclaimed author.

Desire and determination are prerequisites for writing, but Martinez's experiences have proven they are prerequisites for life as well.

The Smell of Old Lady Perfume was published by Cinco Puntos Press and is aimed at young people ages nine through 12. To purchase a copy, call (800) 566-9072.

William S. Bike

ANB Communications

Chicago, IL

773-229-0024