Throughout most of January, I participated in the Under the Volcano writing residency in Tepoztlán, Mexico, which was an unforgettable experience.
On my first morning there, I explored the small walking town located an hour south of Mexico City. It immediately reminded me of Zermatt, Switzerland, which I had visited during the summer of 2022, but with a distinctly Mexican atmosphere and aesthetic. Tepoztlán, which sits at an elevation of 5600 feet (1,700 m), is surrounded by mountains and is an incredible mix of decades and cultures.
Across from my hotel was a local market where food vendors and souvenir shop owners set up for the day while chatting on their cell phones. Next to the market, I explored the Ex-Convento Dominico de la Natividad, a convent built between 1555 and 1580 that has been turned into a museum.
As I wandered the cobblestone streets, I passed several Volkswagen Beetles, most likely built in the 70s or 80s, that were still running and seemingly well-maintained. The sides of buildings were decorated with intricate indigenous-inspired murals, and overlooking this beautifully chaotic scene, at an elevation of 7,579 ft (2,310 m), sat El Tepozteco, a temple dedicated to the god of pulque, Ometochtli, which I got to explore later in the week.
The next day, when the program kicked off, and I met my fellow attendees, I was struck by the diversity of backgrounds and disciplines. Under the Volcano brought together an eclectic mix of authors, poets, and journalists whose work touched on various subjects ranging from investigative reports about improper e-waste disposal to stories about motherhood featuring elements of magical realism. It was maybe the first time in my life that I had been surrounded by a group of people who, like me, live at the intersection of multiple cultures and identities.
Before arriving in Tepoztlán, attendees, or “Volcanistas” as we were known, signed up to participate in a master class workshop led by one of the program’s prestigious instructors. Most mornings, we gathered with our workshop cohort at various locations throughout town for several hours before reconvening at the director’s house for lunch. Afternoon activities featured open mics, where we read our work and optional classes covering digital security, character development, and how to craft the perfect pitch. Sessions were held in English and Spanish, and this multilingual dynamic was also reflected in our conversations, which shifted seamlessly between the two languages.
Perhaps the only aspect of the program that left me wanting more was my masterclass. While receiving feedback on my latest rewrite was helpful, I felt that my workshop sometimes lacked structure, and I didn’t get as much out of it as I had hoped. Despite my frustrations with the class, my cohort was filled with incredibly kind and caring people who impressed me with their ability to quickly integrate concepts from our workshop into their writing.
There are so many other experiences during my time in Tepoztlán that I would love to share with you, such as visiting my Salvadoran family in the nearby city of Cuatla, but this update is already running long. Overall, Under the Volcano was an unforgettable experience that I will reflect on for some time. The remarkable people I met there inspired me and motivated me to continue developing my craft. I wish them the best, and I am excited to see where we all go from here.
Throughout the program, I received numerous book recommendations, and I would like to share a few with you. Many of these titles are in Spanish, and I’ve done my best to provide an English translation of the book descriptions so that you can get an idea of what they are about. I should note that I haven’t read any of these yet, but they all seemed very good.
February is always a short month, and I have much to do before Ultimate Frisbee starts in March. I’m not exactly sure how much writing I will get done, but I hope to get back into it at some point. Since February is so short, and I’m sending this out later than I’d hoped, I will wait until mid-March to send my next update.
Sincerely,
Nelson/Roberto
Over the past month, I have been working on upgrading the technical infrastructure that powers my website and several other websites that I manage. While on the surface, this may seem like a distraction from my work on the book, it is an important step toward getting back to my writing.
While the spring coaching season is often very busy, I’ve also had some distractions to contend with that have made it harder to write. Since I don’t have a lot of news on the writing front, I thought I’d share some links to some of my work and a video that was sent to me.
This past month has been a good one. I was able to get some writing done and have finished seven chapters of my magical realism rewrite. I also started working on one of the new historical fiction scenes, and have been preparing for my writer’s retreat in Mexico.
