Junot Díaz joins us from Japan to explore the intersection of activism and writing while discussing the complexities of identity, grace, and embracing our “inner weirdness.” He also discusses the importance of doing the internal work to address personal biases and prejudices within our own community and the need to approach this work with compassion and understanding.
Junot Díaz, Dominican-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author, essayist, and professor – chops it up with Antonio Tijerino on this month’s episode of Fritanga.
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey, Junot is known for his poignant and authentic portrayals of the Latinx experience in the United States. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist. His literary work has been celebrated for its raw honesty and fearless exploration of complex themes such as identity, race, immigration, love, and loss. Currently, Junot is the fiction editor at Boston Review and the Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
On the pod, Junot joins us from Japan to explore the intersection of activism and writing. We talk about identity, grace, and embracing our “inner weirdness” while learning about his upbringing and cultural inspirations. Finally, we wrap up the conversation by discussing the lack of representation of Latinx voices in the publishing industry, and the importance of creating opportunities for emerging creatives.
SHOW RESOURCES:
- Click here to learn more about Junot’s work.
- Click here to watch Junot’s powerful 2016 Hispanic Heritage Awards acceptance speech referenced in this episode.