“Sister Chicas”
co-authored by Jane Alberdeston Coralin

on WSKG Radio’s OFF THE PAGE
L I V E  Tuesday, July 25 at 1pm
(Repeating at 7pm)

          There are many “coming-of-age” novels, from Dickens’ “Great Expectations” and Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” to the Gaia Girls stories by Lee Welles. The realm of Hispanic literature is vast and powerful, from the works of Cervantes and Garcia Lorca to Isabel Allende. However, a novel written jointly by three people is very unusual. “Sister Chicas” is a coming-of-age story about three young Latinas, full of the stress and silliness of growing up in the burgeoning Latino community of Chicago.
          The three chicas of the novel who are so close that they might as well be sisters are actually very different personalities:

          Taina Sol Moscoso is the youngest of the three, being raised by a single mother since her father walked out on the family. Her mother runs a successful restaurant and takes her daughter back to Puerto Rico from time to time, but Taina still feels shy and alienated from her Hispanic heritage, especially as her fifteenth birthday approaches and Mami is forcing her to have a traditional quinceañera coming-out party.
          Elena O’Malley-Diaz (“Leni”), with her orange spiked hair, piercings and wild ways is the most free-spirited of the three. Her father died when she was young, her mother remarried and divorced and Leni sometimes seems entangled between her Irish and Spanish genes. She is also developing into a fine photographer, especially of the punk rock musicians she likes to hang out with.
          Graciela “Grachi” Villalobos is the most mature of the chicas, the only one living with two parents. She works in a Mexican-oriented bookstore, is taking college-level writing courses and seems destined for an important literary career.

          The chapters in “Sister Chicas” alternate in the voices of Taina, Leni and Graciela, and each was written by a different author. Taina’s story is told by Jane Alberdeston Coralin. Jane is a native of Puerto Rico, author of several books of poetry and a member of the prestigious Cave Canem workshop for poets of African heritage. She was a founder of the Modern Urban Griots poetry performance group. Jane is now a Ph.D. candidate in English at Binghamton University.
          Leni’s story is told in the words of Ann Hagman Cardinal and the author of Graciela is Lisa Alvarado. The three writers worked independently, sharing manuscripts by e-mail and holding discussions over the phone. But the support they gave each other parallels the support the “sister chicas” share so naturally.

My dress – my quinceañera dress – this coral flirtation was the only item in my closet that said I was something different – different from the popular crowd of girls with their MTV fantasies. I love it that Leni and Graciela were the ones to make this happen for me, help me blossom. And here was my mother ready and willing to pull the grass skirt right out from under me.
                                                                          --from “Sister Chicas”

          In keeping with custom, Taina’s mother has chosen a nice young man to be her daughter’s formal escort – the caballero – at the quinceañera. Taina would of course prefer to be escorted by her boy friend Yusef – someone her mother doesn’t even know about. “Sister Chicas” contains many elements reflecting the problems of growing up in American society as well as the distinct challenges and changes among the emerging Latino population. The text is sprinkled with Spanish terms and the book includes a Spanish-English glossary. There is also a collection of recipes bien sabrosos.
          Jane Alberdeston Coralin joins Bill Jaker to tell about her collaborative work writing “Sister Chicas” and also to read some of her poetry. To take part in the conversation, call during the live 1:00 PM broadcast to 888/359-9754 or post a comment HERE... or directly to WSKG.Radio@Gmail.com.

Preservation of New York’s Adirondack wilderness is the background and setting of “Keene’s Law”, a mystery and romance that begins in the 1880s and culminates in the 1960s. The author is George Patte, a practicing attorney (and first-time novelist) from Ithaca. He will visit OFF THE PAGE on Tuesday, August 8.