PRIME TIME
NM Author’ s Corner
By Barb Armijo
Dr. Irene Blea is a native New Mexican who reached into possibly the deepest areas of her heart and soul to write a book from where most authors might shy away.
April 2017 23
Dr. Blea Tells One Of New Mexico’ s Toughest Tales
In May 2009 she was recognized by the League of United Latin American Citizens( LULAC) of New Mexico for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement. Daughters of the West Mesa, her third novel.
“ Daughters of the West Mesa is a work of fiction based on a true story of the discovery of 11 female remains, and an unborn fetus, west of Albuquerque,” she said.“ I fictionalized a single mother of two daughters; one of them has been missing for several months.”
With this difficult true subject matter, Blea placed her readers in a position of seeing the tragedy from the most difficult perspectives.
She has said that her goal was to“ humanize the impact of this serial killing on the families and the community from which the murdered women emerged.”
Blea has a Ph. D. from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and in addition to her three novels is the author of seven university text books, four poetry chapbooks, and over thirty academic articles. She developed and taught Mexican
American Studies for twenty-seven years before retiring in 1998.
In order to help her write the book, Blea conducted a literature review on serial killers, especially those committing matricide. She also read newspapers and Internet accounts of America’ s unsolved serial killer mysteries, and visited the 100-acre dumping site a few times. She also interviewed victim’ s family members kept a journal since 1979 and documented my experience.
Blea said she wanted to tell this story because it was of vital importance. She was, afterall, born to tell stories, she said.
Living in Northern New Mexico, she said she was 7 years old when she entered the public school system, learned to speak English, and fell in love with the magic of writing and reading, she said. As she progressed academically, she said she enjoyed the clarity and creativity of the magic realism of Central, South American and Spanish writers. Juan Rulfo and Pablo Neruda’ s poetry is grounded
and dynamic in such a forceful manner.
“ Carlos Fuentes, Isabel Allende’ s magical realism is intriguing and spiritual,” she said.“ Of course, what is not to love about the storytelling genius of the Nobel Prize winner, Miguel García Márquez. In addition, I admire the revolutionary nature of the highly influential work of Federico García Lorca.”
Blea said that she offers one basic piece of advice to writers as she speaks and teaches her craft to others.
“ Write what you know and research what you don’ t,” she said.“ Just write.”
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