Each day leading up to the 32nd annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony, we’ll be featuring an exclusive interview with one of our 36 finalists. Learn more about these incredible local writers and gear up to see the winners announced live in person April 28.
Interview with Anika Fajardo, author of Magical Realism for Non-Believers: A Memoir of Finding Family, part of the Memoir & Creative Nonfiction category, sponsored by Bradshaw Celebration of Life Centers
How does it feel to be a Minnesota Book Award finalist?
Having served as a judge for the Minnesota Book Awards multiple times, I know what a difficult job the judges have, and that makes me even more honored to be a finalist.
Tell us something about your finalist book that you want readers to know?
My book is for anyone who has a complicated family history. Whether you were born in another country like me or have lived your life in the same town, whether your parents divorced like mine or you grew up with both parents, you might still see something of your own family in this story. There is always more to learn about a person than what we see on the outside and I hope readers will see themselves in some way in this book.
Share something about your writing process and preferences. For instance, where is your favorite place to write?
I drag my laptop everywhere I go just in case I’ll have time to write. I usually write in coffee shops or my home office. But I do my best work when I spend a solo weekend at my family’s cabin in northern Minnesota.
Minnesota has a reputation as a state that values literature and reading. In your experience, what is it about our state that makes it such a welcoming place for writers and book creators?
The funding from the Legacy Amendment that allows the Minnesota State Arts Board to give grants to artists really demonstrates the state’s commitment to the arts. I am so grateful to have received multiple grants, without which I probably wouldn’t have completed my book.
What is something you are good at that few people know about?
I type really fast for someone who never learned how. I do have to look at my keyboard frequently, but I wrote two books without knowing the home row.
What do you love about libraries?
I am a former librarian and spent years working in libraries. They are the great equalizers; whether you are young or old, rich or poor, educated or not, libraries are there for you. Free access to information is vital to a democratic society.
Anika Fajardo was born in Columbia and raised in Minnesota. Her writing has appeared in numerous anthologies. This is her first book.
See the winners announced live at the Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony! Presented by Education Minnesota; media sponsor: Star Tribune.
