They say that Chile is a country of poets and that all its inhabitants want to be writers. I was born in Chile but left the country in 1975. I lived in Venezuela for five years and then came to Canada in 1980. It is in this country that I published my first novel. From that moment my work has also been published in Europe and Latin America. I have won recognized awards, including the International Latino Book Award in the United States eight times.
A graduate of the University of British Columbia in Language Arts, I combine literature with artisan work such as embroidery and loom. The characters in my novels talk through painting and dancing. In Canada I have been fortunate to work with immigrants, which has led me to cultivate two passions: writing and listening to their stories. People that in order to survive have crossed oceans, run away from wars and left language and traditions on their past.
In 2017 I was lucky enough to attend the program The Art of Stillness, at the Art Centre in Banff, Alberta, that confirmed the importance of creating not only with your mind but in the stillness that listens to the language of the heart.
A graduate from the Birren Centre for Guided Autobiography in Southern California, I presently teach online courses that help people to tell their life stories through writing and other art expressions.
Benefits of writing your autobiography using writing and other arts.
Guided Autobiography (GAB) is a method to help people document their life stories. It was developed by Dr. James Birren, a gerontologist from the University of Southern California.
Guided by a trained instructor, participants are led through themes and priming questions that evoke memories of events once known but filed away and seemingly forgotten. Each participant writes a two-page story on a particular theme each week, brings the story to class and reads it to a small group of receptive classmates. Writing and sharing life stories with others is an ideal way to find new meaning in life and to put life events into perspective. While connecting with one another on their journeys of self-discovery, participants feel enlivened by the group experience and gain a greater appreciation of their own lives and of the lives of others. GAB can be a powerful catalyst for improved self-esteem, self-confidence, and communication within communities and within families.
