Sophia Michaels
Almost 10 years ago, the world was introduced to Jane Villanueva, an aspiring writer who managed to get pregnant despite being a virgin. Over the five seasons of “Jane the Virgin,” we watched her journey of writing, working in publishing, getting an MFA, and deciding when to leave her day job. Now, the star of “Jane the Virgin,” Gina Rodriguez is out in a new network sitcom, “Not Dead Yet,” playing another writer and breaking records as ABC’s most-watched comedy debut in four years. This begs the question: what is it to be a Latina writer, and why are we so fascinated by this particular identity? To find out, POPSUGAR spoke to four Latinas in publishing, all at different stages in their careers.
Tiffany Gonzalez, marketing and publicity coordinator at Astra Publishing House and Communications codirector at Latinx in Publishing, said, “I absolutely loved ‘Jane the Virgin.’ Part of me, maybe, wants to be a writer,” but for now she’s happy marketing Astra House publications. Regardless, she related with Jane, resonating with her journey and how it interplays with the paths of her mother and grandmother. “We see that in our families and ourselves, and it was beautiful to see that on television as well,” she says.
Monica Rodriguez, director of Brand Management and junior literary agent at Context Literary Agency, shared that “[Jane the Virgin] was the first time I ever saw myself as a writer.” She related to the character on a deeper level than ethnicity or profession: “I was super type A like Jane. That episode with her calendar, that’s what my calendar looks like,” Rodriguez shares. “Having multiple jobs to support your dream, [that’s] such a relatable detail.”
USA Today bestselling author Priscilla Oliveras appreciated seeing the inner workings of a writer’s brain on television. “I write better when I can step inside my characters’ [shoes],” she says. “I have a workshop that I teach, it’s called ‘Stepping Into Your Character’s Shoes,’ because that’s what we want, that’s what I want the reader to feel like . . . Not every writer’s process is the same, but I could identify with that one.”
Saraciea J. Fennell, author of “Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed,” book publicist, and Board Chair of Latinx in Publishing, also enjoyed seeing Jane’s struggles to become a writer included an economic component too often left out of white or more privileged stories. She sees how writers, including many beloved ones, still have to have two or three jobs — a reality reflected in Jane’s journey. “The percentage of authors that can fully support themselves with just the novel writing is very minimal,” reminded Oliveras. “You almost have to be, I don’t want to say ‘a good risk-taker,’ but [writing is not] reliable.”
“Jane the Virgin” is even smart about defining success. For multiple seasons, Jane’s goal is to write and publish a novel. But when she does, not much changes. She’s still waitressing [and] still trying to figure out her creative pursuits,” Fennell shares. “This is actually what happens to 80 to 90 percent of the people who write novels. You write a book, it gets published, you get some money, maybe become a local celebrity, maybe not.”
Cross-generational, community support is another defining factor of what it is to be a Latina writer, on “Jane the Virgin” and in real life. Fennell feels all the love when her book comes out. “There was this huge Latina writer hug, and people just wrapped me around in their arms and were like, ‘This is gonna be the most amazing experience,'” she says. Likewise, Rodriguez became a literary agent to help get more Latinx books out there. So, while the numbers are small — Latinxs make up just 7.6 percent of authors despite making up nearly 20 percent of the population — we exist and we support each other. That gives Gonzales hope: “[Jane] was able to get through it. So, that means, I might be able to get through it as well.”
