Meet Kelly Quintana | Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Quintana and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, what do you attribute your success to?
I think many of us are starting to understand the negative impacts of the individualist culture of the U.S. and that’s so great because community is so important. Growing up, because I was in a Mexican family I understood the importance of community but unfortunately because of the circumstances surrounding my childhood I didn’t have access to that. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I not only knew about the importance of community but started to truly understand it. My friends and their families were there for me in ways that the adults in my life had never been. Their support and love is what gave me the space to start healing from all of my trauma and it was that space that gave me the ability to pursue my dream. I never imagined myself going to college or doing what I loved, but I did it. I went to a school that opened up opportunities for me because I had people to hold me. They held me while I healed, when I was angry, when I had no resources available.

For me, one of the most important factors of success is having community. It’s having people in your life that can hold you when you fall. That can feed you when you can’t feed yourself. That can give your rides when you don’t have a car. Without my community, I would not be where I am now. Yes, my confidence helped, so did the fact that I’m good at what I do, and therapy, and my ability to juggle full-time jobs while doing school time but I did those things because I felt safe. I knew that if anything went wrong I had somewhere to turn to. It’s easier to take risks that propel you forward when you know there are people in your corner.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Most of my pieces can be connected because of themes I like to explore: family, culture, queerness, and womanhood. Whether I’m writing a contemporary or fantasy story, you’ll find me trying to understand what these concepts mean to each other and because of each other. I’ll never forget when my professor told us that to be a writer, we need to understand people, we don’t need to like them if we don’t want to, but writing is about the human experience. It’s about answering questions that don’t really have answers. I think of that almost every time I set down to write. I also think about the stories that I need as a child. The stories that could have helped me understand or, at the very least, made me feel seen and less alone.

It wasn’t easy getting to where I am now, both because of the external actions of people around me and the internal chaos that I developed because of the space I grew up in. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. I had people that helped me. They helped meet physical needs, like giving me food when I had no access to it, and they helped hold me while I cried myself out. I learned that we need community. And now that I understand that, I pour that into my writing as while. I write to show others they are not alone. I want to be an author who helps others find community.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank Beatriz Valim, Olivia Loyola, Jayla Williams, and Anna Martirosyan for being my family and holding my hand when I thought I was alone. I’m so thankful for the home you’ve given me.

Website: https://www.writerkellyquintana.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kejjequintana/

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