Margarita Ramirez Loya and Storytelling as a Form of Social Justice:

In the current political climate, the question of whether writing fiction is of any practical use is a pressing one. While humanitarian groups such as No More Deaths/No Más Muertes work on the front lines of the South American refugee crisis at the US-Mexico border, sitting inside and reading or writing can begin to feel futile.

Writer and recent recipient of an Elizabeth GeorgeFoundation fellowship, Margarita Ramirez Loya has a more encouraging view. Shebelieves that this is the perfect time for creative work to help change thenarrative around immigration and give voice to those seeking asylum in the USas living conditions in their home countries become untenable. She has writtenabout the importance of storytelling, saying, "I am aware of the power ofreading. Books can become mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. I believewords matter… as long as there is an opportunity for unrepresented voices to beheard, there is hope for social justice… and I commend Hedgebrook for makingsure that our voices are heard."

Her remarks are particularly true as we look ahead, tothe world our children will create. With this in mind, Ramirez Loya has chosento work on a Young Adult novel, because "At this critical time inpolitics, I want young people to be aware of what is happening in our society.My wish is to create empathy in readers by having them witness, from animmigrant's perspective, the atrocities that children and their families arecurrently experiencing at the border."

In a time of tremendous political discourse on thematter, it is vital that attention is given to Mexican and South American writerswho bringing forth stories of compassion and humanity. Their stories need to betold, and their books need to be read. And these writers need space and supportto create their art.

Following her time as a writer-in-residence atHedgebrook, Margarita spoke of the sanctity of this need: "As a child, Iimagined myself writing stories for the world… I marveled at the idea ofchanging things that I didn't like, just with the power of words… Hedgebrookwelcomed me with open arms and taught me to believe in myself and that my wordscan create understanding in the world. Hedgebrook makes the world a betterplace… Thank you for believing in me and in the story that is in me that needsto be told."

Margarita Ramirez Loya is a Mexican-Americanwriter working in Arizona, and the recent recipient of an Elizabeth GeorgeFoundation fellowship. She is an ESL instructor at Cochise College, and, in2012, she collaborated with her students to produce We Are Stories, acollection of stories based on interviews with Arizona residents that exploresthe immigrant experience, local history, and the power of storytelling.Currently, she is at work on a Young Adult novel centered around the US-Mexicoborder conflict and the resulting humanitarian crisis.