024 - She Is Not Your 'Perfect Mexican Daughter': How Erika Sánchez Stepped into Her Power

On this episode, Dr. Robin Stern talks with Erika Sánchez.

From Erika's website:

"Erika L. Sánchez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Her debut poetry collection, Lessons on Expulsion, was published by Graywolf in July 2017, and was a finalist for the PEN America Open Book Award.

Her debut young adult novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, published in October 2017 by Knopf Books for Young Readers, was a New York Times bestseller, a National Book Awards finalist, and Tomás Rivera Award winner. Time has recognized it as one of the best YA novels of all time. It is now is being made into a film directed by America Ferrera. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter has also been adapted to the theater at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago and Seattle Rep Theater.

Most recently Sánchez published a critically acclaimed memoir-in-essays titled Crying in the Bathroom with Viking Books. It won the Chicago Review of Books Nonfiction award in 2022. Sánchez was a Fulbright Scholar, a 2015 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent fellow from the Poetry Foundation, a 2017-2019 Princeton Arts Fellow, a 2018 recipient of the 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation, and a 2019 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship."

Known for her powerful writing and courageous voice, Erika, along with Robin, sheds light on the signs, effects, and strategies to combat gaslighting, drawing from her own experiences and observations.

Robin and Erika discuss the struggles Erika went through to realize her dream of becoming a writer. Erika is proud to be a role model for other women of color, through her determination to achieve her goal of becoming a full-time writer as well using the platform she has gained through the awards and notoriety she has received.

Erika points out that gaslighting is often used as a tactic against women of color, and they must fight against being told a narrative that they know in their hearts is untrue.

Erika Sánchez's candid wisdom and unwavering dedication to shedding light on important issues promise to make this episode an empowering and transformative experience.

To read the full transcript of this episode and to listen to other episodes, head over to robinstern.com, and please be sure to leave a rating and review wherever you listen to this podcast. Thank you!