Raquel Rivera López has lived in the Valley for 10 years and is originally from El Salvador. Since she was a child, she found in poetry a way to express the things that are sometimes difficult to say out loud. Now, she shares that part of her story through her first book of poetry, “When the Cicadas Sing.”
What kind of art do
you create?
In addition to writing poetry, I also enjoy flowers. But I believe the most difficult art of all is the art of being a mother. I have always loved poetry. I have enjoyed writing since I was a child, and sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I start writing. It’s a way for me to get out what I’m feeling inside.
What inspired you to
start writing?
I have loved poetry since I was a little girl. My favorite subject in school was language arts and literature. I loved reading literary works and imagining myself in them. I also feel that I express myself better through writing than through speaking. Writing allows me to express my feelings in a way that I sometimes can’t when I’m talking.
What themes can readers find in your book?
There are poems about love and romantic relationships. I’m a little bit of a romantic in that sense. But the book also explores loss and grief. It is divided into different experiences and emotions that I have lived through. I think one of the most important things is that everything written in the book is based on real experiences. These are not made-up stories. They are things I have lived through and that perhaps other people are going through as well.
Why the title
‘When the Cicadas Sing?’
In El Salvador, during Holy Week, the cicadas come out and make a very distinctive sound. Hearing them also brings me a sense of nostalgia. Cicadas spend time underground, and then, after a year, they emerge and make that sound. To me, that represents something very personal.
I feel like I was asleep for a long time, and now I have awakened. Now I want to come out, I want to make noise, and I want people to know that I am here. I haven’t forgotten the things I want to do.
I think that many times, as women, when we get married or enter into a committed relationship, we can forget about ourselves and the things we want to do. This book also represents that awakening and finding our way back
to ourselves.
If someone could open your book and read just one poem, which one would you recommend?
Poem number 31, “Only Mine.” I think many people will be able to identify with it because sometimes we give everything we have to others and end up forgetting about ourselves.
What advice would you give someone who has an idea or project they haven’t yet found the courage to pursue?
I believe that anything we set our minds to in life can be achieved. Sometimes we think we won’t be able to do it, but when we truly commit to it, we find a way.
What can readers find
in your book?
It is a paperback, bilingual book divided into four chapters, with a total of 33 poems.
Readers will find poems about love, relationships, loss, grief, and, above all, life experiences that they may also be able to relate to.
The book is available in Spanish on Amazon. The bilingual version can be ordered through bit.ly/whenthecicadassing