MEET COMADRE KAREN D. GONZALES

 By Jacqueline Quiñones

 

 

When I interviewed Karen Gonzales for this edition the best way I can describe her is a woman of service who is passionate about helping other Latino writers.

 

A Denver native though her family comes from New Mexico, Karen has been a Comadre for about 13 years, and enjoys networking and staying in touch with many Comadres nationwide. 

 

Karen is also the coordinator of the Denver Las Comadres and Friends National Latino Book Club, and one of six founders CALMA (Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors) that started in August 2020 during the COVID pandemic. The mission of the group is to celebrate and promote Latino authors in Colorado. They meet monthly on Zoom or in person to network, have roundtable discussions and help authors to start or finish their writings.

 

CALMA presently has 70 Latino Authors they are promoting on their website, including more than one fellow Comadre. There are also many other author events CALMA is planning at a high school, colleges and the Denver Woman’s Press Club that include workshops, writers competitions and poetry festivals in various Colorado cities. If you are interested in learning more about these authors go to Calmaco.org. 

 

Karen is also a short story writer herself with a fiction children's chapter book titled, The Mystery of La Llorona and Mister Lloron, which took her about five years to finish with ongoing editing and rewriting drafts. One of the CALMA members’ sister, Dolores Guerrero was the illustrator for the book. Recently she wrote a screenplay adapted from her book and she is submitting it to competitions. She also wrote a short story titled “The Ranch” in CALMA’s debut Anthology, Ramas y Raices: The Best of CALMA releasing June 29, 2024.

 

Karen paused when I asked who her favorite author was because there are so many that she likes, especially the ones that are highlighted on CALMA’s website. She did mention she reads a lot of books by New Mexico Author Carmen Baca. Another Author and book she mentioned, which I have also read, was Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. 

 

This summer, Karen plans to enjoy several outdoor cultural festivals in Denver and church bazaars. She is also very fond of gardening, and has grown squash, calabazas, lettuce, cilantro, green beans, peas, tomatoes, radishes and beets. Plus, lots of reading and writing, of course.  #ReadLatinoLit 

This article appeared in the 2024 Summer Comadres Connect! Newsletter.  

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