Today we’d like to introduce you to Abel Zavala
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m from Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Cincinnati with my now-wife, Frances, in 2010. I work for La Mega Media, Inc. (LMM), where I’m a radio personality for their Regional Mexican radio station, La Mega 97.7 FM, and a writer for their Spanish-language newspaper, La Mega Nota.
And (hopefully) in October I’ll be a self-published author.
It’s thanks to my wife that we now live in Cincinnati. We met in 2009, and shortly after dating, she’d told me she had plans to move to Cincinnati. I didn’t want to lose her, so I told her I’d go with her.
My first jobs in Cincinnati were at call centers; first as a bill collector, and then in customer service. In 2016, I took classes at Ohio Media School (OMS), where I also interned at La Mega 97.7 FM, starting my career in radio. Soon, I was asked to write for their newspaper (then La Jornada Latina), where I wrote movie reviews, then moved on to other topics, mostly community profiles.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t believe any road is smooth. There will always be bumps, big or small, prepared or not. My biggest enemy is my impostor syndrome, even after eight years in radio. When I began as an intern, I went in with a few classes in me, had my demos prepared, but once I opened my mic, my nerves took over. Thankfully I’ve always been one to adapt well and fast. Then, there’s the language factor, because though Spanish is my first language, on a personal level, I sometimes feel I’m not good enough or that I can’t fully connect with my Spanish-language audience. But that’s why my first choice was working at La Mega. It’s connected me so much with my community, so I never lose my essence, my identity. I want to be with my Hispanic community and grow with them; thrive with me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When I began writing for our newspaper, because they (LMM) knew I loved movies, I was beyond ecstatic to watch movies and write about them. In a way, my colleagues identify me as a movie guy. I even had a Spanish-language podcast where we spoke about movies. Movies and storytelling have been a big part of me. And though I love reading, I lost a little bit of that over time, mostly because of how busy life gets. Slowly I got back into it and have suggested to my radio listeners books and have included recommendations in my articles.
With that, I took on the challenge of writing and self-publishing a book. That began in 2021 when I took a friend and author’s class, Victor Velez’s “On Becoming an Author”. Then in 2022, when it took local author J. M. Clark’s writing workshops. Soon, my book’s story, “When Palomas Visit” took place.
One of my favorite books is “For One More Day” by Mitch Albom. I connected with the story of a man, Chick Bennetto, who had one more day with his deceased mother. Who wouldn’t want to reconnect with a deceased loved one, even if for one more day. So, inspired by the book, and by my mother’s passing in 1989, I created a Day of the Dead story of a man reunited with his deceased mother via a VHS tape. I wrote it first for me, in a way to heal after my mother’s passing when I was eight years old, but it’s also for all those who need to heal after losing a loved one. It’s a story dedicated not only to her—my mother—but to my sister who raised me. And because I’m from Chicago, it mostly takes place there, with my Mexican-American heritage sprinkled in.
What’s next?
Besides continuing to work in radio, I want to continue writing, for our newspaper, but also for me. I have some story ideas in the back burner, and once I publish my first novel, I’ll work on my next one, probably challenging myself with some horror. What’s true is that I want my stories to continue to speak to the underrepresented Latino/a/e communities. I also have a small online bookstore (PoCho Libros, LLC) that I haven’t put much work on. Its mission is to showcase books written by Latino/a/e authors, books that speak about the Latino/a/e and immigrant experiences, and books in Spanish. Much like Cincinnati’s book bus, I’d love to do something similar.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pocholibros.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abelzauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abelzauthor
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@abelzauthor
