Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Raquel M. Ortiz.
Hi Dr. Ortiz, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As an anthropologist, educator, activist, songwriter, and storyteller, my work and research on Puerto Rican communities in the USA inspires my picture books. Born and raised in Lorain, OH, and an OSU graduate, I’ve also lived in NYC, Chicago, and Puerto Rico. So, I share and celebrate stories about different diasporic Puerto Rican communities. My stories are ‘mirrors’ and ‘sliding glass doors’ that invite children and adults to see themselves, to join in on adventures, and to learn about Puerto Rican art, songs, poetry, and histories. In 2015, my first picture book Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural, was published by Arte Público Press. Inspired by the community mural El Pueblo Cantor (South Bronx, 1983) that I studied for my Ph.D. in cultural anthropology, the story explores the fear of the unknown. When Sofi enters into the mural, she becomes a vejigante (an Afro-Boricua carnival figure) and learns about her culture, the Island, and herself. Sofi and the Magic Musical Mural made the Tejas Star Reading List, received an International Latino Book Award for Best Educational Children’s Picture Book, and was the beginning of a whole new life and career for me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The ride has been all kinds of bumpy. There have been really big highs, like when I was interviewed for a position to write for Sesame Street, and then the down of NOT getting the job. There have been lots of rejections for many, many manuscripts. But there has also been the wonder and joy of publishing six picture books in eight years. Probably the biggest high so far was a TriBeca premier and 2021 Emmy nomination for a short animation piece that I wrote the script and a song for, Cucarachita Martina’s Musical Adventure. And with that, there was the big fall of not winning the Emmy. Now, we’re optimistic about our album, Que vengan los niños that came out in April 2023 and are anxiously waiting to see how it will be received.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, a social anthropologist, educator, storyteller, playwright, performer, poet, composer, editor, illustrator, and author of children’s books and songs. I was recently awarded a 2022 Cleveland Foundation Artist Fellow that allowed me the creative freedom to create an album of Afro-Puerto Rican bomba songs for children. The songs in the album, entitled Que vengan los niños, are sung in Spanish and in English, and some are also bilingual. I created this album in collaboration with William Cepeda, a four-time Grammy-nominated Latin Jazz legend, composer, and educator. Four of the songs are inspired by my children’s picture books and two theater productions. The songs were recorded with children in Puerto Rico.
I believe my work is special because I write bilingual stories, songs, and scripts about Afro-Caribbean and Latinx culture and invite children and adults to join in on adventures. My stories feature children as the protagonists so that they see and celebrate their creativity and valor. My six published books are
• Broken Butterfly Wings / Alas de mariposa rotas
• Vicki and a Summer of Change! / ¡Vicki y un verano de cambio!
• Sofi Paints her Dreams / Sofi pinta sus sueños
• When Julia Danced Bomba / Cuando Julia bailaba bomba
• Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural / Sofi y el magico mural musical
• Planting Flags on Division Street / Plantando banderas en la calle Division
I am most proud of my two beautiful children, Sofia and Cesar (Che), who have inspired all of my stories.
What do you think about luck?
I believe I’m really lucky that, from the beginning, my local community has supported me. My very first library event was at my home library, South Branch (Lorain, OH), in 2015. They also offered my first library residency in 2022. Now, as the Cleveland Public Library 2023 Artist in Residence, I’m getting to meet people from all around Cuyahoga County. Also, my first performance, Sofi’s Magical Adventure, was sponsored by the Cleveland Public Library and the Cleveland Foundation. Our children’s album, Que vengan los niños, was partially funded by the Cleveland Foundation. So again, I received tons of support to create my work and have shared my work at institutions such as the Julia de Burgos Arts and Culture Center, the Cleveland’s Children Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drraquelmortiz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drraquelmortiz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drraquelmortiz
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquelmortiz
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmargueritte
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXB0UYGeXeChx4p-bn9ykg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/0gVBVsmIduao55Lh36VIzq?si=9M4OEBL3QLa4QeBHUpvvmw&nd=1
Image Credits
Matvey Zabbi
Cleveland Public Library
