This is the first in a series of selected excerpts from writing produced in Oakland Word's workshops. Oakland Word's anthology of poetry, fiction and memoir is scheduled to be published in June 2010. We hope you enjoy reading these local writers.

Our first writer is Erika Padilla-Morales. In this magical excerpt set in old colonial Puerto Rico, the narrator receives a sign that something is about to shake her world apart.

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Socorro Reyes Quintana, Abuelita de Mina Jophrey-Reyes

by Erika Padilla-Morales

Her ancestors came to Puerto Rico with Columbus’ companions and slaves – humble, intelligent people. Survivors. Each woman is born connected to the divine spirit. She knows this because her abuela told her. And her abuela’s abuela told her.

She weaves her fingers tightly around her locket and gazes at the statue. Her eyes drift to the candles. Sometimes the flames dance in silence: listening, fusing. Today they form a funnel. Flame churns forming a woman’s face. The flame woman nods and mouths “Socorro.” Her heart leaps.

The woman’s lips read: “Be watchful. Be open. You must see.”

The face fades into the image of Atabey, then to a jamaica blossom, and then churns into nothing. Socorro’s body jerks. Had she been asleep? She looks over to her friend – eyes closed, rosary wound around her fingers, face softened by prayer, mouth moving to complete the last decand. She wonders if her comadre saw anything like what she saw in the flames.

The coquis are bringing in the evening with their song. Socorro steps under an arch of sea grapes and looks over the bay. It is beautiful, glowing with the sea faeries, the bioluminescent creatures that mimic the stars in the sea

Eighteen years I miss and love you, Mario. Eighteen years I see our family grow without you. The garden and pueblo are beautiful. And I am fine. But I am worried about this base, papito. I don’t trust it.

The evening mantle comes over the sky as the sun sinks below the horizon and the moon begins to rise. Suddenly a streak of green like a foul firework paints the night sky. The coquis fall silent. The stillness unsettles her and stands her arm hairs on end. Socorro lets out a deep sigh, hoping to pull in strength with the next in-breath.

An explosion – a plume of flame and smoke rise from the direction of the base across the bay. Hurried footsteps come from behind her. “Something terrible has happened! A ship has sunk off the base!"

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OW: Why do you write? Who do you write for?

EPM: I write because it's a safe space for me to explore and ask questions. As an adult I pretend less and write more, but it serves the same purpose. I act out possibilities in my words much like when I used to go on adventures as a kid and pretend to be my favourite characters from books and movies. I write for myself and for the ancestors I never had a chance to talk to and to start a conversation with and about others.

OW: How/why did you choose Oakland Word?

EPM: After checking out the kick-off I wanted to seriously explore writing. I write in my journal but took on my first writing challenge in years when a friend dared me to participate in NaNoWriMo 2009. I wrote a 52 thousand word novel for young people with an arab-boricua protagonist who saves the world! I work for Streetside Stories where I tell my young people they have a voice and deserve to share it with the world every day, but I hadn't explored my own voice in writing in a long time. My first session teacher, Claire Light, really pushed me to the places I see my young people go to with their writing and encouraged me to explore it. For that I am forever grateful.

OW: Who are your 3 favorite writers and why?

EPM: My three favourite writers are Dr. Seuss for telling the truth joyfully, Junot Díaz for finally making me feel legitimate in literature by writing about latinos like me: Caribbean, bookish, entangled and supported by family, and Madeline L'Engle for taking me through the universe and exploring science with a female protagonist (Meg) who was incredible.

OW: Did you learn anything surprising about yourself from taking the Oakland Word workshop?

EPM: I learned that my adult privilege of being confident about the mechanics of writing did not shield me from the vulnerability one has when sharing one's story -- whatever story that is. I learned patience with revision and that it's okay to look back at what you write and say "Wow, that's crap" and have that be a happy experimental moment that leads to something more brilliant.

I also learned the power of stories for me is in sharing them, not keeping them in my journals. Stories gain their lives from sharing them with others.

OW: Will you be writing more? What kind of support do you need to write more?

EPM: I have been bitten by the writing bug! I will be daring more to take my stories out of the journals and sharing them more. I am excited to join a community of adult writers who encourage one another to write and publish their work. I would love to meet more writers, have critiquing circles, and really learn about the business of writing from applying for grants to paper publishing and digital publishing.

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Erika works with adults and youth to inspire their own confidence with new media, and other technologies at Bay Area social benefit (a.k.a. non-profit) agencies. Her passion is to bring technology to underserved community members and create opportunities to discover that technology is for ALL to master, use, and share their stories with the world. She is a journal writer who has taken recently regained the courage to write for its own sake through NaNoWriMo 2009 and the Oakland Word Project. In her writing she explores her bloodlines, history of ritual, and cool-weird-girl quirkiness.