Esmeralda Santiago sat at home on what felt like the first day of autumn in Northern Westchester, New York. Meanwhile, in Villa Palmeras, Santiago’s birthplace nestled within San Juan, Puerto Rico, I was perched at my desk, ready to delve into her life.

Santiago’s legacy is unprecedented. It wasn’t until her mid-30s that she penned her inaugural memoir “When I was Puerto Rican” (1993) after a Boston textbook editor, who chanced upon one of her personal essays, urged her to chronicle her childhood on the island and her experiences living in the United States. However, Santiago has always been an avid reader, and her connection to the written word dates back to her niñez in Macún, Toa Baja where she lived for ten years before relocating to New York with her mother and siblings.

Santiago grew up modestly and didn’t own many books, but her father frequently brought the newspaper home from work. Before she could read, he would share with her some of the sensationalist tabloid stories, a few of which she remembers as being “wholly inappropriate.” Once she was a teenager, Santiago discovered the prolific Spanish writer Corín Tellado through her many short novelas on Vanidades. Santiago’s school emphasized local literature, so she memorized and recited poems by local poets. “I always sought time to read, [reading] was a vacation for me, and I read everything I could get my hands on,” she shared.

Though Santiago never dreamed of becoming a writer, her acclaimed work is now characterized by her fearless exploration of identity, the immigrant experience, and the complexities of family and love. She’s raw and honest. In her other autobiographies, “Almost a Woman” (1998) and “The Turkish Lover” (2005) she touches on the themes of self and belonging, especially as she navigates the challenges of adapting to a new culture and language. These themes, while they continue to shape her writing, ultimately gave her a new approach to life. “I had to stop focusing on belonging and become the person I wanted to be. I belong to myself,” she declared.

In her most recent novel, “Las Madres” (2023), Santiago explores a fresh perspective by highlighting the life stories of five Puerto Rican women residing in the U.S. These women, mothers and daughters, share a profound emotional bond with the archipelago. Santiago’s intimate familiarity with these types of stories, through her own friends and siblings, adds a depth and authenticity to their narratives.

Nevertheless, Santiago’s primary motivation for embarking on this work stemmed from the enduring impact of the devastating Hurricane Maria, in 2017, which coincided with her daughter’s birthday. Ever since, it elicits conflicting emotions. But the concept of addressing a hurricane had been brewing within Santiago long before the actual event occurred.

“I was talking to my dad, recording him before [he passed]. I asked him about Hurricane San Felipe II (1928), when he was nine-years-old. I said ‘Papi, do you have any memories?’ This ninety-year-old man became a terrified little boy before my eyes as he relived the hurricane, which he was evidently still processing at a late age,” Santiago commented.

The theme of memory is threaded throughout “Las Madres.” Santiago suffered from a stroke in 2008 and became amnesiac for a few days, losing her ability to read and write. In her novel, she considered how to preserve the historical importance of events like Hurricane Maria within the context of identity. “What happens to someone who doesn’t have a memory?” she asks. “Our identity is tied to our environments, actions, and all our interactions, so if you forget everything, who are you?” Santiago continues.

This is the dilemma that the protagonist Luz faces in the book. Is she still Puerto Rican if she can’t remember where she’s from? Santiago has keenly observed the cultural dissonance that often confronts immigrants returning to their homeland, that sense of rejection by the very people who now perceive them as outsiders. “Of course [Luz] is still Puerto Rican,” Santiago answers her own question, adding that if Luz were in Russia or on the moon, she would still be Puerto Rican.

So how does Santiago wish to be remembered? She doesn’t think too much about it. She is focused on who she is right now. “All I care about is that my books continue to be read as long as the issues that I write about in them remain unresolved.” She reminds me at the end of our call that there is nothing special or unusual about her, and that she can only attribute her success to her hard work. “In Puerto Rico, we are constitutionally born to hard work and optimism.”

---

Francisco Gutierrez is a freelance artist and writer based in San Juan, Puerto Rico covering music and culture.

One of the brilliant and striking outfits that Jessica Wild packed to compete a second time on RuPaul’s Drag Race was inspired by the Spanish transgender singer and television personality Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez, also known as “La Veneno.” During her now revered lip sync performance, Wild wore a sequined red gown with high slits that exposed her long legs and a round collar silicone breast plate draped in golden jewels. To complete the ravishing look she slipped on La Veneno’s iconic red wig and golden high heels. Wild initially planned to impersonate the songstress in the quintessential challenge, Snatch Game, a playful measure of a contestant’s improv skills, but Kim Petra’s luscious “Coconuts” anthem called for Wild’s early portrayal of La Veneno, making it one of the most memorable moments (so far) in the latest All Stars season.

“When I knew that the lip sync song was ‘Coconuts,’ [I thought to myself], this song is just talking about breasts,” Wild bantered before continuing, “on Drag Race you don’t know how long you’re going to stay in the competition so any opportunity you have, [you have] to grab it.” Wild snatched her chance at wowing the judges, and pieced together her ruby red ensemble after winning the Supermarket Ball challenge, where she showcased three different runway designs, one of which she created using raw materials.

José David Sierra, the person behind Wild’s persona, was born in the 80s in San Juan, but grew up in Caguas, Puerto Rico. He began dancing in his room at the age of 5, and over the years developed his artistry as a means of survival. “It was hard for me to discover that I was gay. Everybody attacked me as a kid,” Sierra confessed with a sobering timbre in his speech. “[Como consecuencia] empecé a crear cosas en mí mismo, a dibujar y hacer cosas que me entretenían” (As a result, I began to create within myself, draw and do things that amused me).

Sierra, with his mother’s support, enrolled in dance lessons at 16, and shortly after, joined the dance company Bailos, and Puerto Rican producer Héctor Marcano’s television show El Super Show as a main dancer. By the time Sierra began his drag career at 18 (first as a backup dancer in drag shows), people knew him as “el nene que baila[ba] en televisión” (the boy who danced on tv). Sierra attended his first drag show at the gay venue Krash, formerly known as Eros, and remembers watching Nina Flowers, the first Puerto Rican to compete on Drag Race, take the stage, “the music stopped [playing] at 2 am, and I was like ‘why are people not dancing anymore?’ I looked up at the second floor and I saw Nina performing. I thought she was amazing.” Inspired by Flowers, and other artists like Madonna and Paula Abdul, Sierra, through Jessica Wild, was determined to dance her way into people’s hearts.

Wild wears her Puerto Rican heritage with pride. She speaks Spanish on Drag Race and references Latine culture; take, for instance, her hysterical “taco tuesday” unscripted monologue in the latest improv challenge, Forensic Queens. Wild, who participated in the first Snatch Game ever and impersonated show host RuPaul, spotlighted Puerto Rican legend Iris Chacón this second go-round. More accurately, she imitated comedian Johnny Ray’s parody of Iris Chacón in the 90s’ spoof, En Ya Ustedes Saben Quien. Wild admitted that she doesn’t have the same pressure of bearing the island on her shoulders like she did in Season 2: “Just to be on the show I am representing Puerto Rico, and I hope [Puerto Ricans] are proud of me.”

With more international franchises like Drag Race España and Drag Race México, which premiered last week, Wild reckons Puerto Rico deserves its own spin-off. “We have enough talent! Puerto Rico can have its own show,” Wild proclaimed before naming a stellar lineup of queens that she would love to see compete in it: Sapphire Bee, Angelina Bee, and Amalara Sofía, among others. Her advice to any Puerto Rican drag queen interested in entering Drag Race is to be their authentic self and not be afraid of not having perfect English. “But of course, learn something because otherwise you’re going to be lost,” she laughed.

Since her lip sync performance, which aired last month, it is not uncommon for Wild to see her fans remaking her “Coconuts” recital. In fact, she shared that a few days before the interview, she had received a video of a group of muscled guys jumping and dancing to the song. It’s impossible to listen to the melody and not think about Wild, who is convinced that song streams have skyrocketed since her lip sync battle, joking that Kim Petras should call her and thank her for it.

This viral moment is significant for several reasons. It highlights transness during a time when anti-trans legislation is at an all time high. In 2023 alone, 79 bills aimed at preventing trans people from publicly existing and receiving basic healthcare, education, and other forms of legal recognition, have been signed into law, and a shocking 31% of transgender youth now live in states that have enacted bans on gender-affirming care. Kim Petras, who is openly trans, along with the now globally acclaimed Veneno, are big pop culture influences. For Wild to have performed Petra’s stirring number in La Veneno’s character on the biggest drag platform is a huge visibility marker.

Additionally, just this spring, a federal judge blocked a Tennessee law restricting drag performances in public on the merit that the law infringed on drag artists’ freedom of speech. Wild commented, “We’ve been under attack [for a long time] and it feels like it’s getting worse. However, I think [that] through my art I’m teaching people, even my family, that drag is beautiful, that it’s my job, and that I’m making [other] people happy.” Despite efforts, Wild believes that some people will continue to find drag menacing, and that only through education will people understand the power and beauty of it. She claimed that many families are now watching Drag Race and subsequently, are starting to form better rapport with their children. “I never thought ‘Oh when I grow up I’m going to be a drag queen,’ but now, there are new generations of young people who feel inspired by us,” Wild ended.

So, what’s next for Wild? For starters, new music. Wild dropped her new single, Puterra, earlier this month. The dance banger lives up to the Jessica Wild fantasy and is sure to keep everyone dancing post-pride celebrations. Between her multi-city stint and her recent casting in A Drag Queen Christmas tour, Wild is busy traveling cross-country and working on a few other surprises. She is determined to take the crown home this time. “I’m rooting for myself,” she cheered. And we are, too.

---

Francisco Gutierrez is a freelance artist and writer based in San Juan, Puerto Rico covering music and culture.

It was a hot but breezy morning in San Juan, Puerto Rico when singer-songwriter Matt Louis and I met at his favorite coffee shop, Gustos, where he writes and works on music. Looking dapper and relaxed, Louis wore dark shades and a red Chicago Bulls jersey that he paired with black lightweight cargo shorts and black leather boots. His cafécito of choice: a hot latte with several ice cubes that would melt during the course of our interview and only slightly cool his drink. Louis was excited to talk about new music, but before we launched into his cosmic world, we spoke about coming of age on the enchanted island, and finding his own voice.

Originally from Ponce, a southern coast city in Puerto Rico, a young Louis would faithfully survey his hometown paper La Perla del Sur in search of casting calls. He joked that MySpace was the only existing social network at the time, but that people weren’t exchanging resources, let alone casting opportunities through the network. His first audition, at 15, was at the Instituto de Música Juan Morel Campos, a well-known musical arts institution in Ponce, where Louis tried out for a musical.

It was then, while part of the youth choir, that Louis discovered his voice in spite of his growing insecurities about his body. He said in Spanish, “aunque yo sentía que había una voz bien fuerte y poderosa en mi, todavía el cuerpo se interponía para expresar esa voz” (although I felt a mighty voice inside of me, my body got in the way of expressing that voice). Louis openly discussed his body dysmorphia at a young age, and what it meant to finally overcome the fears surrounding his physique to project the confidence he now possesses.

“La vanidad y esta conexión con el cuerpo viene de los hombres más importante de mi vida,” (the vanity and the connection to my body come from the most important men in my life) Louis shared, referring to his father and his brother Webster, who are both personal fitness trainers. They helped Louis grow secure in his own body. When I asked Louis if he considered himself a vain person now, he laughingly responded, “I do, and I love it.” He then added that being vain isn’t bad unless you look down on others and their way of expressing their confidence and beauty. “For me, vanity is a form of self-love and a way to praise [my] body,” he explained. Louis referenced Nigerian musician and Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti, who was known for his outlandish and wild concerts in the 70s and would often perform shirtless and coated in paint, as a great inspiration for embracing his own body on and off stage.

Between touring locally in Ponce with a high school pop band led by his cello instructor to auditioning for Ricky Martin’s hit TV show La Banda, which birthed CNCO in 2015, Louis took to the streets to perform and build his musical prowess. As part of his training, Louis studied classical Italian music and the famous Alexander technique, which teaches improved posture and movement. Some of Louis’ other euphonic teachers included Sam Smith, Amy Winehouse, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Adele, and more recently, Jorja Smith, Frank Ocean and Gallant, all of whom expanded and continue to shape Louis’ musical palate.

Louis describes himself as a multidisciplinary artist with a kind and welcoming afro-caribeño energy. He defines his music as avant-garde with more recent influences from 1950s boleros, arabic flamenco, brazilian funk and alternative R&B. When I asked Louis what he was currently listening to, he blushed and shared, “I’m currently listening to Tems. I actually listened to one of her live concerts this morning to jump start my day.” Louis has ambitions of playing at Coachella, Lollapalooza Argentina and Coca-Cola Flow Fest in Mexico, among other shows, and wishes to travel to Europe to blend his music with fashion and eye-catching visuals.

Louis’ artistic name is an abbreviation of his full name —- Matthews Louis Charlotten Galarza — which was too long to use, so he shortened it to Matt Louis, giving an air of a fashion brand. Louis loves to express himself through his clothes and edgy sense of style. “I’ve always used fashion to express how I feel but I’ve never rallied around any luxury brands. Instead I love what I can show by wearing, for example, a simple and inexpensive garment. It’s what the body highlights about the garment, not the other way around,” Louis continued. Louis works at the concept store SIXNE in Santurce, where he recently launched his ASTRO BOY merch.

For Louis, sharing his music has become an act of vulnerability, but he says that music is only his current obsession and that he hopes his fans will relate to his other projects including his photography. What began as a hobby in high school, photography became Louis’ joseo, or side hustle, years later. Louis has worked with streetwear brands like FRSH Company and a plethora of artists like Álvaro Díaz, Venezuelan producers Lara Project, who engineered Louis’ first songs, and Grammy-winning producer and songwriter, Tainy. Most recently in 2021, Louis photographed Jhay Cortez during his “Timelezz World Tour” as Cortez’s leading photographer.

In addition to taking photos, Louis loves to study astrology. His fascination with the astronomical world comes from his interest in psychoanalysis. When I probed, Louis shared that astrology has taught him a lot about duality. He claimed that, “everything has an opposing side, and the differing side isn’t always black or white. We are not just one sign (Louis is a Taurus sun), but rather an integration of multiple expressions that manifest in different areas of our lives.” Though Louis steers away from making blanket statements about people’s zodiac signs, he definitely leans into the cheeky and fun small talk that most people enjoy. At his latest show this past January at the Puerto Rican venue, Vivo Beach Club, Louis gave a shout out to all Capricorns.

After a short hiatus from releasing new music, Louis dropped his latest single “SYYON”, which is a delicious and spiritual concoction of EDM, Afro House, Techno, Yoruba/Afrocubana and Dembow. He gushed over the song and explained that “SYYON” has a lot of strength and darkness, and celebrates movement and the corporal catharsis that we experience when we practice letting go. In it, he sings, “no te he solta’o” (I haven’t let you go), acknowledging a former version of himself. The music video, which Louis released the same day as the upbeat song, was inspired by the massive rave scene in the Matrix Reloaded film — unsurprisingly in the underground human city of Zion. Matt Louis is ready to take us to a new universe.

---

Francisco Gutierrez is a freelance artist and writer based in San Juan, Puerto Rico covering music and culture.