Multi-Talented Writer tells about transitioning

Esmeralda Santiago

MULTI-TALENTED & BI-LINGUAL, ESMERALDA SANTIAGO
DISCUSSES HER TRANSITION FROM BEING AN ACTRESS/DANCER TO MASTERPIECE THEATER WRITER...

I met Esmeralda in an Indian Dance Class at the Harvard Summer Dance Center in the last century. As soon as she found out that I could knit anything without using a pattern, we began sharing time at the yarn shop in Cambridge. One thing led to another, she & her wonderful husband Frank Cantor, founded Cantomedia Films.  We  have been in and out of touch ever since. 

MOLLOY:  Your career expands from being an actress/dancer to a writer for Masterpiece Theater. How was that transition for you?

SANTIAGO: By my mid-thirties, it was obvious that my body resisted the demands of Indian Classical Dance, but I needed a form of expression that provided the same level of emotional engagement, discipline and focus. I turned to writing as a way to explore my fears, insecurities and preoccupations.

MOLLOY:  Becoming a mother is always a challenge for the artistically inclined.

SANTIAGO:  Writing was something I could do by and for myself, on my own schedule, wherever and whenever I could set pen to paper. It was freeing.

MOLLOY:  You began to nurture you own talent, but somehow you sent out those scripts, always at the mercy of possibly unscrupulous editors.

SANTIAGO:  When I began to send my work out the unknown editors, I realized that I'd developed the thick skin necessary of a performer. I Took criticism seriously but not personally, and tried to differentiate helpful criticism from snarkyness and envy.

MOLLOY: Envy is such a powerful emotion, yet it is difficult to discern.

SANTIAGO: Because I missed the physical aspects of dance, I turned to yoga as a way to keep my body strong and flexible. The lessons and practices on countless studio floors has been transferred to the discipline and focus necessary for expression on a page rather than on a stage.

MOLLOY:  Would you suggest using an agent or manager?

SANTIAGO:  I strongly suggest an agent or manager because it's difficult for artists to agent/manage ourselves. It takes time and special skills to seek opportunities, to promote, to follow through with contracts, travel coordination, etc. Artists need to spend their time in creating. Agents/managers free us so that we can use our time more efficiently to do what we do best.

Please visit Http://www.esmeraldasantiago.com

Book titles include: WHEN I WAS PUERTO RICAN, THE TURKISH LOVER, ALMOST A WOMAN, AMERICA'S DREAM, A DOLL FOR NAVIDADS, LAS CHRISTMAS, LAS MAMIS, CONQUISTADORA.