Marcos M. Villatoro: “Finding Inspiration from the Work Itself”

Villatoro

In this Writing University podcast, Marcos M. Villatoro discusses the advantages of writing without waiting for the elusive “muse” to strike. Villatoro claims that inspiration springs from a writer’s own work ethic, the physical act of writing, and the work itself. Villatoro also offers advice on using criticism to one’s advantage and how to decipher the inevitable rejection letter, suggesting that “inspiration can come from rejection.”

Listen: Marcos M. Villatoro: "Finding Inspiration from the Work Itself"

Marcos M. Villatoro (M.F.A., The University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop) is the author of the Romilia Chacón crime novels. The Los Angeles Times listed his Home Killings as a Best Book of 2001. The other Romilia novels include Minos and A Venom Beneath the Skin. His autobiographical novel The Holy Spirit of My Uncle’s Cojones was an Independent Publishers Book Award Finalist and nominated for the Pushcart Prize. His other books include his two poetry collections They Say that I am Two and On Tuesday, When the Homeless Disappeared, as well as his novel A Fire in the Earth, and the memoir Walking to La Milpa: Living in Guatemala with Armies, Demons, Abrazos, and Death. Villatoro is a regular commentator for NPR and has appeared on numerous television programs, including CBS "Sunday Morning". He is a columnist for the Los Angeles magazine Tu Ciudad. He holds the Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair in Writing at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles.

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November 26, 2007
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