‘A need to write’

Poets of the Rio Grande Valley: Last in a Series

Sol Garcia | THE RIDER

Edna Ochoa, a UTRGV associate professor in the department of Literatures and Cultural Studies, uses poetry to speak for women and against marginalization.

Raised in Mexico City, Ochoa grew to love poetry when she attended poetry events and started to recite poems. She started to write her own poems and joined writing classes and workshops. 

As school assignments required original poems, Ochoa became more experienced with writing. 

In 1985, Ochoa received her bachelor’s degree in journalism. By 2005, she graduated with a doctorate in Spanish from the University of Houston, according to her faculty profile. 

At UTRGV, Ochoa teaches creative writing in Spanish, her native language in which she writes poetry. 

Ochoa has released several poetry collections, such as “Sombra para espejos,” “Respiración de raíces,” and “Fugaces.” Her other works, which include short stories and plays, were for anthologies.

“Fugaces,” available on Amazon, consists of short poems about time. 

“[The poems] speak about the experience of time and how everything is fugaz [ephemeral],” said Ochoa, who spoke in Spanish.  

In “Sombra para espejos,” she writes about adolescent and family experiences, Mexico City and her cultural roots. 

“[The poems] also speak about the loss of family, loved ones,” Ochoa said. “They also speak about my culture … about my roots, my cultural roots.” 

Many of the themes she has written revolve around women, family, the marginalization of women, indigenous people, migrants and sexual diversities that are not accepted by society.

One of the reasons Ochoa writes about women is because of ongoing femicides, especially in Mexico.  

“It’s important for me to write about the themes about women, and not only women–I also like to write about themes of marginalization,” she said. “I’m interested, particularly because, one, I am a woman, and also because of the injustices there are against women, and also about the femicides … and all of the aspects against women within this patriarchal system.” 

Femicides are the gender-based murders of women or girls by men, according to Merriam-Webster.

Ochoa’s writing process varies.

“The process begins with something that … I don’t know if it comes or goes, but it begins with something like a pain, something that interests you, a sensation or something that comes randomly,” she said. “From there, more ideas come to you, more sensations, more emotions and everything comes together.”

However, Ochoa said not all ideas are shaped so easily. Some poems require work and time. 

“Sometimes, you have to work with them,” the 63-year-old said. “For me, it’s important to work–I mean, the process where [the writing] is flowing, but then also a more elaborated work comes.” 

Creating poetry comes from an inner need in Ochoa. 

“It’s a need to write … to explain myself, to try to explain the world, to try to communicate with my fellow human beings, but basically, it’s a need that comes from inside,” she said. 

During the pandemic, Ochoa has not felt as inspired to write. At most, she has written two or three poems, which have been “a bit dark because of the situation” and question humanity and why the world has so many struggles.

“The pandemic held me back, made me keep still and think ‘What is our world?’” she said. “‘What does it mean to be human? What do we want? … As human beings, why do we have a lot of problems? … Is [the] type of system that we live in working for us or not?’”  

Other themes Ochoa thought about this past year involve the destruction that has occurred to the planet, including global warming, harassment against children and women, losing people to the pandemic, migration, unemployment and hunger. 

“All those types of problems … are afflicting [everyone],” she said. “In some way, this is mentioned in the poems.” 

For students who want to write their own poetry, the associate professor recommends they read not only poetry but also all kinds of literature. 

“The first thing I tell them is to read a lot, to [read] poetry and everything, literature, in general,” she said. “Begin to write, know the techniques.” 

Ochoa also suggests to student poets to present their work to others to get different opinions, familiarize themselves with other authors and “don’t stop writing.” 

Some of Ochoa’s poet recommendations include Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Rosario Castellanos, Gabriela Mistral and Dolores Castro. 

–Paulina Longoria contributed to this story.