Writer and educator Myriam Gurba may be best known for her epic takedown of Jeanine Cummins’ American Dirt, a misguided work of “social justice” wherein the author, a self-described white woman, attempts to step into the shoes of a Mexican refugee. The results are unintentionally hilarious and offensive at the same time, the premise unbelievable. Gurba, who was initially commissioned to write a review of American Dirt for Ms. Magazine, eventually wrote about it, as well as her experience of being told her review was too much for Ms., for Tropics of Meta.
I’ve called her because I’ve just finished reading Mean, Gurba’s wonderful memoir, and am in the middle of reading her Painting Their Portraits in Winter: Stories, a collection of short fiction. I’m keen to learn more about her unique style and the techniques she uses to achieve that craft.
Gurba’s family is from Guadalajara, the capitol of the Mexican state of Jalisco. Her grandmother still lives there, and as I spoke to her about her work, the breadth of experience from which Gurba draws her work became apparent.
