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Hi, I'm Maria |
I'm the daughter of Cuban exiles who migrated to the United States in 1960 fleeing communism. After several years working as a bilingual secretary I obtained a scholarship to Columbia University’s School of General Studies in 1968 and was later admitted to Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, earning a master’s degree in 1974. My student days at Columbia politicized me, and I embraced such liberal causes as the anti-war movement and the feminist revolution. My ideas and beliefs set me apart from mainstream Cuban exiles.
While living in Manhattan I worked as a freelance editor, translator, and commercial writer. In 1979 I made a three-week trip to Cuba with a group of young left-wing exiles, after which I wrote an extensive article about my experience, a story that was picked up by two major American newspapers. Upon my return from Cuba I worked in sales for New York publishing houses and traveled extensively throughout Latin America. I also resided briefly in London and Madrid before returning to New York.
I met my husband in Houston in 1988 and followed him to California. With an emergency teaching credential, I started working at a local elementary school teaching children of immigrant farm workers. I went on to obtain a bilingual cross-cultural teaching credential from California Lutheran University. I'm also a 2001 University of Santa Barbara Fellow and Teacher-Consultant of the South Coast Writing Project. I retired in 2008 in order to devote all my time to writing, and now live in Camarillo, CA, with my husband and our beloved KC Cavalier, Chloe.
While living in Manhattan I worked as a freelance editor, translator, and commercial writer. In 1979 I made a three-week trip to Cuba with a group of young left-wing exiles, after which I wrote an extensive article about my experience, a story that was picked up by two major American newspapers. Upon my return from Cuba I worked in sales for New York publishing houses and traveled extensively throughout Latin America. I also resided briefly in London and Madrid before returning to New York.
I met my husband in Houston in 1988 and followed him to California. With an emergency teaching credential, I started working at a local elementary school teaching children of immigrant farm workers. I went on to obtain a bilingual cross-cultural teaching credential from California Lutheran University. I'm also a 2001 University of Santa Barbara Fellow and Teacher-Consultant of the South Coast Writing Project. I retired in 2008 in order to devote all my time to writing, and now live in Camarillo, CA, with my husband and our beloved KC Cavalier, Chloe.
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