Client Spotlight: Edwin Fontánez on Becoming a YA/Children’s Author

In 1997, in Arlington, Va., there lived a cat of legend.

Broad of chest, sharp of claw, roughly the size of a step stool with the same ability to collapse under small spaces like sofas where he would lie in wait for unsuspecting toes, feet, ankles, and—the crown jewel—exposed calf muscles. If you were unlucky enough to breach the couch skirting, you were dead. If you were within arm’s reach of his shadow, you’d receive the Paw of Tyranny: all five claws at full extension bearing down on your foot like a medieval flail.

No matter how many times you visited his house, this cat lured you into a false sense of security. All he needed was the scent of your guard dropping and then he would unleash his terror claw. Once, he somehow concealed his enormous, gray, white, and black self under my chair at a dinner party, waiting silently until I was occupied with bread buttering before sieging my ankle bone with his meat hooks. The attacks, swift and thorough, arrived like black ops. I saw grown men felled by his stealth and claw commitment on more than one occasion. This cat’s name was Raymond. And, I have to admit, once Raymond had taken you down, it was really, really funny to watch him do it to someone else.

Raymond belonged to my artist friend Edwin Fontánez. For Edwin, Raymond refrained. Raymond rubbed against ankles. Raymond purred.

To see Raymond with Edwin, one drew the only logical conclusion: Edwin Fontánez had magic.


Edwin Fontánez

Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, near the capital, Edwin grew up amid city life. His father devised a way to sell sand from the beaches to contractors until he opened an auto body shop next to the house—which worked great, for a time. Eventually, city life took its toll on the Fontánez family, and Edwin’s father gathered mom, Edwin, and his two sisters for a surprising announcement.

“We were moving to the countryside, close to my grandparents,” Edwin says. “It was around fourth grade, and he convinced me to go along with the plan by telling me the house had a TV. What he didn’t tell me was that the TV didn’t work.”

Edwin had been there for short visits with his grandparents in his early years. Wildness suited Edwin. He invented games. He climbed trees. He was a boy set loose in nature. The sunshine, the tropical mountain air, the existence among wild and domestic animals, the omnipresence of family—the seeds of Edwin’s spectacular children’s literature took root in his soul. These conditions spark the inner magic of the artist, and during this time, Edwin’s magic grew. “It was a quiet place of quiet people. I loved the silence. I loved the sound of the birds singing, calling in the end of the day. It was the best time of my life,” he says.

Edwin grew up to write “colorful stories for children about nature, animals, and Puerto Rico.”  Follow him on Instagram @exitstudiopub

Edwin grew up to write “colorful stories for children about nature, animals, and Puerto Rico.” Follow him on Instagram @exitstudiopub

Yet, trouble brewed. The creativity Edwin felt expanding in his soul had nowhere to go in the rural confines of provincial life. As he grew up, Edwin realized he would not be able to stay true to himself on the island. Artist. Outspoken. Wild. When he turned 20, Edwin grabbed the one friend who was just like him, and they headed to New York City.

His friend’s name?

Raymond.

This homage to Puerto Rican family life is one of my favorites of Edwin’s paintings. In real life, it’s enormous.  “I have dedicated my entire professional career as an author and artist to the preservation of my legacy as a Puerto Rican,” he says.

This homage to Puerto Rican family life is one of my favorites of Edwin’s paintings. In real life, it’s enormous. “I have dedicated my entire professional career as an author and artist to the preservation of my legacy as a Puerto Rican,” he says.

Raymond and Edwin found a small apartment in New Jersey and struggled to make sense of this strange new world. The buildings barricaded the sun. Edwin lost his confidence to speak English even though he’d been bilingual on the island. Out of desperation, he took a factory job in New Jersey assembling transistor radios.

“I was trying to find liberation,” Edwin says of leaving his native island. “Looking back, I wouldn’t have the gall to do what I did if I knew the emotional repercussions. Liberation came at a price that I didn’t realize at the time.”

The separation from his family, from the boy whose blood belonged to Puerto Rico, created a rift in Edwin’s identity. He was son of the island Taíno; he was a man trying to find his way in America. These divergent selves would eventually drive the themes of his creative work.

“Working in the factory was one of the most eye-opening experiences for me. The people were mean. The treated me like shit,” he laughs. “It created a panic in me that I didn’t want to get stuck there. To retain my sense of education and self-dignity, after work I painted obsessively. I painted my grandparents’ house. I realized I was going back to the cocoon of my safe place to escape.”

Edwin’s series of black and white photography documents his family and life on the island. He took this photo of his mother peeling plantains in her kitchen in Corozal.

Edwin’s series of black and white photography documents his family and life on the island. He took this photo of his mother peeling plantains in her kitchen in Corozal.

“My first proud moment,” he says, “was when I went to the post office by myself. I finally and fully accepted my new challenge when, In tentative English, I ordered a book of stamps.” That small triumph meant Edwin crossed the symbolic bridge from Puerto Rico to the mainland. He began pursuing a career which lead to art roles with major department store chains. The work was steady, lucrative, and soul-sucking. For years, he labored in advertising and design work, relocating to Washington, D.C. “where you can see the sun,” he says, “and I found a modicum of comfort in the scale of the city even though you didn’t wake up with chickens and children running through the yard.”

In 1990, life-changing news arrived. His friend, Raymond, had died.

“After Raymond died, I realized I didn’t want to deal with retail anymore. It’s a treacherous business,'“ says Edwin.

Around this time, his partner Scott’s sister arrived with a kitten she’d found that needed a home. A tiny, white, gray, and black little boy, this kitten took to Edwin. In honor of his friend, Edwin named him Raymond. As serendipity would have it, this time of his life also presented Edwin with the chance to remember a lost love—writing.

“I was volunteering with the Puerto Rico Institute of Culture, and I was assigned a project to do an illustration. Well, I misunderstood and wrote a book. So, almost by accident, I rediscovered my love of writing and started a writing career.”

Edwin published the first activity book, The Vejigante and the Folk Festivals of Puerto Rico, and the responses from kids and parents overwhelmed his expectations.

“We get so many positive reactions from Puerto Rican parents,” says Edwin. “We see these shy Puerto Rican kids in big classes light up and want to participate as soon as they see something of themselves they recognize. I thought, ‘the best way to reach children about this culture is by writing about their provenance.’ I started writing books as a way to create a cultural bridge between generations.”

Edwin launched Exit Studio, his own publishing house. “When I was a child, I would see the EXIT sign in the movie theaters,” he says. “Exito means ‘success’ in Spanish, so I thought ‘exit’ meant success. I thought using this story from my life created a narrative of how children interpret their surroundings to make sense of themselves. That’s what Exit Studio is about.”

Edwin with his painting of a vejigante that would be the cover of his first book. By 2017, Edwin’s children and YA literature was well respected, with his book The Illuminated Forest landing as a finalist in the 2017 International Latino Book Awards.

Edwin with his painting of a vejigante that would be the cover of his first book. By 2017, Edwin’s children and YA literature was well respected, with his book The Illuminated Forest landing as a finalist in the 2017 International Latino Book Awards.

Edwin embraced this next exciting life, one that began to bridge the island with the mainland, with Edwin’s boyhood self and his adult self. The magic inside wove a series of creative projects into existence. First, Edwin wrote and produced Heart of the Imaginero: Little Wood Carver, a film about the tradition of religious woodcarving. Edwin’s family members acted in the video and Raymond the cat was immortalized, playing himself.

His first picture book, On This Beautiful Island, offered a story of the history of Taíno culture to empower children to protect and honor nature. Latinx influencer George Torres of Sofritoforyoursoul.com listed the book and Exit Studio in his blog, “Connecting Kids to Their Culture from Day One” and ForeWord magazine selected it as a Book of the Year finalist.

The projects poured from Edwin faster than he could finish them. Known for working on three to five projects at a time, Edwin has built a scale model replica of his grandparents’ home in complete detail, he’s produced an illustrated book of Spanish poetry for young people, his magical realism novel for young adults The Illuminated Forest/El Bosque Iluminado earned finalist status at the International Latino Book Awards, and he promoted compassion towards animals with his outstanding work of creative nonfiction, I Promise You, hailed as “a must-read for all first-time pet owners.”

Edwin rescued this cat, Chelo, from the island where there are many stray animals in need.

Edwin rescued this cat, Chelo, from the island where there are many stray animals in need.

This month, Edwin released his first Spanish-only triology of short stories, Aroma de azucenas. From a re-imagining of an old Puerto Rican legend to a story of a boy who finds comfort through craft, and a tale of a woman rediscovering a past she thought lost forever, the book weaves a spell of fiction and history filled with mysticism and mystery.

“Nostalgia is a part of it, but art is a way for me to get to know myself,” he says. “I have discordant feelings about who I am. I can divide my life into two [the island self and the States self], and I’ve been trying to reconcile the parts for as long as I can remember. I have instinctive feelings of preservation about my culture and my family. I see myself as the family archivist through my art. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I lost our stories, and I have to reassure myself that I haven’t lost myself either.”

Edwin is passionate about sharing Puerto Rican culture. A trained teacher, he created a curriculum of activities for teachers and children to use as supplements his books.

Edwin is passionate about sharing Puerto Rican culture. A trained teacher, he created a curriculum of activities for teachers and children to use as supplements his books.

I have loved Edwin and Scott a long time, and part of my work with them now is helping get Edwin’s work to a wider audience. I admire Edwin’s creative force, his magic, and his conviction that art and literature have a vital role in our lives. Plus, he is an amazing dancer, and any man who loves cats is top notch in my book.

Please mark your calendars for April 24, 2021, Edwin’s launch for Aromas de azucenas.

Follow Exit Studio on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter for information about the launch. Follow Edwin on Instagram for his more personal artistic story about being Puerto Rican.

Edwin with Raymond the cat

Edwin with Raymond the cat

Edwin’s unforgettable, beautiful friend Raymond

Edwin’s unforgettable, beautiful friend Raymond

 
 
The author, Edwin, and friend at Scott’s mother’s celebration of life in 2016.

The author, Edwin, and friend at Scott’s mother’s celebration of life in 2016.

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