ALYSSA BUMP
Assistant Life and Arts Editor
Fredonia’s very own, Israel Ortiz, is publishing his first book this Saturday, Aug. 1.
Ortiz, a rising junior, wrote a piece of literature that came directly from his soul. Appropriately, it is titled “A R T from the S O U L.”
Ortiz is considered an inspiring figure at Fredonia due to his endless work to make campus a better place for all students.
He has also been extremely active throughout the Black Lives Matter movement by giving speeches and attending peaceful protests.
Ortiz has allowed the public to gain a sneak-peak of his novel through a Q+A:
What gave you the inspiration to write and release this book?
“My inspiration for this book came from a few different avenues. The first being the dire need for adequate mental health support. See one thing you realize, especially as a Black man in America, is the constant neglect for mental health. We all have feelings, we all have issues, we all have fears, and rather than isolating oneself, I want others to feel the support of this book. I want people to read this and say, ‘You feel or felt that? Wow I’ve felt like that too, you understand me.’ I desire to assist those in need. I believe this book can help get a lot of people through some hard times. Not only does it help as far as mental health and civil unrest, but I’m donating the majority if not all of the proceeds from this book to charity.
I was also inspired by the need for civil activism and our flaming political environment, which is why this includes speeches and politically driven letters of mine.”
How long have you been working on this book?
“Two years ago I started a book and I never got around to finishing it. I completely lost motivation to write because I set deadlines and expectations. I consider it my one big failure, and I told myself that with this collective, I will write freely and passionately. I started this when we were first sent home after the school shut down. I wrote from late March until I felt the collective was complete.”
What would you like your audience to gain from reading your book?
“I want my audience to understand that they are not alone. I want them to know that no matter what they deal with and struggle through, you can become more than you ever anticipated. Your feelings are real, your mental health is important and there is nothing wrong with opening yourself up. Everyone deserves to be loved for who they are and everyone deserves to be understood. Show your true colors and release your inner being. You are perfectly made, inside and out.”
If the audience could only read one passage, which one would you want them to read and why?
“This is actually a hard question, because each entry is just a slice of the large pie of life. Each hits a different emotion and experience, but if I had to choose one right now I would say one of these three: ‘The Vowels of Us,’ ‘Hot Shower’ or ‘Of Self and Soul.’
The reason I chose these is because each piece is pivotal to the understanding of character development. ‘The Vowels of Us,’ shows dependency and the need for affection. ‘Hot Shower,’ shows what pushing too hard for that can do and how better understanding others can work to the benefit of you both. The final piece, ‘Of Self and Soul,’ is a deeper realization of self worth and strength. It shows the need for love but the greater need for self love and living to one’s full strength.”
Where will the book be available?
“The book is going to be released on Amazon as a paperback for $19.99 and an e-book for $9.99. Unfortunately they can’t be free, but as I stated, the money I receive in royalties is going to a good cause. The paperback will be much better quality; it’ll show the writing styles and techniques I used. It’ll also showcase the different fonts and writing structures (which the e-book will not).”
What type of audience is this book aimed towards?
“This book is aimed towards everyone. Anyone who picks up and reads this book will find something to relate to. Some emotion they’ve felt, some mood they’ve been in, some experience they share. We all can understand and appreciate the need for this type of work. We all can relate to love, passion, depression, anger, joy, happiness and the broader.”
What passage would you like to give the audience a sneak-peak of?
“Midnight Dance :
As I sit here
Enthralled by your beauty
And amazed at your grace
I wonder
See you are untouched
Unclaimed
Unbothered
When I see you
I feel you
When I feel you
I breathe you
My chest pounds
And my heart aches
But your glow
Your radiance
Brings a chill over my body
Your touch revives me
When I’m lost
Your voice
It finds me…”
Who is the illustrator and how have they assisted you? Same with the editor?
“The illustrator is an amazing artist who I went to high school with many years back. Her name is Makayla Binter, and she’s worked on large scale and small scale murals all over North Carolina where she currently resides. She’s truly an amazing talent, and I was beyond ecstatic to have her on this project. She is actually the inspiration for two of the pieces in this book. The first being ‘The Bell does Toll’ (that’s her in the picture), and the second being ‘Of Self and Soul.’ Her art inspired me, and together we have already created some beautiful compositions. I can’t wait to continue working with her.
There is no official editor because it’s a self-publishing service, but I’ve worked with educators (English teachers specifically) to edit and work out the kinks.”
Is there anyone you would like to mention that has helped in some way with the release of the book?
“I won’t go through a list of names, but there were a handful of people who inspired some of these pieces and I wrote them in their likeness. In many pieces I say ‘I’ and ‘me,’ but in reality I’m writing about them, so thank you to them. They know who they are.”
Be sure to visit Amazon to check out “A R T from the S O U L” by Israel Ortiz on Aug. 1, and follow @izzy_writes13 on Instagram for updates.