The Making of a Memoir with a Mission
Today, people around the globe celebrate two different founding stories—Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day—while our creative team celebrates a third with the launch of a new memoir, The Open Gate. In it, author Elsmarie Norby recounts the origin story of Ojalá Niños, the creative community she founded for Otomí families in San Miguel Viejo, Mexico. It’s a place I have grown fond of visiting as an editor and a board member of the Little Things Matter Foundation, the book’s sponsor.
Elsmarie Norby with chidren of San Miguel Viejo
As Elsa writes, when she first moved to the rural indigenous community nestled in the valleys of Central Mexico, she had intended to live a simple, quiet life by herself. But then the children appeared at her gate—and with them, a new mission.
Like many missions, what began as one person’s response to one community’s need became a collective labor of love. This beautifully designed bilingual coffee-table book shares her cherished recollections of life in San Miguel Viejo through her penned words, translated into Spanish, and her photographic lens, with a brief history of the cultural heritage of the Otomí people, as told by local historian José Arturo Morales Tirado.
As a founder, editing this book brought me back to my mission to create a better world through transformational storytelling. After years of writing about causes and culture change, with a fair amount of commercial work mixed in, editing Elsa’s book reminded me of the power of personal stories to shape others’ lives in impactful ways. In fact, the first memoir I edited did the same and, serendipitously, led me to Elsa.
Every life story I edit deepens my understanding of my own. Each of us is part of humanity’s collective story.
Elsa with Little Things Matter Foundation Co-Founder Barry Annino
I don’t recall if I brought flowers to the hospital that day in 2016 when I visited my friends, Debora and Barry Annino. But I do remember the conviction in Barry’s voice as he spoke about the awakening his terminal diagnosis had prompted in him. The intensity of his observations triggered my compulsion to capture them, and with his permission, I pulled out my laptop and began writing. Our conversation was so compelling that I kept coming back for more visits with Barry.
During his chemotherapy sessions, he shared the extraordinary insights of someone living far beyond the mundane. His perspective on the meaning of life ranged from poignant to astonishingly hopeful—much like Elsa’s stories about her life in San Miguel Viejo.
Barry and Debora launched their foundation to help Hispanic communities in need while he was still in the hospital, as told in their co-authored memoir, Little Things Matter: A Story of Suffering, Survival and Legacy. Barry is gone now, but the impact of his final years of deep living endures along with his story, including the chapter where his mission led him to Elsa. Not only did editing their stories teach me to appreciate the art of living well in San Miguel, but also how to appreciate life in general.
If you’re struggling with whether to celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, remember the decision does not have to be either/or. In this period of cultural upheaval, it is understandable to find comfort in the traditions of our youth even as we contend with the underbelly of colonialism that tarnishes our history. “The Open Gate” reminds us to keep our hearts and minds open to new people so that we may grow by recognizing ourselves and others as part of an extended human family in a global community.
This beautiful memoir paints an intimate portrait of indigenous children and their rich cultural heritage that was nearly lost but is now honored by local advocates such as Elsa and those who support Ojalà Niños. You become one of them when you buy this book. All proceeds benefit Ojalà Niños. Get your copy today at Amazon here.
Heirloom Digital supported this project as a partner in developmental editing and book production. The publisher is EarthPeople Press, a division of EarthPeople Media. For information on our collaborative publishing platform for mission-driven authors, get in touch and let’s visit.
