The Art of Pretend: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio On Her Frst Work Of Fiction, Girlhood, and Pop Songs

This week, in celebration of Latino Heritage Month, we’re bringing you a special conversation with the brilliant Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, author of The Undocumented Americans, and her fiction debut, Catalina. Our Nationly producer, Sofia Sanchez, leads this thoughtful interview as a guest host, where they delve into Karla's first novel, ‘Catalina.’ Recently nominated for the National Book Award, the debut novel captures “a year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college.” Inspired by autobiographical music, second-wave girlhood, and dark humor, the conversation explores how “Catalina” is written with the cute wink, the rehearsed twirl, and the knowing smile of a pop song by artists like Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, or Olivia Rodrigo. (Just how far can she take her performance? Who’s watching?) The two also discuss the Ecuadorian-American writer’s personal journey from girlhood to womanhood, from non-fiction to fiction, and from undocumented to first-time voters. Be sure to tune in next week for another brand-new episode of Immigrantly—with the host Saadia Khan! Immigrantly is a weekly podcast that celebrates the extraordinariness of immigrant life. We do this by providing our listeners with authentic, accurate insights into the immigrant identity in America. Immigrantly has garnered significant recognition and has been featured in renowned media outlets such as the Nieman Storyboard, The Guardian, The Slowdown, and CNN. Join us as we create new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at http://immigrantlypod.com. Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify to help more people find us!  You can connect with Saadia on Twitter @swkkhan Email: [email protected] Producer: Saadia Khan I Guest Host: Sofia Sanchez I Sound Designer & Editor: Juan Velez I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound Immigrantly podcast is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected] Remember to subscribe to our Apple podcast channel for insightful podcasts. Follow us on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices