Kris Hundt
Tell me a little bit about yourself. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I graduated with a degree in linguistics and world literature. I am a linguist, a language teacher, and a writer. I speak five languages: Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, and Italian. I have lived and worked in Dallas, Texas, for almost 20 years. I am the author of the bilingual short story collection, 12 Random Words, my first work of fiction, and the podcast and grammar book series “Spanish 360 with Fabiana.” Other short stories of mine were published or are forthcoming in Rigorous Magazine, The Closed Eye Open, Ponder Review, The Halcyone, and Hindsight Magazine. I am currently working on my first novel.
How does the writing process typically look for you? Starting the process is not easy for me. I tend to simmer the ideas in my head before transferring them into paper. It took me a while to understand that procrastinating could be a positive piece of the creative puzzle. Most of the time, I find it helpful to concentrate on one specific word and pull the string of all its hidden meanings to develop a story. That is how the stories of 12 Random Words came to exist — from a random word that I had not even chosen. I usually start writing with my eyes closed. I open them back when I am ready to edit. It is a very strange, almost magical process. I am thankful to be able to struggle along its stages. It resembles the systolic and diastolic movements of the heart, the pain of constriction, and the relief of a speck of literature that wants to transcend who I was before writing it.
How did your love of language begin, and how does that influence your writing? One of my first memories is about my dad recording conversations he had with me when I was 3. Some of those recordings still exist. In all of them, I am asking him how to say different Spanish words in English. I was always mesmerized by languages and their power to make us free. I write fiction in my second language. At this moment, English is my language of love and my language of fiction.
What have you read recently that you would recommend and why? The last fabulous book I read was Winter Journey by Jaume Cabré. It seems to be just a collection of short stories, but it is something immensely more complex. You need to wait until the end.
What are you looking forward to this year? Time to read and write. Time to travel and love. Time to grow. Time to be thankful. Time for cats, coffee, and chocolate. The possibility of sharing all that.
Find more about Martinez’s work at 12randomwords.com.
Recommended Reads
12 Random Words by Fabiana Martinez
Fabiana Martinez was given 12 random words as seeds for a series of short stories that resulted in a collection of bilingual interior vignettes. Each story is a tale of yearning, a fragment of discovery, a treasure. Set in New York, Lima, Buenos Aires, and other cities, these short stories take unexpected turns along the path of remembrance, disappointment, and hope.
The Fountains of Silence by Ruth Sepetys
Under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain welcomes tourists and businessmen with flowing good wine and the bullfighter’s flair. But under the surface is a dark secret of oppression and silence. Young photographer Daniel Matheson begins to see this undercurrent through his camera lens, and it soon affects both his family and his newfound love.
Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl
More than the typical food memoir, Ruth Reichl, the final editor-in-chief of the now-defunct Gourmet magazine, weaves together her personal story of growth from a restaurant critic to magazine leader along with the evolution of the food industry and the culture of the magazine world.
