I first fell for Valeria Luiselli on the pages of her recent novel, Lost Children Archives.

And I am not alone in recognizing her gifts, Valeria has won a

MacArthur Genius Award, two LA Time Book Prizes, and an American Book Award. She is a force.

I fell for her again during our intimate conversation, where she liberated me from focusing

on the plot of my life, gave me permission to have no fixed sense of self,

and celebrated those of us who observe and write in order to connect to the world around us.

Valeria, I've been after you for the better part of a year, so thank you for finally acquiescing making this work.

I know you were busy.

Thank you so much for inviting me.

You were born in Mexico City.

You began moving all around the world first to Madison, Wisconsin, which is... Weird.

Yeah, especially compared to Costa Rica, Korea, finally South Africa.

Some people who move around Alada's kids say either that that allows them to be really forthcoming and make friends really easily.

And I think for some people, it forces them to recede into themselves.

Which was it for you?

I think the latter.

But more than in that dichotomy, I think I would say that moving around a lot forced me to

become a good observer, right?

Because when you move around a lot, especially as a kid,

you have to understand the new codes of every society that you come into,

and it's a matter of survival, understanding those codes well.

And so I more than just recede, I think I placed myself in the position of observer,

...