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An Interview with Maria Caponi

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Maria Caponi was born and grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she spent a large part of her waking hours making up stories and working on mathematical equations. She has a Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Maryland, and a Creative Fiction writing certificate with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the author of An Accidental Pilgrim, a memoir in prose and verse, released in February 2024. Two of her recent poems and four of her photographs have been included in the recent publication of ONWARD, a MB Poetry Circle and Mira Cost HS book of poems (March 2024). She is currently completing a collection of personal essays. More details about her previous work and publications can be found at mariacaponi.com.



Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I started to write this book not as a book but as observations in my journal while I hiked the El Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain. I am also an immigrant and a traveler and have carried a journal most of my adult life, and part of my teenager years. As I recount in my book, the idea of hiking El Camino was completely “accidental,” like most things in my life. I am also areligious, not really a “pilgrim.” So, when at some point many of the vignettes from my journals coalesced to become a bigger story, an actual book, the book’s title almost “accidentally” found itself.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

It was the feeling of an unexpected as well as expected accomplishment. It seemed unreal.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I have always liked to write, a form of documenting what I see, and what I do. To clarify my ideas. But I never thought that I would be a writer. However, later in life, I had the itch to transform my writing hobby into a serious endeavor. I started to take writing classes and attend workshops and conferences to become a better writer. I obtained a Certificate in Fiction Writing from UCLA and published a few stories and prose poems. The rest is history.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I have a Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Maryland and have worked as a physicist and an aerospace engineer for over thirty years.

My readers probably wouldn’t know that I worked on lasers and on the calibration of instruments to measure ozone carried in polar orbiting satellites. Another thing the readers wouldn’t know is that I like to knit, dance, and cook…

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Having it finished, a real completed book that I could hold in my hand with my name on it. I also enjoyed the editing and copyediting process with Atmosphere Press.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

OMG, this is a difficult question. Maybe “One Little Thing” by Bryant Oden, “Imagine” by John Lennon, or “Here Comes the Sun” from the Beatles. But I am sure that if I look there are many others!

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

Inspiration, information, and entertainment.

Someone curious, who likes to travel (either in real life or vicariously) and is interested in other cultures.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I am working on a collection of essays. A treasure chest of “moments” that form in the end a full story.

Not writing projects: Maintenance of my house (painting, varnishing… repairs…). Traveling to various parts of the world. This year: Workshops in Paris (well, part of that is writing) and Meditation in Bali…

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

Atmosphere Press was easy to work with. The best parts were their editing and copyediting crew. The cover designers were good and patient as we had to go many times back and forth until we coalesced on a very nice, attractive, and engaging cover based on one of my pictures. The weakest part so far has been the help with publicity. I hope this interview and some help with potential reviews will improve that part.


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