An Inspired Chat with J de laVega of Irvington

J de laVega shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi J, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
To be honest, I’m wandering more than ever. As I turn the corner to forty I feel more like “myself” and am exploring what that means to me. My children are 9 and 19 and very independent, so the “mommying” phase has come to a close and they need me in new ways; ways that leave me with more time on my hands. It’s sad, but I’m enjoying watching them grow into these beautiful humans. I’m leaning into my neighbors and community more. Teaching neighbors how to garden, and then sharing the fruit of our labor. Taking on more community driven book signings, being more vocal about my beliefs and politics, closing doors to unanswered questions and moving forward. I’m no longer worried about being a best selling author, just an honest one whose voice amplifies emotions or pain children (or inner children) do not have the words for.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is J de laVega and I’m an award winning author-illustrator of children’s literature. Which is humbling to say. I think the last time we had an interview I was just releasing my first traditionally published book Wepa. Since then I’ve illustrated the incredibly needed book Love is Still Winning by Fabienne Doucet, and I have two more books set to release. Annalise: The Special Dish, coming out in fall of 2026, and No More Coquis, coming out in spring of 2027. I’d really love to try to my hand at middle grade and YA work just to shake things up. Between books I’ve been fortunate enough to work with nonprofits throughout the boroughs, and travel to other states for book festivals. It’s a stressful and exciting time for me as a writer and I hope I’m able to do this for a long time.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was young, probably 11-12, my parents used to take us to Mexico on the weekends. Not your typical expensive tourist towns, just regular working class border towns. I didn’t get it then, why it was important to shop in the mom and pop pottery shops; why we sat on the sidewalk eating food from a cart rather than McDonald’s. Most of the time I was bored. I didn’t understand. One weekend I saw a man and a boy about my age crossing the Rio with their clothing held above their head. Watching them terrified me. It was around November so I knew they had to be freezing, and I knew something had to be seriously wrong if the father thought risking his son’s life through that rushing river was the better option than whatever they were leaving behind. That moment radicalized me, or at least, lit a spark. I won’t say it was a quick process, but as I educated myself about the world through books and experience I realized my voice had value and not using it was complicity to the atrocities people experience.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Sure, plenty of times. Art and literature aren’t exactly respected fields unless you’ve reached household name fame. Dollop any amount of diversity, or simply tell your honest perspective as a person of color, especially if that story is meant to break cycles, and suddenly you’re too woke or are “criticizing your elders parenting”. To make matters worse, most writers are living below the poverty line. I’ve gone to book signings with over 100 people, only to turn around and stand in a breadline the next day. It makes you question your dreams and if it’s actually worth it. My parents and husband are the people that keep me anchored to this idea that what I do matters. I’ll get tearful hugs or emotional messages from adults saying they weren’t expecting a children’s book to make them feel seen, and they’re always the ones to be like, “see, look what you did. Keep going.”

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, and no. Around kids I’m more Gullah Gullah Island and less of the angry woman on a podcast arguing about the atrocities of our government. To be honest, I have more issues with adults publicly and I’ll catch myself using my customer service voice. It’s a balancing act. Everyone is coming to you with their own lives as the main character of their own stories. I try to be as patient as possible while still being true to my boundaries, and sometimes that means masking or code switching. That’s just a reality for most people I think.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I want to build a multigenerational eco-village. My friends always joke that I’m trying to build a cult, but honestly when we look back at history and look at villages before colonization they were all community centered. They helped each other, fed each other, supported one another. Am I saying we live in a big house off the grid? No. Small houses with internet access built around a large garden and playground, surrounded by a food forest? I’m here for it. I want to be able to take care of my parents, my siblings, their kids, my friends. I want us to share the burden of life and breathe a little easier.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Authorjdelavega.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/authorjdelavega