Meet Delia Ruiz

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Delia Ruiz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Delia , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic comes from both of my parents. Since I was young I’ve seen them provide for my sister and I by working at poultry plants, cleaning homes, construction, and landscaping. They immigrated to the U.S. in the 90’s and always made sure we had everything we needed. On the side, my sister and I would help them with yard sales and even selling at la pulga to get extra income. We grew up in a lower income household with 8-10 people at times but always with lots of love. Watching my parents work hard inspired me to do the same and go after my dreams. While my parents sacrificed their own goals (my father wanted to be a baseball player and musician and my mother a florist), they made sure my sister and I would reach ours. I’m inspired daily by their work ethic and do my best to make them proud.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I do many things, but I think I am more known for sharing Latinx book picks on my social media platforms under @ aventuras.en.esl. On my page I like to share books by Latine creators and showcase diverse books in general. This includes inviting authors for live interviews or just getting the word out that Latinx authors are here and present. Through this channel I’ve met wonderful lifelong friends and it brings me joy to share their work and celebrate their success. The branding of this page dates back to my first teacher store (TPT). I used this screen name to make activities for English Language Learners when I was in the classroom. Aventuras En ESL has now evolved into a platform for Latine book picks and a place where I can showcase my own books as well. This year I’m launching my next 3 books on dance.

The !1,2,3 BAILA! book series features salsa, cumbia, and merengue while incorporating kid-friendly concepts (counting, instruments/sounds, and manners/consent). I wrote these books back in 2021 and I’m excited they’ll be out this year, 2023! You can check them out here: https://bookshop.org/lists/2023-latinx-book-releases-1e307c13-52ee-4dbf-9f02-6b8b1646739a

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My writing journey has and is a life long learning journey. I’m grateful for the Las Musas mentorship which paired me with author Margarita Engle in 2022 for my novel in verse project. This mentorship opened the doors to meeting other fellow hermanas in the program and gave me a 1:1 approach with a talented author. I am currently querying and it’s a journey that’s taught me patience. I currently work with my critique partners to sharpen my work and improve my writing. I also take many classes from Highlights Foundation on publishing, revising, and craft. All of these things have helped with my writing as I look for an agent. Advice for other writers: join a critique group and be open to feedback, take classes on craft (Youtube has free ones), look for examples of query letters, research the industry and agents that would be a good fit, and read many many books.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Only 5.3% of children’s books feature Latine main characters. I use my platform to elevate Latinx voices so their works reach many classrooms, libraries, and homes. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with many amazing authors in live interviews each year during Latine/x Heritage Month. I hope to collaborate with new debuts (I have many saved) this year. For book review posts I have a form on my website to fill out for potential posts. I’m excited to see more representation year by year. I’m also excited to increase this percentage with my next three books on Latin dance: !1,2,3 Baila! board books.

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