An Afternoon with Josefina Lopez

by Ernie McCray

I, along with a room
of other people,
just spent
“An Afternoon with Josefina Lopez”
who just happens to be
an award-winning
highly acclaimed Chicana
playwright and screenwriter
who gave to the world,
early in her career,
the play, “Real Women Have Curves,”
which later
became adapted into a film
and then
a Broadway musical,

none of this success coming as a surprise to me

because I met her before

she achieved fame,

back when her first play,

“Simply Maria or the American Dream,”

a stellar piece,

was produced by the Playwrights Project.

At the time I saw her,

although she was only 17,

as a sincerely bold old soul

who was

eager to get the stories

of undocumented immigrants

told.

And as I listened to her
I could see
that she’s the same Josefina,
a woman now 57 years old,
still challenging patriarchal norms,

highlighting the strength

of Latina women,

gallantly fighting

against stereotypes

with her

authentic nuanced portrayals

of their lives,

encouraging them to love themselves,

speaking on this day

about her approach

to her writing,

revealing insights as to how she managed to carry on

after many rejections, seven,

from film schools

by just giving what she had to give

with the belief

that karma rewards

the giver,

sharing that she takes her rage

to the page,

allowing her heart

to govern what she puts on paper,

to run the show,

so, to speak,

because creativity

involves emotional intensity

and intuition

and passion

that only the heart can expose,

as opposed to the brain

which, in the main,

only keeps one alive

to pay the bills,

if you will.

It was so satisfying
listening to
and seeing someone,
whose work I’ve followed
for 39 years,
still, this time via herself
in contrast through characters
she’s brought to life,
bringing the essence of women
to the stage
as she did that day.

What a wonderful afternoon.