“I don’t know that I would have become a writer had I not grown up with this very deeply rooted fascination with language and the ways that for me it existed in these two worlds.”

That’s the Peruvian American author Natalia Sylvester, whose newest book, “Breathe and Count Back from Ten,” was named a 2022 Today Show Pick. In Episode 62 of the America the Bilingual podcast, we talk with Natalia about how words have shaped her experiences as a young Latina immigrant to America. She also describes how she writes her novels in English, but with her home language of Spanish often guiding what appears on the page.

Music credits, in order of appearance:

John Bartmann - Umlunguhttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/umlungu/

Kevin Macleod - Quasi motionhttps://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

Monplaisir - A good start

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monplaisir/American_Dreams_Soundtrack/Monplaisir_-_American_Dreams_Original_Soundtrack_-_12_A_Good_Start/

Loyalty freak music - Shoepophttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Loyalty_Freak_Music/MELODIES_WITH_A_BEAT/Loyalty_Freak_Music_-_MELODIES_WITH_A_BEAT_-_09_Shoepop/

Komiku - The tabletshttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Helice_Awesome_Dance_Adventure_/the-tablets/

Monplaisir - Brotherhttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monplaisir/American_Dreams_Soundtrack/Monplaisir_-_American_Dreams_Original_Soundtrack_-_04_Brother/

TRG Banks - Daybreak in a new townhttps://bit.ly/TRGBanks_Daybreakinanewtown