BCC Shines a Light On: Rebecca Minelga
Name of the piece published by BCC:
When/where was it originally published:
The Mark Literary Review, 2020
Tell us more about your piece! What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process?
Growing up in an old-school New England home, partially raised by my rigid grandmother and partially raised by my working mother, my experience often juxtaposes privilege with WASP-ish working values. If you've seen the TV show Gilmore Girls, that is my life! Tarnish was meant to be a study of what happens when heirlooms lose their emotional value, but it ended up also capturing the generational divide that we're seeing more often as the hallmarks of success from earlier generations (a home, matching china displayed in a hutch, knick-knacks, silver flatware) lose value in modern contexts. In the end, it is about asking what will serve you in your own life, whether that is in a materialistic sense or an emotional sense.
How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now?
Tarnish was my very first piece of CNF to be published and it was written at a time when I was going through intensive therapy for a number of mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It was an attempt to process the complex emotions and tension of both my chaotic upbringing and current reality, for better or for worse. While I wish I could say I have done the things I wrote about well up to this point (particularly not yelling at my kids when they break a dish), I think any parent in the trenches of raising kids won't be surprised that the reality has fallen short of the ideal. Reading it today, it is a reminder of who I want to be both as a person and as a parent and a conviction of the places in which I've fallen short.
When it was published in 2020, just as the world was realizing an eight-week shutdown wouldn't be enough to stop the global pandemic, I didn't know where my publishing journey would take me, but I'd heard essays like this could help build a platform for my writing. Now, less than five years later, I have a dozen bylines, have self-published my second non-fiction volume, have my debut fiction novel coming out next summer with a potential sequel in the works, and another project I can't quite talk about yet (those in publishing know that "vague" thing where things are happening but not yet public). Writing CNF essays like this have been both therapeutic for my mental health, but they've also been a much-needed break from the intensity of long-form writing. They've also been my small "yesses" along the way that have helped alleviate the ubiquitous rejection of the publishing world. As I look back at this piece, who I was when I wrote it, and what it symbolized in that moment, I can't help wondering where I'll be in another four years!
Is there a specific message you would like readers to take away from reading this piece?
I would absolutely hope readers would feel empowered to let go of those things from their past that are not serving them, either physically or emotionally. It's okay to hold to meaningful things, but it's also okay to let go of obligatory things. And, if you need help to do that, don't be afraid to seek help, and know that you are not alone.
What else would you like to tell readers about your writing? (Doesn’t have to refer only to your BCC piece)
I love writing in the spaces between who we are and who we are becoming. Whether that is through sharing my own journey to offer hope to others, through character formation and discipleship with Bible Study curriculum, or through offering mental health rep in fiction, my goal is to tell stories that matter. Stories that live in the spaces between and that strive to bridge the space between the now and the not-yet.
Where can readers find more of your work? (Website/social media, etc)
All my current work can be found at www.rebeccaminelga.com, including books, essays, forthcoming projects, and press coverage! I'd be honored if readers would sign up for my newsletter, which goes out quarterly and gives updates on projects as well as reading recommendations and little tidbits about life outside of writing. You can sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/865c61e2277a/sign-up. I can also be found on both Facebook and Twitter: @RebeccaMinelga
