Patricia Pérez Lives for the Arts
(Photos by Ramón Hernández)
Patricia Pérez is a complete woman because she multi-talented wears many diverse hats and is more than one person.
Patricia, who comes from a loving close tight-knit home, was a first-grade student when she starting reading and was inspired by the marvelous world of poetry, especially that of Amado Nervo.
“It was when I was in the fifth grade and our teacher assigned us to write un cuento (a short story) that awoke my interest for literature; and that’s when I begin to write short stories and children’s poems,” the Monterrey, Nuevo León-native said during a telephone interview.
This bright little girl had such an insatiable appetite for literature that in addition to her assigned required reading assignments, she further educated herself by devouring stacks of books.
Today, Patricia is a living classic work of art and her reflections of happy childhood in spite of a congenital auditory birth defect served as the inspiration and a template for her much anticipated forthcoming children’s book, “Las Aventuras de Laurita” under the nom de plume of Patricia Lemppaf.
“It was from those short stories that I wrote in my infancy that Laurita was born and she is me because she is completely deaf in the right ear. Thus I drew on my own childhood experiences to give Laurita life,” Patricia continued.
“Laura is not your average common child because something extraordinary happened the moment she was born with a God given talent. Through her left ear, she came to hear the beauty of music and all its symphonic harmonies, chords, rhythms, beats, measures and timing; the trill and warble of the birds; the ripple of the waves; the murmur of the wind; expressions of joy, delight and worship, sweet words of appreciation, gratitude, praise and love.
“On the other hand, her right ear is a filter which does not let any disagreeable, undesirable sound seep through; or any one word that could hurt her soul and spirit. And she is told that if she perceives any conflict, she should turn her face and place the filter of her right ear to work.
“In her journey through life, Laurita carries with her messages of love and overcoming obstacles. She also instills in children the importance of conserving the environment, nature and its ecosystem. And that the earth is in fact an extension of the family and is to be treated with respect and care.”
Although the literary part of the book has been completed, the only thing pending is the artwork.
“For this I have the participation of an artist, who shares in the vision and the experience; and is creating very beautiful illustrations for this book.”
Stay tuned here for more on information on this children’s book when it has been published.
As to Patricia’s ties to the Alamo City, she was 15 when her parents brought here on a family vacation and she found herself surrounded by numerous art works.
“The murals especially got my attention and it was during that trip that I fell in love with San Antonio.”
As a result, after Patricia graduated from high school, she attended the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León where she majored in social work due to her love for humanity, especially kids.
At 19, the very intelligent young lady came to San Antonio to follow and accomplish her artistic goals.
Here, the mother of two beautiful daughters — Vanessa Jenkins and Valerie Pérez-Arrieta, who was Miss Fiesta 1999 — founded La Alianza Latino Americana (ALA), a non-profit organization whose goals and objectives are the promotion and conservation of the Hispanic/Latino arts and its cultural heritage.
“In ALA, we are all equal. We all have the open-arms opportunity of expression and our slogan is “Brindando ALA’s a la comunidad artística de San Antonio” (“Offering wings to the artistic community of San Antonio”), said ALA’s executive director.
ALA’s next major event is “Su Majestad, El Bolero II” to be held at the International Folklife Culture Center at Our Lake of the Lake University on Saturday, August 4. For more information be sure to read Patricia’s monthly column in this magazine.
With all her accomplishments, no wonder our gorgeous columnist can say, “I’m a happy woman. I’m a complete woman. I give a lot to the community and I want to keep on giving.”