Yes, they do.

When I was young, I felt excluded all the time.

It's so important for me.

Thio create stories that include marginalized communities.

One of the beautiful things about the Latin X list is that you have 10 writers.

All come from different experiences.

What drives you?

What's that push to me?

My culture represents a North Star that I can kind of follow it like I'm trying to be the artist.

Both my parents weren't allowed to be.

They know how complicated it is being Latin X in this country.

We've been here were indigenous.

This is our home.

I feel like now people are willing to pay attention.

Hi, I am Paloma Martinez.

I am one of 10 named on the inaugural Latin TV list, and I'm so excited to be here with my mother, Martha, and we're going to talk about all things Latina.

Dad, I wanted to ask you, What is it like to be Latin?

It means so many things, really to be Latin X, to be a Latina, to be an American born Mexican, I'm a bi cultural human.

I'm probably multicultural, but significantly the two cultures having someone to be the most our Mexican culture and American culture.

I feel like a blend awful.

And what that means to me is that I have Access Thio, the amazing cultural specificities of being Mexican and then also helping define what it means to be American.

Did coming from a large Hispanic family influence you on your view of the world?

And how did that contribute to your writing?

Well, I think that's been a huge influence.

I mean, I think that familia is so important.

Yeah, to Latin X cultures.

And ours in particular, especially on your side of the family, is so big but so loving and so warm and welcoming that that has carried me through to I remember on weekends we'd get together and they would be like at least 50 people packed into like, a two bedroom house.

When the other kids were out playing, I actually would sneak back in, and I would listen to you guys from Anus about your childhood hearing.

You guys talk about what felt like legendary tales, absolutely made me fall in love with stories and made me want toe tell stories about people like in our family.

And not only that, um it was awesome being exposed to, like, so many different people.

So how did you make the transition from vehicle over to California?

My parents were both born in Texas, so they were American citizens.

We were born in Mexico, but because they were born in the US, we were considered Children of American citizens born abroad.

But we were poor because we worked the fields.

Eso that influenced me in the way I raised you and that I wanted you to have the freedom to create without having to worry about where your next meal was gonna come.

I absolutely see The fact that I can now focus on writing is an absolute privilege.

Wasn't always like that.

Obviously, you emphasize education so much for Alan I on.

And I think that has probably the most profound effect on me as a storyteller.

Now, you had also an experience of a couple of years ago where you got cancer.

I did.

And I wanted Thio ask you, Did that have affect on you?

I don't know.

Why.

Emotional about that, okay?

It's like it's like it's happy tears, though.

You know.

So you know something profound happened in my life.

I was essentially let go from a job that I have held for five years.

The first job I had out of grad school And on the same day I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It waas this moment in time that I think this might sound far out that was needed for me.

Thio really be able to have a chance to self reflect and really love myself more than I had been.

I was a workaholic.

I had some imposter syndrome issues.

Ah, lot of that comes from being not Mexican enough or not American enough, Um, and being ah, queer woman of color cancer really allowed me to blossom back into who I really am, who I remember as a child, you know, being like super curious, confident, very loving, loving to myself.

And it is ah, 100% had a huge impact on my writing.

I right now from a place of more vulnerability, more authenticity, not I'm less worried about what other people want.

For me, it's really important.

Like what I write is going to influence culture in a very positive way.

I'm you know, going on three years cancer free now.

But I wouldn't change anything.

And I'm so great.

Pull that.

You know, you opened up your home to a land I during treatment because it would have been kind of a mess to do that in our shoe box of an apartment in West Hollywood were living and it allowed me Thio take time to go and explore right by the ocean The edge and Gardez was predominantly written by the sea.

I'm so thrilled with your writing.

I wanted you to tell me a little bit about story three Edge the Edge and Border, which was the pilot that was named on the next TV list.

I read this article about a sewage feel that they happened in the Tijuana River back in 2018.

And truth be told, I was ah horrified at this idea that to places that I love Mexico on United States border towns, like, you know, because where my parents were from were being polluted so dramatically.

And to be honest, you influenced the angle of how to tell it.

I have never written a genre story, and I know that satisfies your favorite eso I thought, How cool would it be to turn this really story That is about, you know, the environment, humanity, things that are really affecting us right now into a sci fi.

It was playing with those different notions of bi culturalism identity.

But of course you know who we are.

University is humans and how we relate to the Earth being in Latin.

X TV list.

One of the selected to you.

How is it working for you?

I felt recognition because I was reading scripts for a Latina sex based company.

Andi.

I would hear things like, Oh, we don't we just don't have any Latino writers.

Sorry.

It's gonna have to be a guy even though it's a female protagonist story, because there's just no Latin X or Latina writers out there and I'm like, That is incorrect.

We just haven't been given access.

Being Latin X is so diverse in itself.

It is so varied and something that I think that people don't I have no idea why.

Don't see is that you know universal stories still apply to the Latin X community.

What Latinos have influenced your writing?

I would start with this probably Cesar Chavez.

Dolores.

What?

People like Ellen Ochoa, Who is the first Latina astronaut?

E mean, You know, when you hear stories of someone doing something so remarkable, it allows you to think maybe I can also do that.

If you can't see it.

It's really hard to think that you could do it too well, huh?

I think that's the last question I have have you And I love being here with you.

Thank you for doing this into you.

I'm so thrilled to be here.

I knew this was something I wanted to do with you.

And I appreciate everything that you've done for me and all the hard work.

You know, you're a single mother.

Also, that you did for my brother and I for Al and I am.

So it was never hard work to raise two beautiful Children.

It was just a privilege.

Thanks so much for celebrating Latin heritage with us.