Querencia

This collection of both deeply personal reflections and carefully researched studies explores the New Mexico homeland through the experiences and perspectives of Chicanx and indigenous/Genízaro writers and scholars from across the state.

The anthology "QUERENCIA" contains sublime poetries, sterling quotes, articles and short stories in both Hindi and English languages. All the 40 co-authors belonging from different cities and of diverse professions came under the banner for their unanimous interest in literature and writing. The anthology is dope with write-ups coming straight from the colossal knowledge, wisdom and experience of ace writers which will surely take the readers on a ride of self-learning to feeling intense emotions, to fantasy as well as reality addressing various social issues. "QUERENCIA" is compiled by Miss Sonali Sarkar with the help and contribution of all the co-authors.

Born in Boston, Stephen Bodio wandered into Magdalena, New Mexico, in the 1970s while on his way to Montana and never left. He was accompanied by Betsy Huntington, who was twenty years his senior; the couple had been inseparable from the day they met. After stumbling upon a vintage home along the highway, they settled into a country life; it was the perfect way for the two of them to make their lives together in an out-of-the-way place. It’s through Bodio that Betsy’s story is painted in such memorable passages that soon captivate readers. Together they made their home among the mountains of New Mexico, returning to a simple life of hunting, falconry, and becoming acquainted with the local reptiles and insects of the desert. A lover of nature, Bodio here explains in vivid detail his time spent in the wilderness. He found himself the center of his neighbors’ attention when they discovered his endless fascination with the local fauna, from snakes and birds to coursing dogs. He became accustomed to Magdalena through the people and wildlife, even joining in the biggest festival on the calendar: the Quemado Rodeo, better known by locals as the Street Dance and Brawl. From the Spanish term meaning “the heart’s true home,” Querencia captivates and settles the heart. It is an astonishing read for those looking for an escape from the hustle of the big city, or just seeking to find solitude in the country life.

This is Querencia is an anthology brimming with thirteen wonderful works from 11 amazing authors who have talked at length to provide their various interpretations of a querencia. The word querencia originally comes from the Spanish verb querer that translates to "feeling safe, happy, and at home." A few of the authors have described querencia through love, through food, and through smiles they brought out on other's faces. Then there were other authors who describe querencia as the games they played as children, places they stayed their authentic selves, and finally there are authors who saw querencia in their abilities to get closure from tragedies. As a wise man once said, we believe that you can find your querencia even in the darkest of times, provided you keep looking for it. Sometimes your no for the querencia you found might just be the not yet, because you have a better querencia waiting for you, out there, designed and tailored for your biggest strengths, tears, smiles and insecurities. With this, we are grateful to those authors out there who joined us in this amazing journey, helping in weaving their creativity into pulchritude works of fiction.

Flip through the pages and experience love, life and laughter. Coloured in the hues of existence, this anthology houses excerpts of the heart and songs of soul. In the literary crowd of stories and plots, take a break and experience a whiff of brine reality, sweet soothers of symphony and the right mix of impulses and emotions. Experience the rhythm of the irrelevant, the joy of being wayward. Designed on the experiences of life in all its realms, Querencia…homing the irrelevant, is genuinely the cozy corner of one’s soul, which houses the right feelings in whichever colour and bare emotion it arrives in. The illustrations and photographs used in this anthology are either painted or clicked by the author herself. These are few of the various paths of her exploration of the journey called Life. Experience Querencia, experience the homecoming of your soul!