Though she has two newly acquired kittens and jokingly calls herself a crazy cat lady, "librarian" does not come to mind as the most fitting profession on an initial encounter with Tatiana de la Tierra.
She is the polar opposite of the stereotypical frail and quiet librarian, wearing wire-rimmed glasses on a chain and her hair in a bun. She is a woman of vivacious character, a passionate feminist and lesbian whose provocative literary work is distinguished around the world.
Although de la Tierra spends her days cataloguing books and conducting research, her life is far from ordinary. She is an award-winning writer of short fiction and poetry. While some of her work is very graphic and sexual, she makes no excuses for its content.
"I think for many people there are negative connotations to being positive about sexuality," she said. "I don't have any problem going there. I don't shy away from erotica."
Samples of her work can be found in her two books, "For the Hard Ones: A Lesbian Phemonology" and "Porcupine Love and Other Tales from My Papaya". De la Tierra performs readings of her work, and recently performed in the hit play "The Vagina Monologues."
Her work has earned awards such as the 2001 Just Buffalo Literary Award in the category of Creative Non-Fiction, and the 2002 New California Media Award for International Affairs.
De la Tierra's rich formative experiences give her a unique source of material from which to draw.
Born and raised in Columbia, de la Tierra and her family began a new life in Miami when she was seven years old. Far from the coffee fields and beautiful mountains of her native country, she lived in a small house with her parents and siblings. She said growing up a poor, Spanish-speaking migrant influenced her in many ways, and she draws from her Latina roots in much of her writing.
"I think my stories are very typical immigrant," she said.
Always interested in writing, she attended high school in Florida while at the same time caring for her younger siblings. After attending a community college for two years, she transferred to the University of Florida in Gainesville, a school she called her home away from home. It was there that life for de la Tierra changed significantly.
Living on her own and surrounded by new experiences, de la Tierra was exposed to a world of opportunity. She truly came into her own at this time, discovering and immersing herself in both feminism and lesbianism. Although she earned her Bachelors degree in psychology from Gainesville, de la Tierra became a massage therapist and began traveling around the country.
"The most important thing in the world to me at that time was being a lesbian, learning spirituality, and viewing and seeing the world," she said.
With her massage table and other belongings packed inside her blue 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, she traveled the country. She lived in her car in places like Montana and California, and gave massages at women's festivals in exchange for food and clothing.
In her travels, during a period she calls her "second big awakening," she met Latinas and other women of color. This eventually led her to co-found "Those That Have No Name," a national Latina lesbian newsletter that grew into a successful magazine.
"I had always been publishing on my own," she said. "Anything that came to me in any way that I thought to do, I just did it."
Ambitious about writing and eager to learn more, de la Tierra moved south once again. This time she would earn her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Texas at El Paso.
UTEP, despite the desert heat and dust storms, gave de la Tierra the opportunity to write and study Spanish literature. But she didn't receive the type of career guidance she expected.
"I realized at some point that for me, the best way of writing was to learn myself," she said. "So I continued to do that and publish myself."
And publish she did. De la Tierra's poetry and short stories appeared in numerous compilations and newsletters. She wrote book reviews, and continued editing while completing her degree.
Eventually, de la Tierra came to UB and earned another Master degree in information and library studies. And although this may not seem like a typical career choice for someone like de la Tierra, she insists the job is perfect for her.
"I was attracted to the profession because I had always been a documenter. It went well with me," she said. "I believe in the higher ideals of the library as a place that holds the past, present, and future."
Her office at UB, where she has worked for the past four years, is on the first floor of Capen. Located near the quiet study area, it is unremarkable and indiscrete from the outside. Once inside however, the room is a glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman and poet. Brightly colored tapestries, paintings by Botero, a famous Columbian artist, and a picture of her icon, Frida Kahlo, cover the green walls.
While working full time, de la Tierra still manages to write and publish her work. She travels frequently, and is currently planning a trip to Mexico in November for the sixth annual Latin American Feminist gathering.
She also continues to do readings, in places like Argentina, Canada, Puerto Rico, and all across the United States. She said her readings, which often involve sage, incense, candles, musical instruments and other objects, are an important part of her role as a creative artist.
"In my readings I just try to be there, to be in my body and be in the moment," she said. "If I do a reading that I think was good it's because I was connected to my writing and to the people."
De la Tierra's diverse experiences and accomplishments reflect her belief that anything is possible. In the closing of her book "For the Hard Ones," she speaks of her transformations - from activist to editor, from teacher to librarian - and concludes with one theory.
"That one angry girl can become whatever the f--- she wants," she wrote.
