Photo by Chad Brady.
Alfredo Corchado is the executive editor and correspondent for Puente News Collaborative. Before moderating the program “Are the U.S. and Mexico Becoming One Country?” with Universidad de Guadalajara at LéaLA book fair at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Corchado chatted with us in the green room about his childhood in San Luis del Cordero, the first book he ever read, and why he wishes he was more like his mother.
What’s your happiest childhood memory?
Living in Durango. We were born in San Luis del Cordero, a small, tiny little town. And the best moment was walking from our house to my grandmother’s house with a little pail to carry soup. She would fill it up: chicken soup, beef soup, beef stew. [On our walk] people would just come out of their stores and wave at us, and say, “Buenas tardes, buenas tardes!” That always stuck with me.
What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
Taking movie tickets at a movie theater. I loved that job because I would sneak off and watch movies.
What’s your favorite holiday?
Christmas—well, really, the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. [It’s a time for] shutting down, trying to really appreciate everything you’ve gone through that year, appreciating your family, appreciating your friends.
Whose talent would you most like to have?
I wish I had the talent of my mother—to be more patient and have undying faith. She believes everything’s going to work out. She called me this morning. I said, “Mom, I’m late, I’m running,” and she goes, “Cálmate”—calm down. She reminds me every day that you just have to take in the moment, take in the day, because it’s all going to be gone.
What was the first book you ever read?
All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers by Larry McMurtry. I was a kid working in the fields, and I used to love going to libraries. There was a librarian who would always tell me, “These are the books you should be reading.” I’m not sure why she gave me that book, but I still recall it very well.
What year, past or future, would you like to visit?
I would love to be in the middle of the Mexican Revolution, 1910. I would love to be a reporter covering that, just traveling through all of Mexico, maybe riding alongside Pancho Villa, to see what would make a whole nation rise up in arms.
What’s a superpower you would most like to have?
I think I have the superpower: being bilingual, bicultural, binational.