An Interview--Revisited

This interview appeared in the October 2004 issue of the Pananole News, the independent student newspaper at Florida State University-Panama. It was conducted by Phillip Dennis, former president of the Student Government Association, shortly after I had left that institution to write full-time, and after I had been honored with the Seminole of the Year award. Today, Phillip Dennis works in the Office of the Provost of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is program coordinator for Diversity Education. I reread the interview recently, remembered how much I enjoyed Philly D’s work, and thought of sharing it.

Seminole of the Year

By Phillip Dennis

Seminole of the Year is an award created by the Student Government Association-Panama (SGAP) to recognize dedicated individuals who have contributed to enriching the FSU-Panama experience. This past year was the first time this award was presented. It was my honor to interview the recipient: Dr. Silvio Sirias.

Denis: Hello there, Dr. Sirias. I first want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with the FSU-Panama community and with myself. To begin, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Sirias: Well, Philly. I’m a Los Angeleno, born in California. But I grew up both there and in Nicaragua, where my parents are originally from. My entire life I’ve dwelled in the interstices between Latin American and U.S. cultures and languages—like many people here in Panama. That experience, which I have loved, is at the core of who I am. It’s allowed me to make a living for the past twenty years or so.

Denis: Why you are here in Panama?

Sirias: I came to teach at the invitation of the former rector, Dr. Jeremy Brown.

Denis: Can you tell us the most impacting experience you’ve had here at FSU-Panama? Was it coming to one of our Seminole Nights or the Cookouts? Just kidding, you know.

Sirias: To be honest, the single moment of greatest impact was the first time I saw the entrance to the Canal and the Bridge of the Americas through a window on the third floor of the main building. That experience took my breath away. The sad thing is that as soon as I got here I was put to work in a room without windows. From that moment on all I had to look at was my office mate, Dr. Adolfo Leyva. Although he is stunningly handsome, it didn’t quite fulfill my dream of looking out at that beautiful sight of the Canal and of the Bridge while I worked. (Chuckles.)

Overall, however, my most wonderful experiences at FSU-Panama stem from my relationships with students. I fell in love with virtually every one of them. And that affection has been reciprocated. Hardly a day goes by without a student sending me an email to ask how I’m doing, calling me on the phone, or dropping by my house to visit. The students of FSU-Panama are very special people, and wherever I go they will always be dear to me.

Denis: In addition to being a teacher you are also an author. When was it that you knew you had to become a writer?

Sirias: I like the way you phrase it . . . “had to become a writer.” That’s a concept most people find difficult to grasp. The passion to write, the need to write, comes from some mysterious place deep inside a person. I knew that I enjoyed writing ever since I was an adolescent, but it wasn’t until about fifteen years ago that I decided to commit myself to mastering the craft. (But the truth is that the art of writing can’t be mastered—the payoff is you learn something new which each project.) It took a long time for me to find my “voice” as a writer of fiction, but every step of the journey has been worth it.

Denis: Having time off from academia, what do you miss most?

Sirias: At FSU-Panama, my contact with students. From my experience at larger academic settings I miss the wide range of ideas that professors constantly share with one another. There’s an awesome generosity of spirit in universities with ten thousand students or more. I miss that very much because I find it inspiring. On the other hand, that experience I can only find teaching in the States, and for the moment I prefer to reside in Latin America. Living here fuels my creativity.

Denis: Do you think that you’ll ever be back in the classroom?

Sirias: Definitely. I love teaching and I would miss it terribly. But for the moment I’ve got a lot of catching up to do on my writing. But just to keep in practice, during the Spring semester of 2005 I will be teaching a course at the University of Louisville. At the moment, teaching one course per semester suits me fine.

Denis: Where do you think would be the ideal place to teach as full-time faculty?

Sirias: That answer will vary with the abilities and interests of each professor. With regard to myself, I would be happiest in a university where the administration is supportive of a faculty member’s need to grow as a scholar and as a person. That means giving the faculty the time and the resources necessary for him or her to conduct research and to write.

Denis: How important do you think it is for faculty to publish in their respective fields?

Sirias: Again, it depends on the individual. In the U.S. there are institutions that don’t push for their faculty to publish. A person who wishes to rest on his or her laurels—that is, to complete their degree and produce little more—can find a home there. Research institutions, on the other hand, demand that their faculty publish. Personally, I’d be thrilled to be among the faculty at a university that pushes its professors to be on the cutting edge of their fields by generating new knowledge. If I do return to the States, to work at such an institution is my goal. I’m proud of my publication track record. I think I’ve proven that I can play in the big leagues, that I can test my ideas against the best in my field.

Denis: Would you recommend for students at the undergrad level to attempt to publish something?

Sirias: Yes. My advice is to start small. Write for the Pananole News, for example. Or, in a class that you particularly enjoy, try to blow the instructor away with an inspiring essay or research paper. Give yourself a bigger challenge with each effort. Who knows, maybe someday they’ll be calling to inform you that you’ve won the Nobel Prize. But if you care about writing, even if you don’t publish, keep on practicing. With each effort you’ll be getting better.

Denis: What can we expect from you next as a writer?

Sirias: Well, Philly, this is a very, very exciting time for me. My novel, Bernardo and the Virgin, is scheduled to be published on November 28 (there has been a slight delay in the production so the release date may be postponed). It will appear as part of Northwestern University Press’ Latino Voices series. I expect to be making several trips to the States to promote the novel.

Now that I have some time on my hands I’ve been writing up a storm. Within a few days I’ll be completing the draft of the next novel, which I started writing over two years ago. It’s titled Meet Me Under the Ceiba. I have to say that I’m thrilled with how well the story is turning out. I expect that by June, after countless revisions, the manuscript will be in the hands of publishers.

And after that I will begin research on a novel set in Panama. All my novels are based on true incidents, and there are a couple of stories in this wonderful country that I’m sure will fascinate readers in the States.

At present I’m fifty years old, my goal is to have six novels published by the time I hit sixty.

Denis: Any final words you would like to share with the students and the rest of the FSU-Panama community that is reading this?

Sirias: I just want to pass on something valuable I’ve learned from experience: live simply. That’s exactly what I’ve tried to do. In today’s world, the media brainwashes you. Television will convince you that the more you own—expensive cars, stereos, laptops, clothes, houses, cell phones, etc.—the happier you will be. That’s not true. What will happen is that you will accumulate all this stuff, but you will also have large monthly bills to pay. The trick is to live contentedly owning only the things you really need. Dump your credit cards because they can enslave you. Try not to owe a penny to anyone. That way, if someday you should find yourself without a job, instead of staying up late at night worrying about how you’re going to pay the bills, you can just kick back and relish the freedom.

Denis: Dr. Sirias, thanks once again for taking time away from your writing to chat with us. The students that knew you here at FSU-Panama deeply miss you, and we wish you the best with the rest of your career.