Claudia Meléndez Salinas was born and raised in Puebla, Mexico, and has worked as a journalist and a writer for the past 30 years. She began her career at El Andar, a bilingual publication for California’s Central Coast that later became a national magazine. After a few years working for The Salinas Californian and the Monterey Herald, she co-founded Voices of Monterey Bay. Her first book, “A Fighting Chance,” was published by Arte Público Press in 2015. Her poems have been published in Journal X, LatinoLiteratures, La Raíz Magazine, and her poem “Transitioning” won the 2022 RedWheelbarrow Poetry Award. She lives in Salinas with her husband Víctor and their three cats.
I earned a B.A. in Latin American and Latino studies with a minor in Journalism from the University of California, Santa Cruz. I had a great journalism professor there, Conn Hallinan, who was very inspirational. After graduating, I got a job at the Valley Morning Star in South Texas. Then, I moved back to California to work at El Financiero en Los Angeles. After that, I moved to San José to work for the Spanish-language newspaper of the Mercury News, Nuevo Mundo. I worked for The Californian in Salinas, then the Monterey Herald also in Salinas (Monterey County). While at the Monterey Herald, I took a year off to get a masters in Specialized Journalism at USC. After I quit my job at the Monterey County, I co-founded Voices of Monterey Bay, a bilingual online news magazine that still publishes to this day.
I always enjoyed writing and reading, ever since I was a little girl. But it was not my chosen profession at the time. What clinched it for me was volunteering for a magazine when I was in college. The internship — if you can call it that — gave me a taste of the power and importance of journalism. I was hooked. Later I received a scholarship to participate in the student paper at NAHJ’s national convention in Chicago, in 1995, I believe. I have not looked back, even though I have not worked as a full time journalist since 2018.
What brought you to NAHJ?
I joined back in 1995 as a student and then as a professional, so I’ve been a member for 28 years on-and-off, I guess. Wow.
How NAHJ has impacted you?
As I mentioned earlier, I was part of a couple of student projects, first the student reporter job, then the student university. The networking that takes place there landed me a couple of jobs. I met one of my best friends, Macarena Hernández, when I attended the first student newspaper project. NAHJ has been an important part of my journalistic career, to this day.
Is there a particular challenge that you have overcome through the help of NAHJ or its resources?
Back when newspapers were still calling undocumented people “illegal aliens,” NAHJ members provided support for my quest at the time to change it. It eventually got changed, and I know I was among the few journalists who advocated for the change, with the support of NAHJ.
Brag about yourself — Please share some highlights of your career.
Man, I’ve won lots of awards, but not an NAHJ award yet. So maybe that’s to come? I’ve won mostly regional awards from California New Media, the California Teachers Association, the Education Writers Association, the Ruben Salazar Award from the Chicano news media association. I wrote a young adult novel that was published in 2015 by Arte Público Press, “
A Fighting Chance“. It does give me great pride to know that my book was published by the same publishing house that published Zoot Suit and other works by Luis Valdez. I’m a huge fan of his. The book earned a “top ten” Latino authors to watch in 2016.
Last year, my poem “Transitioning” won first place in the Red Wheelbarrow poetry award. One of 1,500 poems that was submitted. The winning poem was chosen by former U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera. That’s definitely another highlight of my career.
I have a daughter who’s the apple of my eye, whose presence in my life I consider a huge accomplishment. She has that power over me.
How are you paying it forward?
I run a journalism youth camp for high school students. We’ve done it for five years in the summer. This year is the first I’m doing it in the winter.
Do you have any final thoughts?
I came to this country knowing very little English — my name is…, nice to meet you , etc. That fact that I have gone on not only to write in English but to make a living writing in the language, fills me with joy and humility. That what’s most important, most determinant in a person’s life trajectory (your parents, the place where you’re born), that I had nothing to do with. I was sent into the universe to a couple full of love — and tons of hurt, of course — but mostly, love. So I learned to love myself and others with them, and everything has cascaded from that. I’m immensely blessed.
