The Writer’s Desk features the desks and writing practices of Gemini Ink faculty, visiting authors, teaching artists, volunteers, students, interns, staff, partners and more. Receive new posts in your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter at bit.ly/geminiinknewsletter.
Hi Leticia! It’s great to have you here with us! Let’s talk about your writing process. Has your preferred place to write changed over the years?
Definitely. I have a writing desk, but I often move around the house or work at our local library or write in my journal on a patio. I crave natural light, views of the outdoors and objects or work that are feeding my creative self.
How important is it to you to have stability in your writing routine?
It used to be very important to me to write daily or have a very set routine. As time goes on and I have navigated living with chronic illness, my need to have a strict routine has changed and become more flexible. I appreciate prioritizing making space for creative time but I also try not to be hard on myself when I don’t meet a particular deadline or goal, because I know I can always come back to that project. Just as I am a mood reader, I am often a mood writer too, and it can be pleasant and more fulfilling to follow where the energy goes rather than trying to force myself to create on demand.
What is your secret talent? Does it ever pop up in your writing?
I’m a pretty good singer. I used to do a lot of musical theater in high school and was in a small, two-person band with a friend. I’ve also been in several choirs. I kill it at karaoke. I think that loving music and having a strong musical ear makes my sense of rhythm and language in my work stronger. I used to write songs, and it’s something I hope to return to in the future.
Is there anything that you’ve been listening to lately—an interesting podcast, a song list, or album?
I love listening to these podcasts year round, but especially around Halloween, the Spooked Podcast from WNYC Studios, hosted by the excellent Glen Washington, is a must-listen for scary true tales told by folks who have experienced the strange, the frightening, and the unexplainable. Equally fun is the Spirits Podcast, where the hosts Julia and Amanda break down urban legends, and folklore and also share with listeners urban legends and stories. The Hometown Urban Legends episodes are my favorite and inspire me to write my own creepy weird stories.
What habit do you have now that you wish you had started much earlier?
Reading something thought provoking first thing in the morning. I often get into the bad habit of scrolling on social media when I first wake up, when I start the day by reading a poem, an interesting article or story, I find myself waking up more balanced and ready to engage with the world.
What is your next project?
My next book, The Remedy is the Disease, is coming out May 2026 from Undertaker Press. It’s a short collection of dark fiction that includes body horror and speculative stories.
If people want to learn more about your work, where should they go?
To my website, https://leticiaaurieta.com/. They can also subscribe to my newsletter, Leticia’s Creative Obsessions for creative musings, book recommendations, writing prompts and more!
Leticia Urieta is a Tejana writer from Austin, TX. Leticia is a graduate of Agnes Scott College with a BA in English/Creative Writing and holds an MFA in Fiction writing from Texas State University. She works as a teaching artist in the Austin community. She is also the Program Director for Austin Bat Cave and the Director of Barrio Writers in Austin and Pflugerville, a free college-level youth writers workshop founded by author and activist Sarah Rafael Garcia in Santa Ana, CA. Her creative work appears in PANK, Chicon Street Poets, Lumina, and many others. Her fiction explores the intersections of Latinx identity with folklore, traditional stories, and the supernatural or speculative. Her mixed-genre collection of poetry and prose, Las Criaturas, was published with FlowerSong Press in November 2021 and was a finalist for the Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction 2022 from the Texas Institute of Letters and a finalist for the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Short Story Collections. Leticia loves living in Austin with her husband and aging chihuahua, who are terrible work distractions. Despite all this, she is fueled by sushi and breaks to watch pug videos on Instagram.
