Burro Genius

Content Warning: This section discusses racism and abuse.

Villaseñor begins by noting that his memoir Burro Genius has been a work-in-progress since 1962, when he was 22 years old. Drafts of the memoir were repeatedly rejected by publishers, but Villaseñor became obsessed with the book and continued working on it. He notes that the process exhausted him emotionally. He recalls giving a draft to a family friend, a writer from Los Angeles, asking for advice. The man said the book was awful and that Villaseñor had tried to reach beyond his “mental capabilities.” He advised him to stop writing and work in his father’s business instead.

After finishing his military service overseas, Villaseñor continued writing, producing three different books. After 265 rejections, he finally published Macho! in 1973. He published several books over the years but kept working on this memoir. According to Villaseñor, his parents’ death made his inner “voice” stronger, enabling him to finally finish the book after 40 years of work and personal exploration.

Villaseñor recalls being invited to the 1973 California Association of Teachers of English conference to attend a writing workshop. At the time, he was a newly published author, feeling nervous but excited about being among more experienced fellow writers.