“Finca” is a Spanish word that refers to a piece of land. Typically a rural estate or an agricultural property, a “finca” is a place of escape from city life and its “rat race.”
At least, that was the purpose of Corky Parker’s “finca.”
In her memoir “La Finca: Love, Loss, and Laundry on a Tiny Puerto Rican Island,” the Port Townsend-based author chronicles her escape from the humdrum on a mission to fulfill her fantasy of running an inn far from her Pacific Northwest home.
That is how La Finca Caribe, an inn on the island of Vieques off the coast of Puerto Rico, came to be. What started as merely a dream would become Parker’s life for the next 20 years, all the while navigating ups-and-downs, finding herself, accepting loss, falling in love, and finding a home.
A book journaling the how’s and the why’s of Parker’s venture into the unknown, “La Finca” is an inspiring and enchanting story with adventure on every page.
To describe “La Finca” as a standalone memoir – a life’s story with a definite beginning, middle, and end – would only be a fraction correct. It is also part scrapbook, part sketchbook, part journal, part how-to guide.
“Because of the way my brain works, I always think with pictures,” Parker explained.
The story is not only told with words, but those words are punctuated by illustrations, photographs, and memorabilia collected along the author’s journey.
“I’ve always preferred to combine words with pictures and pictures with words.”
She details the exceptional beauty and the uniqueness of La Finca Caribe, regarding the place as “very authentic, from the heart, more about the community than about really making a lot of money.”
Based on the accounts and drawings she kept during her time as owner and innkeeper, she explained how her book was crafted to capture all of that in both story and visuals.
“That’s why it doesn’t have any one look to the illustration style because I started the story turning 40 which is now 25 years ago. Over those 25 years, there were lots of little sketches … little poems or paragraphs from my journals, as well as drawings and pastels or whatever from my sketchbook.”
In those two decades, her story evolved with life’s changes.
“I wrote the memoir with what I thought would be a very, very happy ending because at the time it was a collection of the fun stories, the ups-and-downs, the pitfalls of running this crazy inn that all ‘worked out in the end,’” she said.
“But let’s just say things happen, life happens. Some things aren’t so pretty or they’re certainly not expected, so the ending of the book is very different than what I expected.”
To finish the book with a new ending was a journey in itself, she explained.
Forced to look back on difficult events, she saw the completion of “La Finca” as both a challenge and an opportunity.
Parker came to Port Townsend to finish the book, spending the last few years completing the artwork and wrapping up the story.
“It was kind of cathartic, I guess. It became a journey again to process my own grief because for the next two years I would be producing the artwork and editing that story,” the author said.
“Being in Port Townsend was tremendously helpful,” she explained. “It was sweet because it was supportive. It was a time in my life that I benefited from a supportive community wrapping its arms around me.”
That kind of love is translated on the pages of her book.
“I think the connection to people is my favorite part,” Parker said when asked about the story.
“I love that it means so much to people who are reading it. I love getting letters from not just past guests … but from people who have never been to the place.”
Parker told the story of one woman who wrote to her. This woman told the author how the book helped her to better understand her husband’s Puerto Rican culture.
“La Finca” is so much more than a beach read, Parker explained. In her book, it’s obvious the author takes cultural acceptance and understanding to heart along with environmental awareness and practices.
It’s a book that feels more than personal. It’s easy for the reader to become a part of the story, feeling both the stress and the thrill of taking chances, experiencing the author’s highs and lows. From figuring out how to look at your dreams to deciding how to pursue your own adventures, there is a lot to take away from a story like this.
“Pay attention to the lessons that are around you,” she advised those who pick up her memoir, “but on the other hand, be authentic to your own dreams, too.”
“Finding that balance, maybe, is what it’s about.”
“La Finca: Love, Loss, and Laundry on a Tiny Puerto Rican Island” was released in January 2021. The book is available on corkyparker.com, or you might be able to snag a copy at Port Townsend’s Imprint Bookstore.
Local readings are scheduled with some more on the horizon, pending COVID regulations.
The Link LonkMay 21, 2021 at 11:03PM
https://www.ptleader.com/stories/authors-memoir-teaches-love-loss-laundry-and-la-finca,75127
Author's memoir teaches love, loss, laundry, and la finca - Port Townsend Leader
https://news.google.com/search?q=Laundry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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