Author Alejandra Oliva (right) next to the cover of her memoir, Rivermouth.

Headshot by Anna Longworth

hide caption

toggle caption

Headshot by Anna Longworth

Author Alejandra Oliva (right) next to the cover of her memoir, Rivermouth.

Headshot by Anna Longworth

In her memoir Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration, author Alejandra Oliva recounts her experiences working as a translator and interpreter for people seeking asylum in the U.S. But as she navigates the world of immigration advocacy, she starts to grapple with the question of what it means to help, and what it means to “want to star in the helping.”

On the episode, host B.A. Parker talks to Oliva about her childhood, her work, and the winding path that led her from the publishing industry to divinity school to the U.S.-Mexico border.