Sage Vogel is the author of the new book Dichos en Nichos. Also an elementary school librarian, he is based in northern New Mexico.
Q: Over how long a period did you write the stories in your new collection?
A: The 10 stories in Dichos en Nichos were written over two dedicated three-month periods. The first drafts were finished in time for the art show where the nichos and paintings debuted in September 2020. The stories were completed in 2023 as I prepared to submit the book to UNM Press.
Q: How was the collection’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: Shortly after my parents and I completed our second writing-and-art collaboration, El Ocio: Exhibitus Termino (2019), my father pitched the idea for a third: Dichos en Nichos.
Initially, the concept was for me to create bilingual dichos—pithy sayings that convey folk wisdom—to accompany a collection of paintings set in frames inspired by traditional nichos, ornamental boxes or small altars often used to honor patron saints.
Because dichos are contextualized by the nuanced circumstances in which they are spoken, I realized that the significance of my dichos, and the full potential of the project, would have to be captured through full-length storytelling.
As I began to write the stories, the figures in the paintings came to life on my pages, their stories intertwined, and Dichos en Nichos evolved into the anthology of interconnected short stories with companion artwork that exists today.
For me, the title perfectly represents what Dichos en Nichos is: words of wisdom and vibrant reliquaries interwoven into a form that invites immersion, discovery, and reflection.
Q: What do you think the illustrations, by your parents, Christen Vogel and Jim Vogel, add to the book?
A: My stories and dichos, my mother’s antique nicho frames, and my father’s oil paintings and carvings presented in Dichos en Nichos are inextricable. Together, they create an intrinsic whole. Each element offers the reader a complementary dimension that contributes its own richness, authenticity, and intrigue.
The artwork was as essential to the development of the book as it is to its presentation. The stories and art pieces took shape together, our individual endeavors supporting, enhancing, and inspiring each other. I truly cannot overstate how integral the artwork is to the stories, and I believe that will be clear to anyone who experiences the book—even from the moment they see the cover.
Q: The writer Don J. Usner said of the book, “Dichos en Nichos evokes the inimitable character of Northern New Mexico's small Hispanic communities through rich prose and vivid artwork.” What do you think of that description, and how important is setting to you in your writing?
A: Don J. Usner knows Northern New Mexico, and dichos, as well as anyone possibly can, so I see having his description on the cover of Dichos en Nichos as an achievement in and of itself. I’m deeply honored that he recognized the spirit of my writing and the artwork, the same spirit that I’ve felt in his writing.
Dichos en Nichos, like Don’s book, Chasing Dichos through Chimayó, belongs to UNM Press’s Querencias Series, and I cannot imagine a more fitting collection for it.
“Querencia” is a deeply meaningful term that refers to a love of people and culture rooted in a specific place, and even a specific time. I think of querencia as being wherever one’s heart feels most at home, and it’s as much a feeling as it is a locale.
The land, traditions, language, and most of all the people of Northern New Mexico make up my querencia, and this connection is the foundation upon which Dichos en Nichos was built.
The setting in Dichos en Nichos is an active force that shapes the lives of the characters, influencing their decisions, orchestrating their struggles, and inspiring their transformations.
The natural and cultural landscape of Northern New Mexico is integral to my writing; it’s critical for grounding my stories and elevating them. And that’s as true for the stories I’ve written as it is for the ones I’ve lived.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Between my hours as an elementary school librarian, I’m currently working on three books, with plans for more.
I’m finishing the final volume of El Ocio, an epic novel set in New Mexico before the Great Depression. I’m also writing Fabulórico, a novel in the magical realism genre, set in New Mexico around the turn of the 20th century.
Additionally, I’m laying the groundwork for a historical fiction novel about the infamous New Mexican gunfighter and lawman Elfego Baca.
As with Dichos en Nichos, each of these works is accompanied by one-of-a-kind oil paintings and frames created by my parents.
When time permits, I brainstorm plans for a modern thriller trilogy set in New Mexico and California, explore options for finding a literary agent, and continue restoration efforts on the historic adobe homes on my property in the Embudo Valley.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I have an event at Collected Works in Santa Fe on March 23 at 4:30 p.m., where I will be in conversation with Don J. Usner and reading from Dichos en Nichos. And I have an event at Bookworks in Albuquerque on March 29 at 6 p.m., with more details pending.
Readers can visit my website, sagevogel.com or follow me on instagram: @sabiovogel ,to stay up to date on events.
My parents show their artwork at Manitou Gallery in Santa Fe.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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