Kerala Goodkin holds a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from Brown University. In 2001, she co-founded the nonprofit Glimpse Foundation and currently serves as editor-in-chief. She has traveled extensively and lived in Bolivia for six months, where she worked as a reporter for The Bolivian Times.
In addition to her work with The Glimpse Foundation, Kerala has been a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveller On Campus and currently serves as translator and public relations coordinator for the Committee of Immigrants in Action. She recently won first place in the Elixir Inaugural Fiction Contest (2004) for her first novel, How Things Break, which was subsequently published by Elixir Press in June of this year.
Kerala Goodkin spoke about her work with The Glimpse Foundation, her own writing, and her plans for the future.
What is The Glimpse Foundation?
The mission of Glimpse is to foster cross-cultural understanding, particularly between the United States and the rest of the world, by providing platforms for young adults to share their experiences living abroad. We run a website and a print magazine, Glimpse Quarterly.
In the United States, our main means of knowing about the rest of the world is through international news - where we hear mostly about death tolls and disasters, and travel magazines - where we hear about great restaurants and tourist hotspots. But few platforms give us a glimpse into the daily lives of people in other countries, hence the name.
At Glimpse, we believe that sharing these daily realities is an effective way to make Americans care about the rest of the world. It makes the world personal. That’s where I think the real power of writing lies: making things personal. This is where hatred, judgment, and prejudice begin to break down.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Before I could write myself, I used to dictate stories to my father, who would type them up for me on our family typewriter. When I was six years old, I told my parents that when I grew up, I either wanted to be a writer or "one of those people who pushes the buttons on cash registers."
When I started working in the food service industry at age 17, cash register buttons quickly lost their magical appeal. I bartend now, so I guess I'm still pushing cash register buttons, but I aim to make writing my long-term career.
As a writer, what would you say are your main concerns?
Mainly, I just like telling stories. I think stories are one of the most effective ways to bridge divides and truly communicate with people. I don't have any illusions about changing the world, but I really hope that through my writing, I can at least help broaden my readers' perspectives on the world.
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