Library

David Mohrmann will read from his novel, XOCOMIL on Friday, May 6 from 12-2pm in the Library Fishbowl.  

XOCOMIL spans what many historians term the “Guatemalan Civil War.” That, unfortunately, does not include the USA involvement, or begin to describe how it was experienced by the oppressed indigenous Maya.

The story begins and ends at Lake Atitlán. It travels from traditional Maya villages through the war-torn mountains of Guatemala; from cornfields in Kansas through the jungles of Vietnam; from pot-filled hills in northern California through the psychedelic haunts of San Francisco to the ruins, and magic mushrooms, of southern Mexico. It is about simple lands full of complex intrigues. And hope. Always hope.

Atitlán is translated by some as, “Where the rainbow gets its colors”--by others as, “The place where water gathers.” In either case, a good name for a lake. It is a thousand feet deep. It hides a lot. But its surface reflects a world of human behavior that often taints the beauty of this magical place.

Xocomil is a word unique to Atitlán. It refers to the lake’s strong afternoon wind. Originally it meant, “The demon’s fury.” Since the invasion of Spaniards and Catholicism, however, some converted Maya have taken it to mean, “The wind that carries away sin.”

Regardless of meaning, the Xocomil blows nearly every day. Sometimes with fury.

David Mohrmann received his bachelor's degree in Social Psychology at the University of California in Santa Barbara. After receiving an MFA in Dramatic Writing, he became a member of the Theater, Film and Dance Department at Humboldt State University. He wrote and produced more than 10 plays, but his most significant contribution was in the area of political street theater as a trained practitioner in “Theatre of the Oppressed.” He retired early so that he could get back to writing fiction. His stories have also appeared in Toyon, Brink, The Battered Suitcase, and The Furnace Review.