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Issue date: October 25, 2000

Former Woodside High Spanish teacher turns novelist

She has just published her first work of fiction, called "Viento del Sur," a novel in Spanish about a modern woman's struggle to stay true to her roots after she leaves her home in Chile for the United States, she said.

Ms. Villafane Leon said there is a growing market for contemporary fiction for Spanish language readers, and she has created her own publishing network to help other authors and poets get their work into print. She has been lobbying local book stores to expand their offerings of contemporary fiction in Spanish, she said.

She will be signing books and reading selected passages at Borders Book Store in Palo Alto on Thursday, October 26, at 7:30 p.m. The reading is part of a cultural presentation that will include a poetry reading by Ana-Luisa Kennedy, music by classical guitarist and singer Rafael Manrique, and a performance by Estampas de Chile.

Borders is located at 456 University Ave.

Ms. Villafane Leon taught for 20 years at Woodside High School, where she ran the Newcomer Center for students learning English as a second language and later taught advanced placement Spanish. She lives in Palo Alto.