VENTURA : Books Result From Love of Education

Maricarmen Ohara still remembers the elementary schoolteacher in her native Bolivia who pulled so hard on her ears in an effort to instill learning that the lobes bled.

Despite that, Ohara said, she eventually developed a passion for education and, in particular, reading. That is why the veteran Ventura College Spanish teacher spends most of her free time writing, compiling and publishing books written in English and Spanish, she said.

She recently released her 10th book, titled “Stories of Many Worlds.” The slim tome, like most of her other books, is a compendium of original stories written by Ohara, folklore collected from countries around the world and Ohara’s recollections as a child.

Ohara published 2,000 copies of the book through a home-based publishing company she owns, called Alegria Hispana Publications.

“There is not a lot of literature available for Spanish-speaking people here,” said Ohara, who lives in Ventura.

She began writing books in 1987 because she wanted to offer students in her Spanish classes quality reading material to supplement their lessons, Ohara said. To make it easier, each story, poem or essay is written in both Spanish and English.

Since then, she has published nine more books, eight of them in bilingual form, Ohara said. Like many of her other books, “Stories” is illustrated with drawings by Ruben Dario Acevedo, a young Colombian artist.

Ohara has a doctoral degree in Latin American literature from the University of Washington. She was a well-known author of novels, plays and short stories in Bolivia, from which Ohara says she fled in the ‘70s to escape political upheaval. She began teaching Spanish at Ventura College in 1980, Ohara said.

Her favorite story in her latest book is called “Orula’s Beef Tongue,” Ohara said.

“It is a story about how you can make somebody feel wonderful, on top of the world, by what you say,” Ohara said. “Or with the same tongue, you can destroy a human being.”

Ohara sells the books out of her home. “Stories” costs $12 and is available by calling 642-3969 or by writing to P.O. Box 3765, Ventura 93006.