You presented “Joe Ponciano – One minute from death” at Outono Vivo. What stands out in this story?
“Joe Ponciano – A Minute from Death” was launched at the Outono Vivo book fair in Praia da Vitória on November 9, in a very well-attended and emotional ceremony with a packed room. It was masterfully presented by Victor Rui Dores, as always, with an exceptional speech by the biographer about the tragic Flight 236, which moved many of those present, and a speech by the author and publisher. The book was also presented on the 11th at the Lar Doce Livro bookshop on Rua de São João, in Angra do Heroísmo, also well attended by family and friends and with the same speakers. It’s a fascinating and moving story. It’s another economic emigration of a family of seven, a couple and five children, from the Terceira parish of Terra Chã, to the second most Portuguese city outside Portugal – Toronto, in Canada – with almost perfect integration into the society of destination. One of the spouses learned enough English to solve the most basic of everyday problems. The other stuck to the Portuguese he took from his birthplace because the demands of life forced him to do so. The five children, all of school age, attended official Canadian schools and graduated with good results, entering the local job market.

Of the five brothers, Joe Ponciano, the book’s subject, is the penultimate child of Antonio and Georgina. As has already been said, he started out as a regular member of Canadian society, playing and socializing with those his age, but was always very active. Until he was eighteen, he did odd jobs to raise money for his day-to-day life. After a family trip to California to visit relatives who had been very well looked after on board the plane, he decided to be an airline crew member. And he did. He started working at an airport counter for a while and then entered his favorite profession. He worked for an airline that went bankrupt due to the Gulf War and then joined Air Transat, where he is still happy to provide services. Air Transat is an airline based in Montreal, Canada, specializing in tourist and charter flights to various parts of the world. It fits in perfectly with Joe Ponciano’s taste for seeing the world. It was as part of his activity that Joe Ponciano was a crew member on the unpleasant Flight 236 from Toronto to Lisbon on August 24, 2001 (Azores time), which, due to a lack of fuel, diverted to Lajes airport on Terceira island, where it landed (or crashed?) at 6.46 a.m., with both engines completely stopped and everyone saved. A unique case in world aviation. In addition to these two highlights of the book – the biography and the flight – it also includes an extensive genealogy, with over a thousand names, of the Ponciano family, originally from the island of Pico, from which Joe Ponciano is descended, and all the Poncianos from Terceira. There are, among others, two branches of the Poncianos: those nicknamed “Das Bicas”, located more to the west of the parish of Terra Chã; and the “Manhosos” more to the side of Boa Hora. Good people are of great social importance in the parish. Another chapter in the book deals with the art of Joe Ponciano, who has a reputation in the demanding New York market that many people don’t know about. His creativity was the reason for the acceptance of his exceptional works in paintings and decoration.

What was the research process like?
This whole story begins with Joe Ponciano passing by my 2nd Hand store in São Mateus, having difficulty expressing himself in Portuguese, and my wife Angelina, speaking English, making the relationship much more effortless. From there, friendship was a very short distance. He said that he had traveled on such a flight… on August 24, 2001, which landed at Lajes airport in those conditions we all still remember. I told him we had a good story for a book. The idea was well accepted, and we set to work. The work was consistently conditioned by Joe’s professional life, traveling from country to country, but we gradually adjusted. We started in 2018, and the book has now been released in 2024. We began with a recorded conversation at my house, with all the details of that unforgettable flight 236 on August 24, 2001. He then sent me several personal and family photographs, from when he was a child to the present day, including those of the many countries he has traveled to. As the artist that he is, he photographed the most original situations that greatly enrich the book. The computerized and digital means available today greatly help in all these processes.

What surprised you the most?
What surprised me most about Joe Ponciano was his loyalty throughout our relationship, but above all, his detailed description of the challenging moments we experienced on board, especially in the last 20 minutes, with everyone “waiting to die.” The crew did what they could and knew how, but the disorientation and demands of the almost 300 passengers would make “any bald person’s hair stand on end.” The other surprise was this flight’s “happy” ending, which had a tiny line between luck and miracle.

What other works do you plan to launch shortly?
In 2008, I set up Turiscon Editora to publish my own books. As of 2024, I have published 102 books, 66 of which I have authored or co-authored. Others will follow. I have several works in the pipeline to see the light of day shortly. I often jokingly say “I have books to write until after I die”. I’m preparing to publish an exciting book about bullfighting in Ribeirinha by José Paulo Lima and Edgardo Vieira, to be released in the first half of 2025. This is followed by the writing of the biography of José Gaspar Lima, former president of the São Mateus parish council, former member of parliament, and former deputy mayor of Angra, among many other social activities. For some time now, I have been working on the genealogical book “Famílias de São Mateus” (Families of São Mateus), with research and data collection already completed from the time of the settlement up to the year 1700, with the completion of the families of the 23 farms in the parish up to the present day. Others will follow.

Are there any areas you’d like to explore but haven’t yet done so?
The areas I’ve explored are so diverse that I don’t have a particular taste for any other. I have written about history, genealogy, biography, popular culture, people, places, and important events, which covers almost all areas.

in Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director

Phtos by JEdgardo Vieira Photography

Translated by Diniz Borges

The book was also presented at the bookstore Lar Doce Livro (Home Sweet BooK) in Angra do Heroísmo-Trerceira island. Here are a few pictures also by JEdgardo Vieira.