This past weekend I had the opportunity to see the off Broadway production of “They Call Me La Lupe” starring Brooklyn born actress and fellow Latina, Lauren Velez. The story is about the life of the dynamic, freewheeling, uncontainable, but brilliant Cuban singer Guadalupe Victoria Yoli Raymond, the original Queen of Latin Soul. It was a remarkable depiction of one woman’s desire to sing and not let anything … Continue reading Latino Theatre: We Need More
We all have habits that are not good or down right unhealthy for us. Some habits have become so bad that they can actually be called addiction, there’s smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, etc. We all have seen or know someone that has battled or is battling these addictions. However, some bad habits may not be as serious as the aforementioned but nonetheless can still be harmful … Continue reading Bad Habits: We all have them
The fire raged for forty days and in forty ways sparks burned stars on virgin skin. Beaming heat on nameless faces, engaged in activities better left unsaid. Temporary joys felt under shameful satin sheets Remnants of cigarette smoke linger, yellow fog lives on the nameless window-panes. Invisible eyes don’t recognize themselves in a mirror, with a stranger’s glance staring back. She believed in new life, … Continue reading Regret
The modern school without systematic lectures turns out many graduates who lack retention. No sooner has the sound of the word left their teacher’s lips, the subject has been forgotten. . . –Arthur Schomburg It was more than a century ago that a young man arrived in New York on a mission that would bridge two cultures, span several centuries, and provide a lasting structure … Continue reading Spotlight Latino: Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often considered Mark Twain’s greatest masterpiece and has long been regarded as one of the best books in American literature. It captured a very real time in American history that dealt with slavery, racism, and the relationship between whites and blacks in the United States. Combining his raw humor and startlingly mature material, Twain developed a novel that directly attacked many of … Continue reading Re-writing Huckleberry Finn: An injustice to a writer’s craft
As I begin my first post of the Spotlight Latino series, I decided to put the spotlight this week on prolific Puerto Rican writer Rosario Ferré. As a member of the upper class, Ferré was born in Ponce in 1938 to a family influential in business and politics. Ferré is the daughter of one time Puerto Rico governor Luis Ferré and while born into wealth and privilege, Ferré … Continue reading Spotlight Latino: Puerto Rican Writer Rosario Ferré
Happy New Year my loyal readers. I hope you all had a happy and prosperous holiday season. It is the 4th day into 2011 and I feel amazing. 2010 was a great year for me personally and professionally. I accomplished many of the things that I set out to do and was pleased with how it ended. As you may have noticed the appearance of the blog … Continue reading The Dawn of a New Day
It was a hot summer day in August and my skin felt like it was cooking from the hot sweltering sun. I felt like a pig that was being roasted for Christmas dinner. Little droplets of sweat where beginning to form on my forehead not so much from the temperature but from my nerves and feelings of fear as I searched the playground for my 10 yr old sister. Growing up in an inner city like New York City there really wasn’t many places kids could go to play and for me, most of my summer days were spent in the playground across the street from my apartment building. But on this particular day I wished that I had just stayed in the apartment. Continue reading Part I: Brooklyn
As the New Year approaches, I, like most people am reflecting back on all that has happened in 2010. Personally, it has been one great year overall. My family and I are healthy; no one was seriously affected by the real estate disaster or the infamous Madoff scandal that caused the biggest U.S. economic calamity since the Great Depression, I met new friends, was able to … Continue reading It’s a Capicu Christmas…at least for the kids of Bushwick United
Your words haunt me as they make their way in like uninvited house guests. Resonating in the deepest parts of my mind, etched in my memory and saved for a later date, a date where I can search my mental rolodex and reflect on how they made me feel. But I am suffocating, trapped in the confines of my subconscious, hostage of my thoughts. Wanting to … Continue reading Faded Flowers
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