Tag: #latism

About Me, Inspirational, Personal, Poems, Writing

The ALA Book Conference & 2014 International Latino Book Awards

On June 28th, immediately after the completion of my Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) workshop at UC Berkeley I boarded a plane to Las Vegas for the American Library Association Book Conference and the 2014 International Latino Awards where I would be signing copies and attending an awards ceremony for my award winning book, Letters to My Daughter. I was not prepared for the 105 degree heat … Continue reading The ALA Book Conference & 2014 International Latino Book Awards

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Poems

De Donde Vengo Yo (Where I’m From)

This want of knowing is greater than the need of oxygen in my lungs For, to be alive and not know who you are or where you’re from is not the same as living. De donde vengo yo is not a question. It is a statement. An affirmation of where I’m from. Because where I’m from, history wears the face of family. It’s my grandmother’s … Continue reading De Donde Vengo Yo (Where I’m From)

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Poems

Haikus (2/30)

Shattered dreams always drown in pools of potential once full of promise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blood lines are all that            remain as reminders of                       life taken too soon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nightly visits, he gently nudges on my door begging me to let him in.   ~a Haiku poem is a Japanese poem with the first verse with 5 syllables and the second with 7 syllablles and the 3rd … Continue reading Haikus (2/30)

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Inspirational

Learning to be grateful…

Today I am reflecting on all of the new connections that I have made in the past year. Building relationships with encouraging and supportive women is so important. I have been blessed with an amazing network of sisters that ranges from my fellow Visioneras to my childhood friends to those who share my love for creativity and the written word. In short, today I am … Continue reading Learning to be grateful…

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Personal, Poems

Poem:: Not My Mother’s Daughter

Syncopated rhythms over conga beats, I saunter in the footprints of men and women of generations passed. Dissecting myself a cadaver, open and free. From the bomba y la plena, from the sugar cane factories to the bench of the Supreme Court, we… have come a long way. Having studied many times The marble which was chiseled out for me— By the calloused hands of … Continue reading Poem:: Not My Mother’s Daughter

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Love, Poems, Relationships

Emotional Rollercoaster

 Deep wrinkled, hollowed eyed, burned by the sun flashes of red, crisscross onyx covered retinas. No longer able to contain emotions, hyperventilating, sweating, shaking, stomach flipping because I’ve never really liked roller coasters. Reaching elevating highs, only to be overtaken by catapulting lows, who in their right mind enjoys this? Strapped in tight, blasting tunnels lit with projections of stars, galaxies, asteroids, and other cosmological … Continue reading Emotional Rollercoaster

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Poems

(5/30) Food for My Soul

I’m a hungry beast devouring ignorance with each stroke of my pen.   Today’s poem is in the form of a haiku. Haiku is a Japanese style of poetry that combines form, content, and language in a meaningful, yet compact form. The first line usually contains five  syllables, the second line seven syllables, and the third line contains five syllables (5,7,5).  A Haiku must “paint” a mental image … Continue reading (5/30) Food for My Soul

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