Booked by INA

                                                 And So We Walked- An Artist's Journey Along the Trail of Tears A couple of weeks ago I went to the Indianapolis Repertoire Theater to see And So We Walked- An Artist's Journey Along the Trail of Tears written and acted by Delanna Studi which according to the IRT website we are to "Join Cherokee actor and artist DeLanna Studi as she explores her personal and cultural identity while traveling the Trail of Tears with her father—and her family spirits. This one-woman play probes the complexities and conflicts that the Cherokee Nation still wrestles with today, almost 200 years after their forced relocation. Past and present intertwine with dreams, history, and legend in this frank and moving memoir of doubt and discovery." I told you a while back that I'm on a journey to learn more about Native A...

Supporting Writers of Color I recently went to the first annual Dominican writers conference in New York and one of the sessions I attended was about getting published. The biggest take away from that session for me was how the majority of editors are white women and that it's an industry driven by book sales. The speaker said that if we want to see more stories of people of color getting published then we need to buy brand new books from authors of color. Growing up I didn't have much access to books by latino authors. I didn't have the money to buy them or the exposure to even know what to buy. It wasn't until I got to high school that I was first exposed to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Julia Alvarez, Helena Maria Villamontez and Rudolfo Amaya. The first novel by a latino author I ever read was Niebla by Miguel de Unamuno and this was through Spanish class. Niebla was such a beautiful and deep novel I'll never forget it. I started reading books  in Spanish sporadic...

                                                       Love Letter to New York I was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the Unites States when I was 7 years old.  In particular I moved to the Bronx, New York. At that time all of the United States was just New York to us or as we call it Nueba Yol. As a child I imagined New York to be full of huge green spaces perfectly manicured,  clean streets in perfect condition and buildings of red colors in neat rows. This is not New York. Moving to New York was a huge cultural shock. Growing up in the Dominican Republic every one in our neighborhood new each other. I would spend the mornings in school and the afternoons taking siestas while watching McGyver then playing outside with the friends. Evenings would bring their own adventures after dinner we would play games ...

Ni de Aqui ni De Alla/ I'm not from here or from there Last weekend I went to The First Annual Dominican Writer's Conference in City College, New York. I was really excited to go for two main reasons. The first one is that we need more Dominican writers. The two most recognizable Dominican writers are Julia Alvarez and Junot Diaz. While their novels are amazing and really touch on different aspects of what being Dominican is; compared to the number of white writers, two is barely scratching the surface. I also think that there's so much about the Dominican experience that is not being told as well. As we evolve and change so do our experiences and those are stories that need to be told.  Granted while I was at the conference I discovered many more Dominican writers  like Angie Cruz,  Nelly Rosario, and Josefina Baez among many others. I am looking forward to reading these new books. My goal is to create almost like a syllabus that encompasses not only non fiction books...

Going to Broadway by Idalmi Acosta                                                   Last night I went to see "You Can't Take it With you" at the Indianapolis Repertoire Theater. This is the 6th play I have seen from the IRT's 2019-2020 season. These last couple of weeks have been very challenging with dealing with the loss of a family member, preparing for standardized tests at school and an overall exhaustion but being in the theater yesterday for two hours made me forget all my problems and I left the theater smiling and feeling upbeat and hopeful. It was such a great experience because for a moment I got to be inside a book and this book was refreshing.  Some people like amusement parks -I like theater. Growing up theater wasn't something that was accessible for me. I grew up with my father and two siblings. We had the basics but never money to splur...

Jonathan Livingston Seagull Rediscovered   One of the things I love the most about books - well actually GOOD books is that every time you read a book over and over you always discover something new about the book or about yourself. There are books that you can read at different stages of your life and understand something different about yourself or about the person you were in the past, about the book or the world. An example of this was my experience with reading  Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. My 6th grade computer teacher Ms. Vazquez gave me this book at the end of that school year because I was a good student in her class and because I loved to read. I struggled so much as a 6th grader in being interested in a book about a bird who would stubbornly rather fly then eat. I didn't think I could relate to Jonathan or what he was trying to do.  I kept that book for years because I was grateful that she bought it for me. Growing up I couldn't af...

Elevating Native American Voices "I know I can survive anything in life because my family overcame so much during assimilation, and my people are still alive and well and my tribe, although facing challenges, continues to flourish, just as it has for thousands of years. My tribe has survived and so will I" (Jen VanStrander/Western Band of Cherokee) Growing up I wasn't taught too much about Native American history in school.We talked about the pilgrims, tribes, teepees and it appeared to me that Native Americans were a thing of the past. Raped, killed and made extinct by white colonizers. It wasn't until college that I first met a Native American person and learned about how Native Americans live in reservations. At the time not understanding the challenges they faced there. I remember reading "The Iroquois Book of Life: White Roots of Peace" which focuses on how warring tribes of the northeast formed the Iroquois Confederacy and I remember being impre...

My Writing Journey I am sitting in a crowded and simply designed modern room in downtown Chicago. I am here for an op ed writing workshop. The words "the stories we tell become the world we live in" make me feel powerful and determine to say something, to use my words.  I have no intensive training in op ed writing. I got a short workshop on op ed writing almost two years ago and I've been relying on that training. Lately my op ed writing has hit a snag. Suddenly it dawns on me that I am here to be a better journalist. A dream I thought I'd given up on my freshmen year of college. I'd picked Syracuse University as my first choice for colleges and worked diligently to get in because of New House's Journalism program.  So what happened?In one word- Fear. I didn't have the GPA at the time to get into New house directly so I went in the school of Arts and Science with the idea of transferring out after I got a higher GPA. I even took some classes in New Ho...

The Poet X Chronicles 2 One of my favorite books from last year is Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. One of the things I loved the most about the book was how the main character loves writing and the way that writing helps her cope with the challenges she's facing in her life. We see this through different writing prompts that Xiomara gets assigned in English class. I am going to be answering these writing prompts through a series of blog posts. Second Prompt: Describe someone you consider misunderstood by society. I feel misunderstood by society. I'm not American enough because my accent is too thick and my hair too curly. I've been asked about my citizenship status. I've had people question why I teach english language arts instead of Spanish since I'm a Spanish speaker. As though I wouldn't be proficient or capable enough to teach english. Because I dance bachata and merengue and find peace in a mangu with the 3 golpes. It was easy being Dominican in New Yor...

The Poet X Chronicles 3 One of my favorite books from last year is Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. One of the things I loved the most about the book was how the main character loves writing and the way that writing helps her cope with the challenges she's facing in her life. We see this through different writing prompts that Xiomara gets assigned in English class. I am going to be answering these writing prompts through a series of blog posts. 3rd Prompt: When was the last time you felt free? The last time I felt free was when I visited Portugal in October. In particular the days I spent in Lisbon. The moment I arrived in Portugal I knew I was free. Because I had a dream to go there and I found myself stepping in that soil, of smelling that sweet air and taking in the orange rays of dawn. Freedom is the pursuit of your hearts desire, freedom is seeing your dreams become a reality. Freedom is the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want without concern or care f...

The Poet X Chronicles 1 One of my favorite books from last year is Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. One of the things I loved the most about the book was how the main character loves writing and the way that writing helps her cope with the challenges she's facing in her life. We see this through different writing prompts that Xiomara gets assigned in English class. I am going to be answering these writing prompts through a series of blog posts. First one: Write about the most impactful day of your life. I came to the United States when I was seven years old with my father, my older brother and younger sister. My mom was not able to come with us at the time because she did not have her visa. The plan was for my father to marry my mom and bring her to the United States. We would never have guessed that it was going to take 9 years for that to happen. From the moment I came to the United States my life changed completely and some of it was for the better but I also struggled a...

Back Pain by Rumi Muhammad went to visit a sick friend. Such kindness brings more kindness, and there is no knowing the proliferation from there. The man was about to die. Muhammad put his face close and kissed him. His friend began to revive. Muhammad’s visit re-created him. He began to feel grateful for an illness that brought such light. And also for the back pain that wakes him in the night. No need to snore away like a buffalo when this wonder is walking the world. There are values in pain that are difficult to see without the presence of a guest. Don’t complain about autumn. Walk with grief like a good friend. Listen to what he says. Sometimes the cold and dark of a cave give the opening we most want. ------------------------------------------------------------------- This poem speaks to me of seeing the value in pain and what can be gained from it.  When you're in a painful or difficult situation whether it is something like back pain or it's hea...

Every Brilliant Thing The Indianapolis Repertoire Theater is currently playing "Every Brilliant Thing"  by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe. I went to see it with my sister as a birthday outing and I was blown away with how wonderfully it was written and acted.  It's the story of a man whose mother is suffering from depression and keeps trying to kill herself. It's about how he copes and is impacted by her actions. As a child he decides to write a list of "Brilliant things" reasons to live in hopes he can cheer his mom on but it comes his own list of reasons to live for himself.  One of my take aways  is that there is beauty all around us in small and big things and that we should always be actively looking for these "brilliant things" that are all around us. Obviously the topic of depression and suicide is heavy here. It made me reflect on the people around me and how I need to be more intentional about staying connected and prov...

                                                                      Birdwings Your grief for what you've lost lifts a mirror up to where you are bravely working. Expecting the worst, you look, and instead, here's the joyful face you've been wanting to see. Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralysed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birdwings. This speaks of not having regrets for the things you've lost because in life there's going to be grief and there's going to be joy.  Those moments of grief are what bring you to your present and future. The cycle of life is this there's going to be happy and sad moments but life goes on...

On Children Running Through I used to be shy. You made me sing. I used to refuse things at table. Now I shout for more wine. In somber dignity, I used to sit on my mat and pray. Now children run through and make faces at me. The phrase "never say never" seems really cliche but there's so much truth in it specially the older I get. This piece talks about how things change over time and that change isn't always a bad thing- sometimes change is for the better or change is needed because we need to evolve as people. I used to be shy but now I make speeches and write op eds. My favorite color used to be green but now red calls to me and my fashion style has improved because of it. I used to fear dogs and cross the street when one would approach me yet now I own not one but two dogs. My dogs have given me so many laughs, companionship and love that I would not trade that for anything. Yet 10 years ago I would've never guessed I'd be a dog owner. Moving to Indiana...

A Just Finishing Candle by Rumi A candle is made to become entirely flame. In that annihilating moment it has no shadow. It is nothing but a tongue of light describing a refuge. Look at this just-finishing candle stub as someone who is finally safe from virtue and vice, the pride and the shame we claim from those. What I love the most about poetry is that it's such a personal thing that no one can really be wrong in their interpretations because it's tied to our personal feelings, thoughts and experiences.  A Just Finishing Candle to me speaks of purpose and how pursuing our live's purpose can appear to waste our bodies and spirit just like the candle becomes a stub from it's flame. But it's purpose is to become just flame you and following your purpose will require everything of you. In that moment when you've given it all is when you'll shine your brightest just like the last flame of a candle.