I am a proud New York born
Dominicana who is passionate about writing works that empower and inspire women
to find their voices. A self-identified Latina Lesbian Writer, Performance
Artist, Producer, Playwright, and Activist, who after reading one too many
stories about women I could not wholly relate to, decided to write my own tales
that would honor women throughout Latin America and at the same time represent
the American-born Latina experience which led me to launch the New York City
Latina Writers Group.
Recently, I published my memoir, Finding Your Force: A Journey to Love and
am currently completing a historical fiction novel titled, The Daughters of the Revolution. My one-woman show I WAS BORN was selected as part of the
ONE Festival in 2011, held in NYC. I have worked for renowned magazines BusinessWeek, Glamour and Domino, but it was an article published
in Urban Latino Magazine, "Two
Cultures Marching to One Drum," that would change the direction of
my life. In 2008, I joined Creador Pictures as Writer /Co-Producer of its first
documentary, "Afro Latinos: La Historia Que Nunca Nos Contaron / AfroLatinos:
The Untaught Story" WWW.AFROLATINOS.TV, a project that will change the way
the world sees color and race relations in Latin America.
I
live in Harlem, NYC with my daughter Courtniana. I am a freelance writer and
activist against sexual and physical abuse towards women and children. I
attended New York University and Rhode Island College. I attended New York
University and Rhode Island College.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Writing
and Editorial Work
Workshop Facilitator and Founder 2006
- Present
NYC LATINA WRITERS
GROUP, New York, NY
§
Designed and coordinated monthly writing workshops. Created a program that provides a
supportive structure aiding writers in building a foundation where they can
establish and maintain a writing discipline.
§
Workshops facilitated: Rituals of Writing 12-week
workshop, Writing With Intention and Women Writing the World.
Writer and Editor 2006
– Present
FINDING YOUR FORCE, New
York, NY
§ Wrote and edited daily
blog. Managed website, researched
topics and wrote opinion articles for blog.
Author, Finding Your Force A Journey to Love 2002 – 2011
§ Wrote and published a
memoir.
REVIEWS
AND INTERVIEWS
§
AfroLatinos: The Untaught Story – traveled to 18
countries and conducted over 200 interviews in Mexico, Dominican Republic,
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Uruguay, Argentina,
Guatemala, Honduras and others.
§
Latina Source Podcast: reviewed Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies (2007); Wallace Wattles’ The Science of Getting Rich (2007); Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret (2007); Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner (2007);
Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist (2007); Mary Phipher’s Writing to Change the World (2007) and the documentary Last Days of Left Eye.
§
Urban Latino Magazine: Interview with Visual Artist,
Yasmin Hernandez; Professor, Dr. Georgina Falu; Professor, Dr. Natasha
Gordon-Chipembere; Author, Dr. Marta Moreno-Vega; and Writer & Composer,
Tato Torres.
PRESENTATIONS ~ WORKSHOPS
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
§
“Bleeding
Black,” Afrolatinos documentary screening and presentation, Black History Month
Event, George Washington University, Washington, DC, February, 2012
§
Finding Your
Force book presentation, Books on the Square, Providence, RI, February, 2012
§
Black History
Month Presentation, Afrolatinos documentary screening and presentation at
Hunter College, New York NY, February, 2012
§
Keynote
address: “Without Limits: A Women’s
Movement,” Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, March 2012
§
Classroom
presentations: “Modern Latin America” and “Violence and Healthcare.”
Afrolatinos documentary screening and presentation, Haverford College, Ardmore,
PA, March 2012
§
“Noche de
Gala: Color Esperanza,” Latin American Student Union Banquet, Reading, SUNY New
Paltz, New Paltz, NY, March 2012
§
“Sankofa
Sisterhood,” in honor of Women’s History Month, Hueman Bookstore, New York, NY,
March 2012
§
“Memoir
Writing Workshop,” Bronx Community College, Bronx, NY, March 2012
§
“22nd
Annual NLCC’s National Latino Collegiate Conference,” Women’s History Month
Event, SUNY Albany, Albany, NY, March 2012
§
“Night of the
Arts: Expressions, Evening of Music, Art and Spoken Word, Film and
Inspiration,” Bronx Community College, Bronx, NY, March 2012
§
National
Dominican Student Conference, LGBT Panel, Brown University, Providence, RI,
April 2012
§
Book Reading
and discussion at Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, April, 2012
§
Book Reading
and discussion at SUNY Albany, Albany, NY, April, 2012
§
“Tu Vida Tu
Voz” blog workshop, Havana and Santiago, Cuba, April-May, 2012
§ “Afro-Latino Identity & Contemporary Media,” Panel Discussion,
Somos & the BEAT of Viacom, New York, NY, June, 2012
§
“Rituals of
Writing,” 12-week writing workshop, Hunter College, New York, NY, July, 2012
§
“Our History
Our Words,” St. Josephs College, Brooklyn, NY, September, 2012
§ “Continuing the Oral Tradition on Paper: Latino Writers in Their Own
Words,” The New School, New York, NY, September, 2012
§ The Emerging Latina Leader: Challenges, Opportunities & Transformation,
presentation, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, October, 2012
§
“De Donde
Vengo Yo! Where I am from!,” NYC Latina Writers Group performance, Camaradas,
New York, NY, October 2012
§
NYC Latina
Writers Group presentation, “Marathon reading of work by Audre Lorde and
Adrienne Rich,” Lesbian Herstory Archives, Brooklyn, NY, November, 2012
§
“Café Con
Leche event,” I WAS BORN and Finding Your Force book reading, Johnson &
Wales University, Providence, RI, October, 2012
§
“The Black Employee
Network Celebrates CSC Diversity Month/Afrolatino Heritage Webinar,”
presentation, CSC,
Falls Church, VA, October, 2012
§
Latino Heritage
Month Performance/Workshop, Afrolatinos documentary screening and discussion,
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, October, 2012
§
“Women Writing
the World,” facilitated virtual writing workshop, New York, NY, October, 2012
§
“Writing With
Intention,” facilitated writing workshop, New York, NY, November-December 2012
§
Afrolatinos
presentation and film screening, Latino Heritage Month, St. Joseph’s College,
Brooklyn, NY, October, 2012
§ “In Our Own Words—On Our Own Terms: Reflections of Latin@ LGBTQ
Writers,” panelist and facilitated writing session, Pace University, New York,
NY, October, 2012
§ Afrolatinos presentation, screening and discussion, SUNY New Paltz,
New Paltz, NY, December, 2012
§ Finding Your Force, book reading and discussion, University of Southern
California, Los Angeles, CA, February, 2011
§ U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Race,
Ethnicity, and Social Inclusion Unit, Afrolatinos international
webinar/presentation, Washington, DC, February, 2011
§
National
Dominican Student Conference, LGBT Panel, Yale University, New Haven, CT,
April, 2011
§
Finding Your
Force A Journey to Love, book release and presentation, Hueman Bookstore, New
York, NY, August, 2011
§
Global Soul,
Afrolatinos Presentation, Little Field, Brooklyn, NY, September, 2011
§
Finding Your
Force book reading, Casa Attabex Aché, Bronx, NY, September, 2011
§
Finding Your
Force book reading, Word UP! Community Bookshop, Washington Heights, NY,
September, 2011
§
Hispanic/Latino
Authors Book Presentation, Brooklyn Book Festival, La Casa Azul and Las
Comadres, Brooklyn, NY, September, 2011
§
Center
Authors presents: Finding Your Force: A Journey to Love, book presentation, The
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center, New York, NY, September,
2011
§
“Native
Tongues & Spoken Words,” performance and book presentation, Roots Café,
Providence, RI, September, 2011
§
Afrolatino’s
presentation, discussion on writing, performance art and theatre, at McCluer
South-Berkeley High School, St. Louis, MO, October, 2011
§
Finding Your
Force book presentation, Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, NY, October, 2011
§
Finding Your
Force book presentation, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, October, 2011
§
Finding Your
Force book presentation, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, October, 2011
§
Finding Your
Force book presentation, Corcho Wine Room, New York, NY, October, 2011
§ Afrolatinos screening and presentation, University of
North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, February, 2010
§ NYC Latina Writers Group, performance series, La
Pregunta Café, New York, NY, February 2010
§ “Beyond the Color Divide,” Afrolatinos presentation and discussion,
Caribbean Week, Yale University, New Haven, CT, April, 2010
§ Afrolatinos presentation and discussion, University of Arizona,
Tucson, AZ, April 2010
§ “Pelo Bueno, Pelo Malo,” panelist, National Dominican
Student Conference and the Senior Advisor for Quisqueya: the Dominican Students
Association in Cornell University, Cornell University, Ithaca,
NY, April, 2010
§
“Warrior of
Words,” NYC Latina Writers Group performance, featuring Lemon Anderson, Bowery
Poetry Club, New York, NY, June, 2010
§ “For the LOVE of COMM-UN-ITY, For the LOVE of WORDS,” NYC Latina Writers Group performance, Rock Wilk,
Camaradas, New York, NY, October, 2010
§ “Showcase Afro-Latino heritage,” Afrolatinos presentation and
discussion, Pace University, Pleasantville, New York, September, 2010
§
Hispanic
Panic Event, I WAS BORN play presentation, Nowhere Lounge, New York, NY,
September, 2010
§
“Womyn
Without Voices/Mujeres Sin Voces,” LGBT Center, New York, NY, October, 2010
§
Presentation
of One Woman show, I WAS BORN, Teatro Latea, New York, October, 2010
§
“Powerful
Womyn, Powerful Words,” NYC Latina Writers Group performance, Women’s History
Event, East Harlem Café, March, 2009
§ “Presentación: Mujer Negra, Arte, Cultura e
Identidad ~ Conversatorio Mujer Negra, presentation and moderated discussion,
Bogota, Colombia, September, 2009
§
Afrolatinos
presentation, Universidad Manuela Beltran Presentacion, Bogota, Colombia,
September, 2009
§
“35th Anniversary National Conference of Black Mayors,” MGM Grand Hotel,
Las Vegas, NV, October, 2009
§
Afrolatinos presentation and
discussion, Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School, Bronx, NY, October,
2009
§
“Mujeres Viviendo
Sus Leyendas/Women Living their Legend, NYC Latina Writers Group performance,
East Harlem Café, New York, NY, October, 2009
§
“Latino Art Gallery
and Book Discussion,” Afrolatinos Presentation, New York University, New York,
NY, November, 2009
§
“Explore Where Your
Options Can Take You,” District 79’s College Fair, New York University, New
York, NY, May, 2009
§
“Choice and
Commitment,” NYC Latina Writers Group performance, Camaradas, New York, NY,
October, 2007
HONORS/AWARDS
INTERVIEWS & APPEARANCES
§ Named Notable Latina -profiled AfroLatino Event for Black History Month with the
Hispanic Student Association.- George Mason University – September, 2012
§ Finding Your
Force A Journey to Love, listed in the Advocates, “21 LGBT Biographies or
Memoirs You Should Read Now,” August, 2012
§ Finding Your Force A Journey to Love, listed in
Publishers Weekly quarterly, as “A growing chorus of voices in DIY publishing,
April 2012
§ Interview:
Nueva York
articles.nydailynews.com/.../29440843_1_reading-series-gay-...Share
Sep 15, 2010 – Alicia Anabel Santos, a 39-year-old
Brooklyn-born Dominicana, appeared at the all-female LATINA PANIC! in July.
Mar 26,
2012 – What better way to pay tribute in Women's History Month than with a
panel discussion and featured performance art touching on issues that ...
PUBLICATIONS
§ Finding
Your Force A Journey to Love, Memoir, August, 2011
§ The
Best of Panic Anthology, Published December, 2010
§ Urban
Latino Magazine: Two Cultures Marching to One Drum, February, 2008
CROSS CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Interviews for Afrolatinos Documentary
§
San
Cristobal, Dominican Republic, August 2012
§
Santiago de
Cuba, Havana, Cuba, April – May 2012
§
Bogota,
Colombia, December 2011 – January 2012
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Bogota,
Colombia, May – July 2011
§
Buenos Aires,
Argentina, March 2010
§
Montevideo,
Uruguay, April, 2010
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Samana,
Dominican Republic (Semana Santa); Port Au Prince, Haiti (Vudoo), and Bogota,
Colombia, April, 2009
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Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic, July, 2009
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Havana, Cuba,
and Bogota, Colombia, November, 2009
§
New York, NY
and Los Angeles, CA, May 2008
§
Veracruz,
Mexico, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, July, 2008
§
San Basilio
de Palenque, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bogota, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Masca,
Honduras, August, 2008
§
Livingston,
Guatemala; La Ceiba, Travesia, Honduras, and Dominican Republic (Fiesta de San
Miguel), September, 2008
§
Peru,
November, 2008
AFFILIATIONS /
MEMBERSHIPS
§
New York City
Latina Writers Group, Founder and member since 2006, New York, NY
§
DeAlmas
Women’s Collective, Member since 2008, New York, NY
§
Las Comadres
Para Las Americas, Member since 2005, New York, NY
§
Keynote
address at Syracuse University: “Without Limits: A Women’s Movement!” at
Syracuse, University, Syracuse, NY, March, 2012
§
Conferences:
National Dominican Student Conference (2012, 2011, 2010), Fuerza Latina’s 22nd
Annual National Latino Collegiate Conference,"El Poder De Ahora: The Dawn
of a New Era" (2012).
§
Voices of Our
Nations Arts Foundation (VONA), Completed the Fiction Writing Workshop with
Maaza Mengiste, University California, Berkeley (2012).
§
FELT
Fantastic Experimental Theater Workshop, with Playwright Carmen Rivera. (2010)
§
NYC Latina
Writers Group ~ Founder, Writing Workshop Facilitator (2006 – present).
WEBSITE / BLOG
§
findingyourforce.blogspot.com
