Thursday, February 21, 2013
Capicu Poetry & Cultural Showcase
I am so proud to share that my dear friend and sister MARIA RODRIGUEZ will be featuring tomorrow night in BROOKLYN!!! Please join us for an evening of love and amazing poetry!!!
Afrolatinos Celebrating our rich culture @afrolatinostv #BHM
For more information please visit: WWW.AFROLATINOS.TV
Peace!
Tonight @ Towson University
Join me tonight for an intimate conversation about Afrolatinos.
I have been thinking over the past few days about "Breeding out Blackness".
Marrying up
Aclarar la raza
Mejorar la raza
There was (is/exists) a Scientific method of racism designed to purify the race and breed out the black. This would be a contributing factor of the self-hatred and racism that exists throughout Latin America. Identity or how one should identify has become a major debate. People are trying to find their place in the world. Who gets to define what beauty is? Who is considered an Afrolatino?
We will discuss the Mestizaje that occurred once the white "European" race was bred in, mixed with that of the enslaved Africans who arrived and the Natives residing in these countries throughout Latin America.
Tonight I will address the mixing/inter-breeding that took place all across the world during the enslavement of Africans and Indigenous people's--specifically throughout Latin America and how it is manifested today. In addition to celebrating the beautiful history, traditions and culture that remains in Latin America.
Towson University
Location: Chesapeake Rooms
Time: 5:00pm
Address:
8000 York Rd.
Towson, MD 21252
(410) 704-2000
Website: http://www.towson.edu/
I am looking forward to this wonderful presentation of Afrolatinos: The
I have been thinking over the past few days about "Breeding out Blackness".
Marrying up
Aclarar la raza
Mejorar la raza
There was (is/exists) a Scientific method of racism designed to purify the race and breed out the black. This would be a contributing factor of the self-hatred and racism that exists throughout Latin America. Identity or how one should identify has become a major debate. People are trying to find their place in the world. Who gets to define what beauty is? Who is considered an Afrolatino?
We will discuss the Mestizaje that occurred once the white "European" race was bred in, mixed with that of the enslaved Africans who arrived and the Natives residing in these countries throughout Latin America.
Tonight I will address the mixing/inter-breeding that took place all across the world during the enslavement of Africans and Indigenous people's--specifically throughout Latin America and how it is manifested today. In addition to celebrating the beautiful history, traditions and culture that remains in Latin America.
Towson University
Location: Chesapeake Rooms
Time: 5:00pm
Address:
8000 York Rd.
Towson, MD 21252
(410) 704-2000
Website: http://www.towson.edu/
I am looking forward to this wonderful presentation of Afrolatinos: The
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
One Billion Rising V-Day Event #ONEBILLIONRISING
ONE BILLION RISING STRIKE | DANCE |
RISE
Join V-Day and One Billion Rising
today and SAY NO to violence against women and girls.
The Women Worldwide Initiative is
hosting a series of events under:
#onebillionrising
Just 2 more days until our One Billion Rising
event at the Nuyorican
Poets Cafe! Join us in spreading love and ending violence against women and
girls.
Official flyer!
JOIN US~
In solidarity!
ACHE!
Writing prompt: After the door shuts... @nyclwg #writing #writingprompts #amwriting
After the door shuts and the footsteps die… I am left alone.
Left to pick up the pieces of my story. So many questions left unanswered. Who
are you? Who were you? Did you always know that I would pick up where you left
off? Did you know that I would be the one to write your story and keep your
legacy alive? Was I predestined? How did you ever manage to love me after I was
the product of such a heinous and brutal crime? Did you not want me near you
because you saw him in my eyes? Was I too much of a reminder of his vicious
attacks. I want to believe that you only wanted to protect me, yet part of me
feels like it was easy for you to get rid of me. Now I too will know what it
feels like to never have known my mother. You thought you were protecting me
but you cheated me of that. Now that I can no longer hear your footsteps I am
left to walk alone, make my way in this world, make some sense of this world. I
am left to sift through your past and my own to truly learn who I am. Yet you
knew that I would… you were confidant that I would take my rightful place in
the DOTR and while I am devastated at your loss. I am strong. I will avenge
your murder. I will carry out your orders. I will continue our mission. I will
not stop until your murderer is found.
After the door shuts and the footsteps die… all that I am
left with is memories… all that I am left with is the sound of your heels
coming down the stairs, a military strut, power in your movement, confidence in
your gaze…
Time is up!
This my loves felt RIGHT!!! It has been too long since my
characters have spoken to me… this feels GOOD. Aché
Where are We Going? The State of Dominican-Americans in New York City
CUNY DSI invites you to the Conference "Where are We Going? The State of Dominican-Americans in New York City"
CUNY Dominican Studies Institute in collaboration with The City College of New York Colin L. Powell Center for Leadership & Service, The City College of New York Public Service Management Graduate Program, The Office of Councilman Robert Jackson and TD Bank invite you to the conference:
Where Are We Going? The State of Dominican Americans in New York City on Saturday, February 23rd starting at 10:00 AM at The City College of New York.
The conference is open to the public and free of charge.
Register online at http://the-state-of-dominican-americans-in-nyc.eventbrite.com/ or RSVP to Juan Rosa at (212) 928-1322. For more details about the conference please see the flyer attached and below.
We hope you can join us!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Writing Prompt: Memories~ @nyclwg #writing #writingprompts #amwriting
Cooking time was also cocotazo time.
I first learned how to cook as a young girl in Queens. Mami
had me help her in the kitchen… the place where good girls belonged…
Step by
step…
Así es
que se limpia el arroz, quítale todo las paja negras.
And then we waited patiently… or in my case impatiently… I
wanted this domestic lesson on how to be good wife over with so I could go play…
this cooking thing was more like a chore. There were six of us to feed or seven
or ten depending on which family members were in town visiting.
Cuatro
tazas de arroz… the same exact measurement of water to rice ratio…. Oil.
Salt poured perfectly in the spoon. Wait for it to boil. Then add rice… stir…
continue stirring careful to not allow it to stick. When the small holes were
visible y el agua se esta
secando… it was time to cover. Cook on low for 20 minutes.
One mistake and I would feel that silver spoon… you know the
one… that one that leaves that red mark… “WHACK” right on your arm… skin
stinging… I am very familiar with the art of Dominican culinary… but if there
were one moment I did enjoy it would be the process of making pasteles en oja or quipes…
mom is an artist in the kitchen… although daddy loves to tell the story about
how she didn’t know how to cook when they first met. How everything she made was
horrible. Yet all of this changed. There is nothing she can’t cook. It always
amazes me how quickly she could pull any meal together. Cooking our meals with
so much love.
My mind just drifted…
I got lost in thought thinking about how many women have
been beaten by men who have come home either angry because the food isn’t done
or because she might have burned something… or made it too salty… too tasteless…
too whatever his reason for raising his hand. How interesting … my mind shifted
from such a loving memory of cooking to the ugly truth that memoires of
culinary haven’t always been pleasant. Masked by so many hateful words
expressed to women.
Time is up (oooooohhhhh I was going somewhere else… I don’t
know if I’m ready for that…)
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Writing Prompt: When I woke up this morning… @nyclwg #writingprompts #writing #amwriting
When I woke up this morning such a sense of peace filled me.
I was on a cloud. Floating. I was outside of my body. No worries. No stress. No
fears. No lists. Cares. No calls. No cleaning. Complete calm. Overwhelmed with
love. Overwhelmed with peace. Today I am not thinking about what I have to do. Not
concerned with what I am here to do. I am honoring my stillness, quiet and
tranquility. Softness… tenderness. I am being gentle with me. No desire to be
outside. I am with my insides. No desire to be around loud noises especially those
of my thoughts. Stillness… mindfulness… calm… that’s the theme of this day!
As I sit here writing words there is no forcing it… force… I
love that word… that feeling… honoring my force… being one with force… being
still with force… there is nothing outside of me that can give me what YOU give
me.
It’s not often that I get to reside in this place… this
space… and so for today I am staying IN-SIDE… quietly… let’s have some tea~
And so it is~
Writing Prompt: The Haiku @nyclwg #writingprompts #amwriting
1.
Life is to be lived
The journey is about life
Stop frontin’ and go
2.
I WAS BORN to love
Loving you is why I came
Never let me go
3.
I may not know you
Yet I know how it all ends
We must fly or die
4.
Today is the day
The story must be written
Por eso naci
5.
ode to thy woman
you were born as perfection
release all your fears
And so it is~
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Writing Prompt: History of your hair... @nyclwg #writingprompt #writing #bhm
FREEWRITE…
My little brown girl…
You were born black
A black girl
The history of your hair is that each strand has a story
You traveled the Atlantic for two-month voyages…
Traveling many days and nights by treacherous sea
Taught to deny your beauty
Convinced that you were ugly
Little black girl
You were born a queen
Born in Kings County
In a brand new country
Little black girl your history is seen through the languages
you speak
The conquerors tongue
An Indians kiss
Yet communing with the drum
The beat in your veins transporting you to another place
Your sacred space
Little black girl
Don’t straighten your hair
With each iron you burn a part of me
You erase your history
Little black girl there is strength in your locks
Little black girl remember who you are
Little black girl you are beautiful
Little black girl rise
Little black girl know
Little black girl remember
Little black girl search
Little black girl question
Little black girl fight
Little black girl stand
My little black girl…
I used to hurt my hair…
I’ve died it…
cut it…
bleached it…
killed it…
destroyed it…
The deconstruction of my hair…
The deconstruction of me
The deconstruction of my story
In this attempt to be accepted into society
A place that never wanted me
But claims to own me
Little black girl
Little black girl
I will never let them destroy me
My hair is my legacy
And so it is~
TIME IS UP…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Writing Prompt: Dear Skin~ @nyclwg #writingprompts #writing #amwriting
Dear Piel…
querida, as I pass
my fingers along your neck I can feel your heart beating, pulsating, racing…
breathing heavier as I take… what is mine. Each beat wanting me to feel my way
into you… that spot where strength meets your breasts, your arms held down,
skin soft… that scent… hard to describe… my lips leaving my mark on your
shoulder, down your arms, licking your elbow… your hip bone… your knees, your
ankles… Michelangelo’s best work… but that scent… I leave you and it stays with
me for hour’s… tu olor de caramelo.
My tongue explores you
trust me
I won’t hurt you…
let me…
take you…
quiero
que me sientes…
tan
dentro de ti…
déjame
cojerte…
sentirte…
probarte…
your legs…
wrapped around me
shivering…
quivering…
you tremble with each touch…
I open you…
receive me…
slowly…
entering…
your mind…
feels me…
feeling you…
I can taste you on my tongue and we haven’t even gone there
yet
tamarindo
and chinola my
favorite fruits
bella
diosa
deep breathes
restraints
blindfolds
Dear Skin,
this letter is to let you know that you are on my mind but
your scent won’t let me concentrate.
You take my finger and place it where you want me.
Dear Skin,
how you feel on me
opening you
wider
wanting me entirely
The rain is pouring relentlessly
I take you slowly
Then faster
You beg me
I keep going
Under your breath
You want me to stay here forever
I take you
Somos
una
I feel you
I taste you in the ink of the page
Salivating
Craving
Desiring
I continue
Don’t stop
Go deeper
Right there
……………………………………
……………………………………
……………………………………
……………………………………
……………………………………
……………………………………
TIME IS UP!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Writing prompt: If I were a song... @nyclwg #amwriting #writingprompts #writing
cuz today’s a brand new day
I woke up this morning opened up my eyes and prayed lord
Cuz it’s a beautiful day…”
As I wake today the first thing I read was what would my
song be… and there was nothing playing background… I started singing…
“no matter what nobody say…
it’s a beautiful day…
everything is good because I’m living and I’m healthy”
there are so many days… too many… when I believed I would
not make it… where I believed I would not be ok… that it would not be ok.
Looking at bank balances believing that it somehow was a reflection of me… the
definition of me…
“I woke up this morning opened up my eyes and prayed…
lord cuz it’s a beautiful day…
I’m not too concerned ‘bout being poor or being wealthy…”
Those days are gone. I woke up today remembering that…
“even though it’s cloudy I can see the sun rays…”
if I were a musical instrument, a beat, a genre… how would I
sound?
I am a rap song… from the 80’s… 90’s… maybe 2012… Meek Mill/Mary
J…
strong piano chords…
“somebody who your around wants to clip your wings and shoot
you down…
make sure you know who you’re around…”
I’m a smooth lyric
Soft beats
Powerful piano
Endless chords
A song of hope
A song of strength
A song of reflection
A song of self-love
A song of remembrance
Un
tambor
Una
guira
Merengue
Típico
Salves
Cantos
A song of peace
A song of war
A song of freedom
A song reminding you that I am not weak
A song reminding you where I’m from
I’m an arrow a blaze from my bow
My life song has Mary J singing backgrounds…
Whispering to me…
Reminding me…
I’m a song with no end
Yet a beautiful beginning…
Cuz it’s a beautiful day… no matter what nobody say…
And so it is…
TIME IS UP!
Writing prompt: Her voice was... @nyclwg #writing #writingprompts #amwriting
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Writing prompt: her voice was as intimate as the rustle of
sheets…
Her voice was…
A symphony of church bells and choirs…
Chiming
Her timing
Amazing
Her voice was like a butterfly landing on my scarf…
stillness…
A kiss
Telling me this was right and I was missed
Her voice was like this
Perfect
Kissing me with every part of her body…
Her voice was like
Wet
Sweat
Dripping
Between…
Us
Her voice was like birds chirping
On my windowsill on the most beautiful day.
Her voice was like a piano playing my favorite song…
“I can’t give you anything but love…”
Her voice was like stability
Security
Intensity
The very essence and every part of me
Her voice was like my heart beat and last breath all at the
same time.
Her voice was like words saying hello then goodbye… drifting
away from me
Her voice was like words saying hello—then goodbye… drifting
from me
Her voice was like… I will always love you….
Her voice was like the first time
Her voice was like our last time
Her voice was like green grass and cool breezes
Her voice was like softness and gentleness as she explores
me, touches me, tasting me…
Her voice was like… a dark hole drowning inside of me… lost
in this abyss of her voice
Of pensamientos
Y momentos
Her voice was like finally she arrived
Her voice was like armor
Weapons she uses to defend herself
Her voice was like war and battles won
Her voice was like complete love
The mix of newborn babies scent, blue skies, cotton, suspiro, respiro, calor, sudor,
amor puro…
Her voice was like water
Clear
Lasting
Abundant
Constantly flowing
Her voice is todo lo que soy
Her voice lives in me
And so it is ~ Time is UP!
Writing prompt: the truth in your name @nyclwg #writing #writingprompts #amwriting
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Writing prompt: the truth in your name
Nací Alicia
Anabel
ALICIA
Amante de
los misterios
Obediente
a los muertos
Nacida el
dia de Anaís
Santa Ana
Amen
Soy la
verdad
Honor
Protectora
Real
Generous with all of me
Willing to give you everything
Sincere, honest, the truth…
Defender
Noble by birth
My name brings peace
But will go to war
ANABEL
Nombre de
mi madre
Hija
Protectora
Consistente
Seguridad
Estabilidad
Fuerza
Pura
What I know to be the truth of my name is…
I stand in it…
I walk in it…
I rise as it…
I show up as ALICIA ANABEL…
Con cada
respiro…
I know that there are great things expected of me…
from me…
for me…
Movement
Forward
Non-stop
My name… ALICIA ANABEL…
comes from a long line of goddesses…
Greek… African… Indian… Spanish queens…
From a wonderland…
Watch out… I will surprise you
Gatherer
Hunter
Explorer
Alicia = truth
Lo que
mas siento
Lo que
mas busco
A search for truth
A deep yearning
A belief
A stance
A voice
A place
The truth
What does this mean to you?
Quien soy
yo?
Alicia Anabel
Contenta
Feliz
Alegra
Cara de
fresca
amazona
Somebody…
poder
Beauty
Tranquility
What I know to be true
I am all that
And so much more…
End of time~
Aché
Friday, February 1, 2013
Writing prompt: What you are built for @nyclwg #amwriting #writingprompts
I am a ship in harbor. No movement. Gently floating.
Present. My sails are my hair controlling my direction… I am guided by the
wind…
Oya acompáñame…
Yemaya protégeme…
my bow keeps me centered…
my hull keeps me grounded…
I am steady… firm… I float… I sail…
What I am built for… is freedom
Free spirit
Free thought
Free living
Carefree
Journey
No worries
Secure
Stability
What I am built for is love…
I love you like a strawberry charms lollipops and sunflower
seeds
I love you like my first Menudo album, rocking my Miguel
Angel button
I love you like … “cool it now….. slow it down… you’re gonna
lose control…”
I love you like … “Mr. Telephone man there’s something wrong
with my line…”
I Love you like … El Debarge… “Love me in your special way…”
“And all this love is waiting for you…” and “I know a place where we can dance
the whole night away underneath electric stars…”
I love you like… “I’m writing this letter to let you know…
this love of ours just can’t go… it’s for real… this letter… I write to you
love letter.”
I love you like… “Your love… is better than ice cream…
better than anything else that I could try…”
I love you like… “I’m every woman…”
I love you like… “Roxanne… Roxanne…”
I love you like… the wop
I love you like… laughter and joy
I love you like… possibility
I love you like… peace
I love you like… skittles and starburst
I love you like… honey and tea
I love you like… Cuba
I love you like… life
I love you like… birth
I love you like… forever
I love you like… religion
I love you like… faith
I love you like I could go on and on…
My love is endless
What am I built for?
I am built for loving…
Completely…
With all of me…
I am built for women
I am built for children
I am built for serving
I am built for living
I am built for lifting
I am built for giving
I am built For… giving
forGiving
Forgiveness
Forgive me
I forgive you for hurting me
I forgive you for mistreating me
I forgive you for not loving me
I forgive me for forgetting what I am built for…
And so it is…
I begin this day with so much gratitude… so much love for
me… and so much love for you.
Time is up!
Aché
Women Writing from the Womb~
Something has happened to
our stories. Somewhere along our personal journey we were told to hold back, to
carry shame, to keep quiet, to stay silent, to suffer alone and to blame
ourselves. Somewhere along our journey we were convinced and believed that our
stories did not have worth or that we were not capable or qualified to write
our stories.
There is healing that
happens through storytelling. There is power in our words. It does not matter
what story you intend to write. There is something we as writers all have in
common, questions that constantly arise and life distractions that keep us from
committing to the task at hand. Writing has the ability to reveal to us that
which lives beneath the surface and resides in our wombs.
The Womb is a sacred
place…
It is the place where
something is conceived… an idea, a dream, a song or a story. The Womb is where
the heart of our story is born. Here is where we carry the truth…
During this workshop we
will explore and ask the womb to reveal to us our story. We will listen closely
paying attention to the messages that we are being provided with. Together we
will plant seeds, arrive at conception and give birth to stories through guided
prompts, exercises and sharing in community.
We each have incredibly
important stories to tell. We are healing generations of pain. We are
preserving our history, language and traditions. We are discovering our voice—some
maybe even for the first time. What I have learned through writing is that I
could not move forward until I wrote what needed to be written and together we
will explore the stories we were born to tell.
Women Writing from the Womb
is designed to release the story from within.
In a loving, nurturing
and sacred space, each week we will delve deeper into our stories, our
characters, our writer’s life and ourselves. During the last two weeks of
workshop each writer will have an opportunity to share her story and receive
feedback as we each move towards completion.
This workshop is designed
for:
§
Women who are
ready to write their stories
§
Women who
have allowed fear to paralyze them and would like support in moving forward
anyway
§
Women at all
levels of writing (published & unpublished)
§
Women writing
all genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, playwriting, erotica, self-help and
etc.)
Workshop dates: March 3,
10, 17, 24 and April 14 and 21 ~
Reserve your seat today – limit 12 writers.
Reserve your seat today – limit 12 writers.
Workshop fee: $360.00 (3
payments)
1st payment is
due before February 6th
2nd payment is
due before February 12th
3rd payment is
due before February 22nd
TO MAKE PAYMENT:
ALICIA ANABEL SANTOS
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.
~ For complete CV ~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)