I was excited when I found the Intervarsity Press table at Book Expo this year. I don’t recall ever seeing such a large selection of faith-based books that talk about equity, race and social justice. Still, I dampened my excitement and managed expectations because I’ve often found myself disappointed with Christian literature and how even [...]
Author: Nia Ita
Nia is a bilingual, school-based, NYC speech-language pathologist with a love and passion for words and language. Born to two Dominican immigrant parents, she is also a writer and educator who is focused on improving the quality of life of others through reading, writing and the sharing of resources.
A Memorable Memorial Day Weekend
It’s been eighteen years since the Memorial Day weekend when I fractured a bone in my right foot. It's a funny story that ends with Mami not believing I was hurt as bad as I was. She hard-tissue massaged vaporú onto my injured foot and then helped me squeeze a swollen, purplish limb into my [...]
Trusting the Process
"I am a writer not because I have published a novel or made it into the most prestigious and elite magazines. I am a writer because I write. Because when all else fails I find that words and stories help me heal and help me share that healing." - Nia Ita Thursday, April 4th I [...]
Reflections on “A Return to Love”
In “A Return to Love” Marianne Williamson talks about how her negativity was as destructive to her as alcohol is to an alcoholic. She describes her negativity as “that hysterical woman inside [her] head.” I am all too familiar with that hysterical woman. I’ve been contending with her a lot this week and today she [...]
A Spiritual Adjustment: Slowing Down
This is my father. The man that I inherited my love for reading, writing + rainy days from. Whenever I see him, I ask for a blessing as is traditional in Dominican culture, “Bendicion Papi” and he always gives it. Sometimes he kisses my forehead and shines a crooked smile through thin lips. Other times [...]
All The Reasons
All The Reasons I Should Be in a Bad Mood I’m tired. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Anyone who has ever said “do what you love and you will never work a day in your life” did not work with kids. Especially special needs kids. They probably didn’t write either. I [...]
Nia Ita Cornbread
We are twelve days away from the two year anniversary of my great uncle passing. Bernardo Sanchez, more endearingly known as Tio Niño. I'll never forget receiving the news. December 3rd, 2016. It was the final class of the Fall 2016 Writing Our Lives seminar with Vanessa Mártir and I had just finished having an [...]
(Re)view: Homegoing
Multiple women in my life gushed about how I had to read this book. They tripped over their words with both excitement and caution as they warned me that Yaa Gyasi’s confident debut novel wrecked them in the best possible way. For your reference, Goodreads provides a strong summary for the plot of the novel [...]
Re(view) : Buddha’s Dog & Other Meditations
The word essay derives from the French infinitive “essayer” which means “to try” or “to attempt.” An essay is the attempt to answer a question. In a recent Behind the Book interview, Cinelle Barnes shares her reason for writing is not because she knows, but because she wants to know. The art of writing is [...]
(Re)view: The World is Moving Around Me
As a member of the MUSA Reading and Writing Book Club, I am exposed to a diverse spectrum of authors and literature. I have learned that stories, as much as we wish they would, do not always translate well from their native language. This was NOT the case with Dany Laferrière's "The World is Moving [...]