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 [...]
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.
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 [...]
Healing like Rain Without Water
Soundtrack: Algo Está Cambiando - Bomba Estéreo Quote: “Two or three things I know for sure, and one of them is that when change comes, it cracks everything open.” - Dorothy Allison Mood: Cloudy, with a chance of rain. There were many reasons not to go. It was a long, holiday weekend. There were obligations to [...]
(RE)VIEW: BLUE NIGHTS
I first heard of Joan Didion while excitedly discussing literature with an old colleague and friend. We were stumbling through authors and titles like two toddlers rushing to run before mastering walking. There was an air of joy and enthusiasm as we exchanged stories. Literature that had shifted something inside of us enough to warrant [...]
(RE)VIEW: The Map of Salt and Stars
“Stories are powerful, but gather too many of the words of others in your heart, and they will drown out your own. Remember that.” We are first introduced to Nour, a Syrian-American girl, who is mourning the loss of her father and simultaneously trying to acclimate to her new life in Homs. Although her two [...]
How “Children of Blood and Bone” Snatched My Edges
My friend, the same one who surprise purchased me “Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha)” called me to check in on me after I texted her saying I finished. I was at a loss for words. No exaggeration. Forming full sentences was too difficult a task for my brain to effectively manage. I. [...]