An Open Letter in Response to Lorraine Avila’s “Malcriada” or Reclaiming the Names That Were Meant to Cage Us

Dear Reader, My husband has made his peace with my not-so-secret love affair, the one I have with books. I read to learn. To escape into other worlds. And to breathe in the satisfaction of those moments where I finally find the right combination of words to express something I’ve always felt but never had [...]

Sunday Soul Reflections #7

Currently Listening to: it's too late to keep it together - sagun I'm feeling nostalgic for myspace days when you could have music playing on your blog as soon as someone clicked on your profile. I know I'm dating myself and I'm completely OK with that. I'm a week away from my 31st birthday and [...]

Sunday Soul Reflections #5

These past few months have legitimately felt like living through an episode of Black Mirror. The violence, negligence + lack of empathy we've witnessed from elected officials all the way to local leaders like public educators has been heartbreaking. Every time I read a post about how people "don't see color" my heart sinks a [...]

Sunday Soul Reflections #4

"The same way there is a BC and an AC (before Christ and after Christ), there will be a BP and an AP. Before the Pandemic and After the Pandemic." As I balance my cell phone against a wall in the kitchen and leave floured fingerprints on the screen, Papi uses his long arms to [...]

Sunday Soul Reflections #3

AKA Re(view) + (Re)flection on The Gifts of Imperfection In Brene Brown’s “The Gifts of Imperfection” she often refers back to her 2007 B̶r̶e̶a̶k̶d̶o̶w̶n̶ Spiritual Awakening. I experienced something similar in 2017 when I started therapy and participated in the #52essays2017 challenge. I can’t help but feel like our world is going through a 2020 [...]

Sunday Soul Reflections #1

Everyone I know is tired. My friends and family and complete strangers that don't even notice I walk by them are overwhelmed and overstimulated. I have fallen victim to it as well. The tiredness. Like a plague over this city. The exhaustion is bone-deep and spirit-bound. It worsens when I watch the news that reminds [...]