When the Devil 
goes international and 
God asks you 
for a napkin, 
you open your palms 
like the world is a mass - 
waiting for parts 
of his body to be 
placed on your skin. 

The brushing of 
a fingertip, the slow 
smile of an accident 
quickly fall underneath 
your tongue 
as you remember 
the last time 
you fell on your knees, 
the last time
the Devil and God crossed 
paths, as you held parts of 
the Beloved in your mouth 
like a benediction.  

Your communion stays 
in your blood stream, 
filtering through your body 
during the reenactment of 
late night
beneath the covers 
of memory. 

You're ashamed 
that months later, 
you still taste 
the earth that shattered  
in the outfall of your ocean 
ridden body that tries 
to forget that time, waiting 
for the wind 
to pass along 
a 'peace be with you' -
where kryptonite 
does not 
weaken you 
to the knees. 

Where you can count 
one, two, three...
and know exactly 
what the Devil and God 
may want of your valves
as you close your eyes
at night to pray,
wiping your mouth 
clean of declarations. 

Dear God, 
today I wrote 
a poem. 

I saved it 
on a napkin 
for you after the 
Devil tore my dreams 
in two, taking off 
on the next plane 
to Calcutta. 

...Now can I be saved?


If you haven't heard of this amazing poet named Thomas Fucaloro, then you have been missing out on a lot. 

Just his voice is enough to rattle your bones, but his words...phew! I've seen him perform a few times in the past couple of months and each time, I've learned a little more about this man who roars raw energy into any room he performs in.

He's a busy bee, coming out with his second book from Three Rooms Press, It Starts from the Belly and Blooms: Poems earlier this year and doing awesome projects such as the video below. 

Directed by Advocate of Wordz, Thomas tells us about his love for used books and why one day you should give away his collection of used poetry books for the sake continuing a book's journey from the hands of one lover to another.

Now that you've seen the video...wasn't that amazing? 

It's wonderful to see a poem come to life not only through performance, but through film. 

Now I have to check out Thomas' book. Will we be back with a Write Recommendation?

I think so ;)

Bravo Thomas and Advocate of Wordz!

Summer 2014Sunday, July 27 - #GrowFierce at the New York City Poetry Festival on Governor's Island, 2:00 - 2:30 PM, the Algonquin Stage.

Sunday August 3 - The Immense Suggestion Poetry Reading - 1:00 - 3:30 PM at La Casa Azul Bookstore. Reading for the end of The Immense Suggestion 

Monday, August 11 - #GrowFierce Reading Series at Bluestockings Bookstore, 7 PM featuring guest poets Cheryl Boyce Taylor and Cathy Linh Che.

Hello my loves,

What is Comprehending Forever? Is it sitting in a low lit venue by the bar while cracking the spine of poems in the middle of a book release party? Or is it the drowning that occurs while doing so, reluctantly putting the book down even though the poet is about to read a selection from the book? Perhaps, but it is also the title of Rich Villar's first book of poetry. 

I've heard and seen Rich's name around the internet, knowing that he was kind of a big deal. I barely have had the chance to be exposed to his work, but trusting the greater community on the internet and my friend Annette, who asked me to tag along with her to his book release at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, I was curious and eager to see what he was about for myself. 

Published by Willow Books, the literary imprint of Aquarius Press, Comprehending Forever is a book of love poems that pushes you through the phases of beauty, worship, and grief. You see Rich's dedication to his beloved, his craft, and loss that resonates through finding solace in another being through this landscape of words. I have not been moved by a set of love poems by a male poet within or close to my generation in a long time. You can easily fall in love with Rich's spirit through reading this body of work. I have read love poems by men in the recent years, but not in this abundance with the high level openness and craftsmanship that Rich possesses.

The blurbs on the back of his book compared his work to that of Pablo Neruda. Rarely would I say or agree that anyone in this generation is reminiscent of a poet as classic as Neruda, but I do have to agree that not only is this true, but Rich Villar also has a voice that is all his own. 

When I purchase a book, as I did at his release, I usually flip through the pages as a preview and then am able to put it away till later. I was so intrigued by his work that I started to read it at the release while sitting at the bar. Even when he was about to read from the book, I was reluctant to stop because I was so caught up in the beauty of it. I continued it this morning and closed the book with great content.

As for his book release party, that was great! It was filled with love and support from his family, friends, and peers. Martin Espada, Eduardo Arocho, Vallerie Matos, Lauren Schmidt, Lynne Procope and Thomas Fucaloro all performed before Rich took over the mic and read from Comprehending Forever. It was a great night of poetry and it's definitely one of the nights that any poet who reaches this point looks forward to.

Here is a snipplet of his reading from the release (and I mean snipplet because this was Instagram'd). To purchase the book, go to the Willow Books online store.

To find out a little more about Rich Villar, you can visit his blog Literati Boricua or awesome networks like Twitter. Or Google because Google is cool too.

Hello Write Queeners!

Sometimes we run into the things we need to hear the most when we least expect it.

This evening, I went to a happy hour for the younger crowd of my corporate job. I knew almost no one from the group and quietly observed and listened for most of the evening. As the group got smaller, I did get to hear some pretty awesome stories about how some of them got to the current point of their career, but when it was my turn, I was definitely the odd one out: a writer from a struggling Latino household who has had to sacrifice so much for survival and is barely able to pursue her dreams as she should, working in the insurance industry because they were hiring - not because she planned on being there like most of the people that surrounded her at the moment.

While I made new acquaintances, I felt lonelier than I did before I went. Everyone parted ways and before I knew it, I was at home (one of my homes - I switch between my parents depending on who needs me around at the moment while I make some decisions). I went on Facebook like the good ol' social media junkie that I am when I noticed a link that my friend Annette shared.

It was the link to the online premiere of a short film called Stereotypically Me. I trust Annette's Facebook shares so I decided to check it.

"Stereotypically Me" is a film written, directed, and produced by Linda Nieves Powell. According to the event page, which was brought to audiences by Sofrito Media Group: Lydia, a struggling screenwriter, is pressured to get rid of her stereotypical muse Marisol in order to become a more successful writer. Marisol, a sassy, urban Latina, refuses to change. Lydia must decide whether to embrace her duality or kill the muse. Go ahead and check it out before you read the rest of what I have to say.

In this almost ten minute film, Linda shows the world what every writer of any cultural background goes through.

As I fine tune myself as a writer, I find myself contemplating the same sacrifices or break ups. This is something that I relate to not only through ethnic culture, but through genre, age, sex, and medium.

We write about what we know, but "successful writers" must go beyond that and write about things that make others feel comfortable in order to get their foot in the door. We have to decompose and detach what is natural to us, even if the story is not true to ourselves to maybe achieve greater success.

I have received many rejections. If only they were as blunt as the one in the film because I am constantly wondering what I need to change in order to be successful. Do I move away from what I typically write poems about? Do I change my writing style to match more closely with well-known poets? Do I change my niche for blogging or even my medium for art? Do I disassociate myself from experiences we don't see on paper often? What do I cut out? Who should I be?

I am still trying to figure out what to embrace and what to change or if I should change anything at all. Do I get rid of all of my Marisols or do I let my Lydia and Marisol fight the good fight together so I can become a successful writer on my terms and leave the rat race (and avoid disheartening happy hours)?

I have a lot to think about.

Sigh...you know something is good when it creates a dialogue not only with yourself but with the community at large. Share this video, share your thoughts. Let's tell the world our stories because one day the color of the world will be US!

Definitely a Write Recommendation!

The event page will be up for the next 90 days here.