Category: Blog

My virtual book tour for “Fractures” was over in a blink––thank you to everyone who showed up during this strange & stressful time to celebrate with me.

If you couldn’t make any of the events, here are 2 of my favorites that you can watch––

“When Lightning Strikes”: https://bit.ly/2VvUiZM

Last night’s closing event w/ Elizabeth Acevedo: https://bit.ly/33HQhpT

Shortly after first visiting the Nuyorican Poets Café as a teenager in 1999, I’ll never forget the first time I saw him sitting nonchalantly in his stool at the corner of the bar. “Señor Algarín…,” I began, grasping for something significant to say—“Hey, Papi,” he responded with his big smile and familiar embrace, as though we’d known each other forever.

Years later, when I was working on an anthology with Miguel, we’d meet up every couple of weeks to talk about the project. We’d sit at his favorite neighborhood spot in the LES and he’d just tell stories for hours. We met up like that, consistently, for nearly two years. The anthology never came to be, but I’ve cherished that time I got to spend witnessing his charisma and wisdom. We’d laugh, cry, talk shit, argue, and laugh some more.

I was (and am) awed by the fullness of the life and legacy of Miguel Algarín. He built a sacred space that allowed me to not just find my voice but find my way toward the person I needed to become. That brick building, which was once his living room, has given so many of us a home for the first time. The Nuyorican will always be home. Thank you for building a home for us, Miguel. Rest, Miguel.

 

#RIPMiguelAlgarin

#NuyoricanLegend

I’m so honored to receive a Pushcart Prize nomination from The Journal for my poem “Elegy for the Longest Year.” You can read my poem here: http://thejournalmag.org/archives/18355

I’m also extremely grateful to receive a Best of the Net nomination for my flash nonfiction piece, “Intersection,” from Burningword Literary Journal.

Congrats to my fellow nominees!

 

#PushcartPrize

#BestOfTheNet

Tomorrow marks 1 month since “Fractures” was released. Last night, I got word from my publisher that the first print run of my book is SOLD OUT.

The second printing is underway, and there are a few copies you can still find on Bookshop, IndieBound, Amazon.com, & Barnes & Noble, but I wanted to say thank you to every single one of you who has supported this book.

Listen, with barely any press coverage and no reviews in any journals or publications (yet), this is entirely the doing of those of you who have supported me for so long: high school teachers who are teaching the book, professors who’ve integrated it into their curriculum or their MFA craft lecture, those who’ve packed my shows for years and waited in line to say hi at the end of the night, each of you who’ve reviewed the book on Goodreads, my heroes/beloveds/family who’ve gifted “Fractures” and championed it to their friends and colleagues.