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My Own Family History Firsthand
Cuba, Your Children Cry shares your memories about growing up as a first-generation American of Cuban parents and your desire to experience Cuba for yourself. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I grew up with my parents having a love-hate relationship with Cuba. I did not understand why. The title came from my mom. My siblings would be at school, and I would be home with my mom. Under her breath, she would always say, Cuba, your children cry! And I used to think, why are there crying children in Cuba? I must have been 4/5 years old. We were a working-class family, so family dinners were a rare occurrence, and discussion of my parents’ time in Cuba was rare.
In my forties, I did quite a bit of traveling; I have traveled to over 100 countries. I had been to China and Russia but not Cuba. When the Obama administration started to open travel to Cuba, that is when I thought I should go to Cuba and close this family history circle. My spouse started working on his family history on ancestry.com and randomly asked me to do it too. At this point, I decided to travel to Cuba to discover my own family history firsthand. My parents were getting older, and none of my siblings had any information about my parents’ life in Cuba. On my first trip, I went alone; my parents refused to go; I journaled every day, and when I returned home, I made a photo book and included my journals, and gifted it to my family, thinking no one would ever go back to Cuba. My friend Laurin, who accompanied me on my first trip, also received the photo book, and she suggested I write a book. Brushing that suggestion to the side, I never thought of it again. My parents said they would go to Cuba when Castro died. When that happened, I started to plan our trip.
Two years later, I took my parents to Cuba and audio recorded their stories and journaled every day. When I returned, I completed another photo book and gifted it to my family. Laurin, who came with me on my first trip, asked me for a copy and again suggested I write a book. I did not think anyone would be interested in my book, so I said I would think about it. Then the pandemic hit, and my 50th birthday was right around the corner. And so, I thought, it would be cool to release a book on my 50th birthday. And the rest is history. In the process, I learned that my story resonated not only with Cuban refugees but also with anyone who was a refugee from different countries. It was important to me to discover my family history; writing the book was so cathartic, and in turn, it was important to me to tell this story of survival and tenacity.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The idea that love can be stronger than anything and it can be lasting. That being ousted from your country is probably one of the most challenging things that can happen to anyone, but perseverance and determination will get you through. That being different, having a different skin tone, and having an accent is ok. That even when English is your second language, you can still write a book!
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The hardest thing to write about was interviewing my parents about their last days in Cuba. Then taking that information and putting it into words that told that story exactly as it happened. It took me a month to put it all into the correct words. I couldn’t imagine what my parents were feeling at that time. I remember taking pictures of them in front of their last homes before they left for the airport, not knowing about their future. It was such a sad moment. It was very difficult to get through that part of the book.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
I hope it encourages folks to investigate their own family history, travel to uncomfortable places, and have uncomfortable conversations. It will be worth every second and penny spent to complete their family puzzle.
Author Links: Goodreads | Amazon
It began when I was browsing through my parents’ vintage photographs of a free Cuba in the 1940s and 50s at my home in Hialeah, Florida. I learned everything about Cuba from them, but I had never visited the beloved island only ninety miles from Key West, Florida. They told tales of romantic nights on the streets of Havana, an island where Cuban music escaped from small cafes and filled the streets with people dancing and laughing. I was learning the lingo recognized only by fellow Cubans.
Political strife upended the Cuba of my parents’ childhood and ultimately prevented travel back to the island. It was a conflict so intense that thousands risked their lives to escape through shark-infested waters on man-made rafts to Miami, or anywhere for that matter, to reach land and claim political asylum.
Living this juxtaposition―love for the island and devastation at the collapse of a once beautiful society―was heart-wrenching. I felt as if I was being raised in a Cuban bubble while also being exposed to the elements of unfamiliar American traditions. A contradiction of sorts. For my entire life I craved a better understanding of where I came from, the details of how my parents fled Cuba and, most importantly, who I am.
I yearned to experience first-hand the Cuba of my parents’ memories, to stroll the Malecon, to immerse myself in the sights and sounds of that tropical paradise. After forty-six years of not knowing, I set out to learn the stories of the Iglesias family and to see the island through the tear-filled eyes of my parents. And finally, I accomplished that mission.
The Resilience Of The Human Spirit
ManuScrita: Poems on Life, Love, & the Nature of Reality is a collection twenty years in the making intended for readers to reflect on and dive into the depths of their own consciousness. Where did the idea for this collection of works come from?
Growing up a proud Jewish Latino in Puerto Rico, in a Cuban-exile community, deeply shaped my identity as a double minority, and gave me a strong sense of personhood and perspective to see the differences that divide people as well.
In college, I majored in philosophy and comparative religion as a way to uncover universal truths across all world religions and cultures. It was when I took an introductory poetry class that my 20-year writing journey first began. Many of the poems in the book were writing assignments from the class or poems I wrote while walking the city streets of Boston and Cambridge alone at night. I continued to write in my 20s and many of the poems are a direct result of conversations I had with friends and strangers over the years.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
As a philosopher and student of all Eastern religions and Western religions’ mystic traditions, I have always been interested in the mystic belief that all of reality is one thing. There is the universe we can see in this moment in time and the unseen universe which is infinite. The connection of an individual life to a Deity or the absolute can be attained through contemplation and eventually in post-mortem.
These ideas are universal across all major religions and relevant to all people. In the modern world, it is much easier to forget the interconnectedness of everything, and people can feel isolated and alone. My hope with ManuScrita is to provide mini-meditations through the psalms I wrote to allow readers to reflect on their own lives, relationships, and choices. In our fast-paced world, it is vital to pause and contemplate the consequences of our actions, the power of forgiveness, and the resilience of the human spirit. I believe that exploring these themes encourages empathy and understanding in an increasingly disconnected world.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
It’s been a lifelong goal of mine to publish so that my words could become part of the world’s permanent record. The work reflects years of new material and rewrites after every time I would re-read them.
When the pandemic lockdowns occurred in 2020, I made the decision to finally self-publish my book and began putting together the manuscript of all my poems, hence the name of the book. It’s been a long process of rewriting and editing the past three years.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your collection of poetry?
One of my favorite quotes of all time is by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1901. She said, “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” Many of us have outlets for discussing events and people. Most people don’t read poetry, philosophy, or spiritual works, so this book hopefully allows readers to take in some of life’s big universal ideas and themes in an intimate, simple format for self-reflection.
Each poem reflects a piece of my soul. My hope is that at least one of them resonates with each reader and that the recommended works at the end of the book help guide people on their own personal journeys.
Author Links: Instagram | GoodReads | Amazon
Featuring poems composed during the Poet-in-Decadence Writer’s Residence for O, Miami Poetry Month in 2016, alongside experimental formats, short free-form essays, and stream-of-consciousness exercises, ManuScrita offers an immersive experience that invites readers to delve into the depths of their own consciousness. Prepare to be transported, challenged, and moved by this debut publication, which celebrates life, love, and the nature of reality through a mystic’s lens.
Responsibility of Pet Ownership
The Mystery of the Ball Python follows a snake-loving girl who discovers a ball python at a construction site and uses this experience to help educate her friends about snakes. What was the inspiration for your story?
Snakes are often misidentified and misunderstood, and frankly, I used to be afraid of them. The more I learned about snakes including how to identify the various local species, the less fearful I became. I got the idea for the series when my daughter and I went exploring a creek with friends, and we discovered several nonvenomous water snakes that a Snake ID group helped confirm. Seeing the girls so curious was a huge inspiration as was the content covered in the Snake ID group. Given the popularity of ball pythons as pets (and how they are occasionally found out in the wild due to escaping or being dumped), I knew I wanted to write a story centered around one.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
In The Mystery of the Ball Python, I especially wanted to write about the responsibility of pet ownership. I’m thankful a snake expert reviewed the story to make sure it addresses the proper care and keeping of ball pythons in particular.
When researching ball pythons for this story, what was the most interesting fact you discovered?
Goodness, there are so many interesting facts, though I was most surprised to learn that ball pythons can have, umm, loud flatus.
What is the next book with Naomi that you are working on, and when will it be available?
Naomi Nash: The Drama Noodle was recently released. Naomi, Emma, and Taylor are heading to drama camp, but the drama doesn’t stay at camp. Word is spreading about the snake-saving club, and when a local news crew asks to interview the club, things grow tense. Naomi wants to teach people more about snakes, but she’s not the only one who longs for a moment of fame. During the interview, things go from bad to worse. Can Naomi salvage the interview, her drama camp performance, and the club?
I hope to write more books in the series in the near future!
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website
Gloria Morris – Book Trailer
GLORIA MORRIS, the offspring of NIKITA and DIRTY HARRY. Gloria is a legendary private detective, alluring, smart, and hard-boiled, who cherishes frisky ladies, reads Poe and Twain, and kicks a lot of ass. She’s an artist. Justice is her canvas, truth is her brush. Knowing a picture is worth a thousand words but action is supreme, she navigates through the dark streets of San Francisco dealing with musicians, gutter punks, businesspeople, hired killers, narcissistic lawyers, and the sexually audacious. And yet, romance is in the cards for Gloria. During the course of an investigation, she makes the acquaintance of an astonishing lady. But will this relationship benefit her work, or deliver her to danger?
LITERARY TITAN 