August 2018 Newsletter: TEACH Puerto Rico

UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON 8/29/18
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​Hola Mi Gente,

I hope your July was as fruitful and fun as mine has been.

As you read this I am on vacation in Puerto Rico!

(I was very good and wrote and scheduled this newsletter BEFORE leaving for my vacay! Yay!).

I'm going to try to keep this note short and sweet to honor this season of rest and relaxation, but it's jammed packed with useful resources, especially for you educators!

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But First: Publication News!

Before we turn to the theme of this newsletter "Teach Puerto Rico," I want to share a recently published poem I coauthored with my cousin & Comadre Josmara Alvarado: "Hechizo para congelar."

Published in UNMARGIN, the poem is one in an online collection of spells and incantations written in response to recent POTUS and SCOTUS decisions and actions.

As Kenji C. Liu, editor of the collection, explains: "In addition to protesting, building complex communities of resistance and vision, and self-care practices, writers also have language, one of the original magicks. We too can summon our own enchantments, incantations, protections, charms, curses, hexes, blessings, auguries, banishments, and more. Through these spells, we 14 writers exercise and focus our imaginations, visions, and energies."

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Teach Puerto Rico

Educators, this one is for you. I know August often means tweaking those syllabi and lesson plans, and I want to invite you to add Puerto Rico to your curriculum this year. 

I've tried to make it easy by compiling a few resources that can lead you in the right direction. My lists are not comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination, but I hope they can serve as inspiration for teaching about Puerto Rico.

Even one book, one podcast, one article, one picture book shared can amplify the voices of the island and its growing diaspora.

I invite you to read and share these resources with anyone who might find them useful. 

And while you're here, leave a comment and tell me what books about Puerto Rico you love to read and/or teach.

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Teaching Resources

Hurricane Maria: Readings & Resources
A free resources guide I created that includes readings as well as links to more comprehensive resource guides including the Puerto Rico Syllabus.

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July Blog Series: Spend Your Summer with Puerto Rico

Spend Your Summer with Puerto Rico: Podcasts
Podcasts that discuss the immediate aftermath of Hurricane María as well as the ongoing debt and recovery crisis on the island.

Spend Your Summer with Puerto Rico: Book Recommendations
Contemporary Puerto Rican poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and a comic book.

Spend Your Summer with Puerto Rico: Picture Book Recommendations
Picture Books for the littles in your life!

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UPDATED: Additional Resources

In addition to the resources above, you may also find the following publications useful:

- My essay "Literatura, Música, y (Huracán) María: Reflections from the Diaspora"  in the VIDA Review.

- My poem "Momentos de María" in Hinchas de Poesia.

- Poem "No Longer Ode" by Urayoán Noel

- Article "Puerto Rico: Hurricane Maria and the Promise of Disposability" by Jason Cortés

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August Blog Preview

August is National Breastfeeding Awareness month! 

In honor of my breastfeeding comunidad and to support other breastfeeding Mamas, my August blog posts will focus on lessons I learned from my own early breastfeeding challenges.

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Puerto Rico Pics

​If you want to see my fun vacation pictures from la Isla del Encanto, follow me on Instagram!

That's what I've got for you this month. May the rest of your summer be fabulous and I'll "see" you in your inbox in September!

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Before You Go...

Please Give $25 or $50 to Puerto Rico's Taller Salud
before my campaign ends on September 20th

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Abrazos Fuertes Always,

Li Yun
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P.S. August 2018 Newsletter:
​Teach Puerto Rico (Inbox Version)