Li Yun Alvarado's Blog

Poet, Parent, Puerto Rican! ¡Wepa!

Amplifying Puerto Rican and underrepresented voices while supporting aspiring & emerging writers through her writing, teaching, and advocacy.

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Muse & Marketplace 2019: Learn & Inspire

3/28/2019

#Muse19 & You Need a Website

Besides attending AWP at the end of this month (read more about that here), I'm also excited to be heading to some of my old stomping grounds to present at GrubStreet's The Muse & The Marketplace conference.

I haven't been to Boston, where I lived for three years after college, in years and I can't wait to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones.

I'm especially excited to share my presentation on First Author Websites:

Saturday, April 6th at 1:00pm
6C: You Need A Website! A Practical Guide to the What, Why, and How of Building Your First Author Website
with Li Yun Alvarado

AWP 2019 Here I Come!

3/21/2019

Setting Intentions to Make the Most of YOUR Conference Experience

AWP is a little over a month away, and I'm already preparing my plan of attack. (I'm also heading to The Muse & The Marketplace and you can read more about that here.

I've created the handy worksheet below to help YOU get your own conference planning on! (BTW: whether you're going to AWP or just wishing you had an upcoming conference, I think you'll find it useful):

Click here to download: CONFERENCING WITH INTENTION: A WORKSHEET TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE

Picture of Li Yun Alvarado holding her pregnant belly and a postcard with a picture of the cover of her book Words or Water in front of a Finishing Line Press sign at AWP 2016.

AWP 2016 in Los Angeles: I was expecting: a book and a baby!

Words or Water @ AWP 2019!

Thursday, March 28
11:00 am - 11:30 am Signing Words or Water at Finishing Line Press Table (T6073)

Friday, March 29
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Signing Words or Water at Finishing Line Press Table (T6073)

Read on below to learn about how I made my plans to fulfill my current needs and to check out my tentative schedule.

And If you're headed to AWP later this month -- I'd love to see you -- come find me!

¡Feliz Día del Amor y La Amistad!

2/14/2019

Love Poems, Friendship & A Valentine's Day Gift for Writers!

I know SNL recently made fun of all the non romantic Valentine's Day greetings, and to be fair I thought the bit was pretty funny...

...but I still think Valentine's Day is better in América Latina...

Let's Talk About Money, Baby

1/20/2019

Mamihood, Writing, and Money: Moving Past My Money Shame & Crafting a Creative Life I Love

Recently my friend, poet and scholar Raina J. León, had her essay "On Labor's Value" published in the VIDA Review.

In it, Raina asks: "When and for what should I be paid? And when I am not offered compensation, to what will I say no in favor of my family, my art, my life?"

A piggy bank and pen sitting on a notebook. The title reads:

For Raina (as for me and others I'm sure) so many of these questions -- which have always been there -- have taken on a new urgency since the birth of her child. Raina explains:

"How do I also negotiate between the labor maternal and the labor that takes me away from my son so that I can creatively express myself and also be compensated for that expression and thereby provide for my son? In short, how do I get paid and provide for my household for the labor that takes me away from my son?"

My question is: shouldn't we all be asking (and searching for answers to) those same questions alongside her?

New Year Intentions: Looking Back & Ahead

12/27/2018

As the end of the year quickly approaches and I prepare to lead Write Your 2019 Into Existence: Seven Day Writing Life Roadmap Challenge for Women and Non-binary Writers, I’m also reflecting on my own 2018 and thinking of the intentions I plan to set for 2019.

Write Your 2019 Into Existence: Writing Life Roadmap Challenge

Whenever I’m thinking about intention setting and cultivating good habits for my writing life, I turn to two guest posts I wrote a few years back...

My Best Christmas Gift Ever... & Holiday Gifts for You!

12/18/2018

Whether Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Noche Buena, Christmas, Kwanza, New Years, Día de los Reyes, or Octavitas celebrations fill your calendar this Dec/Jan, it's the most busy (I mean wonderful) time of the year!

Growing up, our Christmas Day celebrations were complicated by one important factor... my red headed little brother is a Christmas Baby:

I can only imagine how awful it was for him to watch his bully of a big sister get presents on HIS birthday, but somehow he managed...

Ditch the Resolutions & Write Your 2019 Into Existence

12/13/2018

Write Your 2019 Into Existence: Seven Day Writing Life Roadmap Challenge for Women and Non-binary Writers

TL;DR: Write Your 2019 Into Existence: Seven Day Writing Life Roadmap Challenge for Women and Non-binary Writers

Sign up for a FREE seven day challenge to get your 2019 off on the right foot. Sign up by 12/31 (challenge starts by email on 1/6). SHARE with others who might be interested! Click the link above or the photo below to sign up today!

Write Your 2019 Into Existence: Seven Day Writing Life Roadmap Challenge for Women & Nonbinary Writers

Three years ago, I invited four phenomenal women to a new year intention setting workshop in my home.

I guided our group through activities that helped us all reflect on our 2015 and set our course for 2016.

We started the day off not knowing what to expect, and ended the day feeling a strong sense of community, purpose, and direction.

I dubbed 2016 my “Year of Procreation,” and — I kid you not — that same night, after the women had gone home, I took the pregnancy test that told my husband and me that we were expecting our first baby.

I’ve wanted to create the magic of that kind of deep reflection and intention setting in community every year since, but having a little one has made coordinating a little trickier...

Publication Summer: Pulling Back the Curtain of My Most Productive Summer Yet

9/29/2018

A Key Aspect of Publication Success? Relationship Building!

Happy Fall!

Before I completely transition into my Birthday Month (Go Libras!) and into the quieter, more introspective, energy of fall, I wanted to reflect on what I’m calling "Publication Summer!"

This summer I had five pieces published; one poem accepted; I spoke at the Latina Writers Conference in LA; I was selected to present at another writer’s conference in the spring; I applied for a grant; and I had two sets of rejections (as WWS has taught me, if you’re not getting rejected that probably means you’re not submitting enough!).

Check out the publications below:

"Hechizo Para Congelar"

"L.A. Parent: Date with L.A."

“Zika”

“Momentos de María”

“Literatura, Música, y (Huracán) María:
Reflections from the Diaspora"

"Family Physician"
(forthcoming Spring 2019)

Having that many pieces published in the span of three months was unexpected but it didn’t happen by accident.

Read on to learn more about how I went from one publication in 2017 to Publication Summer in 2018!

Latina Writers Conference 2018: Maternity Leave & Staying Connected to My Writer Self

9/5/2018

Inspired by my postpartum period, I compiled "20 Ways to Nurture Your Writer Self (Even When Life Gets in the Way)," a FREE checklist with suggestions that can keep you connected to your writer life — even when life gets in the way:

Download "20 WAYS TO NURTURE YOUR WRITER SELF" now!

Below I share a few of those lessons, and I recap the information I shared at the Latina Writers Conference in 2018.

Writer Mami Maternity Leave & Staying Connected to Your Writer Self

I’m super excited to attend and speak at the Latina Writer’s Conference in Los Angeles tomorrow (9/8/18)!

A full day of programming surrounded by badass Latina Writers? Sounds like heaven!

Image of the Latina Writing Conference's Complete Schedule with my Panel

I’ve been thinking about what I might share with the mujeres who attend my session on “Writing & Caretaking / Parenting.”

I’ve learned so much during these first two years of Mamihood and have so many stories and nuggets to share about this transition.

In preparation for the conference, I thought I’d share the one piece of advice that most influenced my approach to embracing Mamihood as a writer AND some practical strategies I implemented to stay connected to my Writer Self even in the midst of this huge transition.

Read on for all the goodness and to download a FREE checklist!

Mami Needs to Write! 10 Tips for Creating Your Own DIY Writing & Strategic Planning Retreat (Part 3/3)

6/28/2018

Part 3/3: 10 Tips for Creating YOUR Own Retreat

This post is the third in a three part series. In case you missed them, here are Part One and Part Two. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to receive blog updates in your inbox!

As I discussed in Part One, I was inspired by previous retreat experiences to book a night in a hotel and take some time to plan out and make progress on my summer and fall goals and projects.

In Part Two, I talked about how the books You're a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth and The Business of Being a Writer inspired me to focus on strategic planning while on retreat. I also shared some highlights and pictures from my night away.

Here in Part 3, I’d like to share some tips based on my experience.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: This site contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.Thank you for supporting my work in this way!

Cover of the poetry collection, Words or Water. Features a black and white print of a woman with outlines of birds in her hair.

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