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Remembering Hurricane María & Its Aftermath: Two Readings"Literatura, Música, y (Huracán) Maria: Reflections from the Diaspora"Join me for two FB Live Readings this month (9/12/18 & 9/19/18). I'm hosting both readings to keep Puerto Rico front of mind as we approach 9/20, the one year anniversary of Hurricane María making landfall on the island. If you join live or watch the replay of either reading, I hope you will also support my fundraising campaign on behalf of Puerto Rico's Taller Salud. (My campaign has ended, but you can support Taller Salud directly using the link below): Support for Taller Salud Suggested Offering $10
On September 12, 2018 at 10am (PST), I read my personal essay:
"Literatura, Música, y (Huracán) Maria: Reflections from the Diaspora." Click on the essay title above to read the published version and to follow along as I read. Click on the video image below to watch! Below that you'll find links to the texts and songs I reference throughout the essay. Grateful acknowledgements to VIDA Review for giving this essay a home.
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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:
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! 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! Puerto Rico on Our Minds: One Year After Hurricane MaríaHola Familia, I'm wondering... What's your Hurricane story? Where were you when Irma and Maria hit? How did you experience the aftermath of the storms? What do you think about when you think of Hurricanes Irma and Maria today? Those are a few of the questions on my mind as September gets underway and the one year anniversaries approach. If you have a hurricane story, hit reply and share it with me... I'd love to know if and how Puerto Rico is on your mind these days. I returned from my first post-Maria visit to Puerto Rico a few weeks ago. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you probably saw my photos from the trip (if not, be sure to check them out!). Here is one of my favorites from an amazing community art project in Yauco called Yaucromatic 2 created by artists and community members working with the nonprofit Arte Para Unir. Returning to Puerto Rico for the first time since Hurricane Maria is hard to describe. I’ve traveled to Puerto Rico since I was two-months-old, so returning is always so familiar and I always have an amazing time with mi familia...
And yet. Everywhere I looked there were quiet or in-your-face reminders of what happened on the island almost a year ago. Everyone I spoke with had their own Hurricane María stories to share. Case in point, when I asked my cousin about her experience with the hurricane, she answered, without skipping a beat, "I'll say this much. My daughters (ages 3 & 5) got over their fear of the dark." But also. Our Isla del Encanto is as enchanting as ever. And its gente? As committed to Puerto Rico and its future as ever. Alongside the pain, challenges, and ongoing recovery efforts, there is hope and art and joy and laughter. As we approach September 6th and September 20th, I hope you’ll join me in thinking about Puerto Rico, amplifying Puerto Rican stories and voices, and supporting organizations leading the way on recovery efforts—recovery efforts that will last for years. I’m supporting Taller Salud and hope you will join me by supporting my campaign on behalf of Taller Salud today. Read all about this campaign and learn more about Taller Salud by clicking here. And keep an eye out online and in your inbox for updates about the campaign throughout the month. Thank you in advance for sharing your stories with me and for showing Taller Salud and Puerto Rico some love 🙏🏽 Abrazos fuertes, Li Yun PS Before you go, please Read More below for publication, blog, and event updates. Breastfeeding Mechanics, Logistics & Resources, Oh My! (Part 3/3)
Happy National Breastfeeding Awareness Month!
& Happy Black Breastfeeding Week (8/25-8/31)! This post is Part 3 in a 3 part series. Read Part 1: Fed is Best, but Breast is Freaking Awesome, so if Your Goal is EBF, Don’t Give Up Too Soon Read Part 2: Honor Your Cuarentena and Build Your Support Network In this third and final post I’ll discuss certain aspects of the mechanics and logistical juggling—including the unglamorous parts like pumping in airports (see pic below) — that went into our family reaching our breastfeeding goals. (Our goals included feeding him exclusively breast milk and making sure he was open to the occasional bottle of breastmilk). It's not always easy to share the difficult side of breastfeeding. I'm not going to lie, I hesitated when thinking about sharing the picture below, but I think it's important that we share--and normalize--all aspects of breastfeeding and pumping. That, I believe, is one way we can support each other and help future Mamas as they wade through those crazy first weeks. Once again, I share my experience to encourage you to learn as much as you can about the mechanics and some of the logistical issues you might have to tackle before giving birth if at all possible. But if, like me, you have to learn while in the trenches, I hope these posts lead you to some valuable information that will help you on your own journey.
Like I mentioned in the last post, if there is one piece of advice I would give to new Mamas who wish to breastfeed it would be this:
Put together a team of knowledgable and supportive people ASAP, preferably before birth. This post and series only touches upon a handful of logistical or mechanical issues that our particular family had to address. But every family is different! So again let these posts inspire you to find what your particular family needs. Once again, happy Breastfeeding to you! And if it's not so happy at the moment, hang in there and read this now: “When Breastfeeding is Hard” Honor Your Cuarentena and Build Your Support Network (Part 2/3)
Happy National Breastfeeding Awareness Month!
This post is Part 2 in a 3 part series, so be sure to read Part 1 where I discuss why I’m writing these series of posts and where I make my case that: Fed is Best, but Breast is Freaking Awesome, so if Your Goal is EBF, Don’t Give Up Too Soon! And once you read this post, check out Part 3: Mechanics, Logistics & Resources, Oh My!
In today's post I’ll discuss honoring your postpartum period and building your team so you are fully supported on the road to achieving your family’s breastfeeding goals.
Fed is Best, but Breastfeeding is Freaking Awesome, so if Your Goal is EBF, Don’t Give Up Too Soon! (Part 1/3)Happy World Breastfeeding Week & National Breastfeeding Awareness Month! This is Part 1 of a 3 part series (read Part 2 & read Part 3). As many of you already know, I am a proud breastfeeding Mama, so this month’s posts are dedicated to my breastfeeding comunidad without which I would not have made it this far on my own breastfeeding journey! When I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfeed, but it wasn’t until I was in the thick of learning how to breastfeed that I realized how little I knew about what to expect. Had anyone told me during those first stressful weeks that I would still be nursing my almost two-year-old, I would not have believed them. I clearly remember thinking: “Oh I totally understand why people don’t do this…” It was hard. I was tired. And I didn’t know what I was doing. Still… I knew the benefits for my son and for myself, and, perhaps more importantly, I had the resources and the support I needed to get over the hump. I had people I trusted assuring me that it gets better and that then it’s pretty amazing (it does and it is!). Over the next few weeks (on a slightly different blog schedule), I’ll share some insights on what I wish I had known before we started our breastfeeding journey: Part One (8/1): Fed is Best, but Breast is Freaking Awesome, so if Your Goal is EBF, Don’t Give Up Too Soon! Part Two (8/15): Honor Your Cuarentena and Build Your Support Network Part Three (8/30): Mechanics, Logistics, and Resources, Oh My UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON 8/29/18 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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