Named as a Letras Boricuas Fellow

Today, the Flamboyan Foundation’s Arts Fund announced a new cohort of Letras Boricuas Fellows, and I am proud and humbled to be named as one of them.

From the foundation: “Established in 2021, the fellowship aims to identify, elevate, and amplify the voices of emerging and established Puerto Rican writers across literary genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, children’s literature, poetry (including spoken word), and the newly added category of playwriting. Writers selected to receive a fellowship are awarded an unrestricted grant of $25,000 each to further their literary practice. The fellowship is projected to support 100 writers over five years, awarding over $2.5 million in total.”

After years of working quietly for my people, often from what felt like the shadows and the margins, I feel seen. This recognition feels like a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone who pushed me to apply!

It is striking that these fellowships are being announced just days after a hate rally was held in New York, in which a speaker insulted Puerto Rico, to hearty applause. That kind of disgusting rhetoric makes it clear that this award is not just for me. That kind of seething ignorance proves that our Puerto Rican stories are more important than ever and that our Puerto Rican voices need to be heard.

Congratulations to all of the other fellows and the Flamboyan Arts Fund (“a partnership between the Flamboyan Foundation, Lin-Manuel Miranda, his family, and the Broadway musical Hamilton to preserve, amplify, and sustain the arts in Puerto Rico”). For more information about the Flamboyan Foundation, go here: https://flamboyanfoundation.org/.