Culturally Connected Artistry

High-quality recognition

Sep 22, 2025

white mug of coffee — Photo by Komal on Unsplash

Hi Friends:

Because writer’s block isn’t ethnically static, this issue includes:

A sip…

The muse contends that it is in poor taste to reveal one's age, and remains silent as to whether she predates Heritage 1893…

Hi paid Subscribers!

A shout out…

In acknowledgment of the month-long celebration, it is appropriate to honor the literary contributions of authors/writers of Hispanic and Latino Heritage, including

but not limited to:

Elizabeth Acevedo

Ariana Brown

Luz Argentina Chiriboga

Maurice Emerson DeCaul

Mayra Santos-Febres, Ph.D.

-and-

Dhalma Llanos-Figueroa

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Loida Maritza Perez

Arturo Alfonso (Arthur) Schomburg

A sentence…

Prompts inspired by works from notable Hispanic/Latino authors:

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“He asked me to cry with him, but his sadness was his and I couldn’t steal it.” ― Gerardo Sámano Córdova, Monstrilio

“Keep your dreams, you will never know when you need them.” ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

“It's enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.” ― Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

“We do this because the world we live in is a house on fire and the people we love are burning.” ― Cisneros Sandra, The House on Mango Street

“I find it hard to stay positive in this rubbish world. But I’m starting to feel a desire to try to change it, something I’ve never really felt before.” ― Isabel Allende, The Wind Knows My Name

“Mom likes to call them my "angels," but I worry that takes away their humanity and their nonreligious capacity for love and compassion they showed a stranger.” ― Javier Zamora, Solito

“There was nothing one could do when love came. It was fast, and it was strong, and if it were not good, then surely God would not have allowed it such power.” ― Luis Alberto Urrea, The Hummingbird's Daughter

“What, if anything, does it mean? An afterlife? All she has come up with is that the only way not to let the people she loves die forever is to embody what she loved about them. Otherwise, the world is indeed depleted.” ― Julia Alvarez, Afterlife

“Again and again, Olga returned to church after that, hopeful that this visit would be the moment when she was healed. That on this occasion, the anger that so often filled her would be replaced by grace.” ― Xóchitl González, Olga Dies Dreaming

“That there are no real rules that govern why some are born in turmoil and others never know a single day in which the next seems an ill-considered bet. It’s all lottery, Ana, all chance. It’s the flick of a coin, and we are born.” ― Gabriela Garcia, Of Women and Salt

“Happiness is a dandelion wisp floating through the air that I can’t catch. No matter how hard I try, no matter how fast I run, I just can’t reach it. Even when I think I grasp it, I open my hand and it’s empty.” ― Erika L. Sánchez, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

A snack pairing…

Like literature, food has artistry, including sensory appeal, emotional expression, and creative skill that require craftsmanship, presentation, and technique. However, appetites are shaped by learned experiences and environmental factors.

Although the history of the empanada is complex, the idea of a filled pastry traces back to ancient Persia (now Iran). Merchants carried filled pastries along with spices and other goods on trade routes to North Africa. The Moors later introduced similar pastries to Spain during the Middle Ages.

The Spanish then brought empanadas to the Americas. In Latin America, empanadas continued to evolve, incorporating local ingredients and cooking traditions, including those from Indigenous and African cultures.

Global variations include:

Gyoza - Japan
Calzone – Italy
Samosa – India
Patty – Jamaica
Pierogi – Poland
Pirozhki – Russia
Kreatopitakia - Greece
Khuushuur – Mongolia
Knish – Eastern Europe
Cornish Pastry - England
Guo Kui and Jiaozi – China

A sweet melody…

Known to blend influences and traditions, Hispanic and Latino music encompasses a wide range of styles and inspirational genres.

Born in Cuba, Celia Cruz was best known in the United States and played a key role in bringing the Afro-Cuban-influenced salsa genre to a global audience.

As a leading figure and international icon, she was essential to the Latin music boom and was celebrated as the Queen of Salsa. One of her most recognizable contributions is:

A book list…

A few titles by Hispanic/Latino trailblazers:

Victim, by Andrew Boryga

Cowboy Graves, by Roberto Bolaño

Hombrecito, by Santiago Jose Sanchez

Jailbreak of Sparrows, by Martín Espada

The Bewitching, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The White Hot, by Quiara Alegría Hudes

Woman of Light, by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

The Grand Paloma Resort, Cleyvis Natera

The Possession of Alba Díaz, by Isabel Cañas

Plantains and Our Becoming, by Melania Luisa Marte

Living Beyond Borders - Growing up Mexican in America, by Margarita Longoria

Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys, by Mariana Enriquez

Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League, by Dan-el Padilla Peralta

A literary listicle…

Although the US has a large Hispanic and Latino population, with over 130 million people, Mexico has the largest number of people of Hispanic or Latino descent, making it the biggest Spanish-speaking country in the world.

Meanwhile, with an estimated 67 million Afro-descendants, Brazil has the largest Black population outside of Africa and the second largest in the world after Nigeria.

Its inspiration includes:

Samba and other Brazilian music;

The must-see, Cathedral of São Sebastião;

The botanical paradise known as Jardim Botânico;

The iconic granite peak known as Pedra da Gávea;

Magical cable car rides at Sugarloaf Mountain Park;

The 250-step decorated staircase known as Escadaria Selaron; and

The most famous art deco statue in the world, Christ the Redeemer.

A few useful tips…

On writing Hispanic or Latino heritage:

Focus on individuality;

Avoid phonetic accents;

Understand the ancestry;

Avoid career caricatures;

Country of origin matters;

Research naming conventions;

Avoid and subvert stereotypes;

Do not generalize based on food;

Give characters life beyond culture;

Naturally incorporate cultural details;

This is another area where sensitivity readers will help;

Know the cultural contributions to art, food, music, literature, etc.;

Integrate and use the Spanish language authentically and intentionally;

Understand the distinctions between the diverse histories and identities;

Heritage should add to character complexity, not be the only defining trait;

Understand the geographic, cultural, and historic roots of the locale being written about; and

Because skin tones, hair textures, body types, and other physical features vary, avoid limiting descriptions to a single ‘look’.

A few contests…

The Bedford Competition

Boulevard Non-Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers

Craft Flash Prose Prize

The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction

Free Flash Fiction Thirty Contest

Press53 Award for Short Fiction

Vern Rutsala Book Prize

A few creative resets…

September 23^rd
Mini Midday Reset
Multi-Date Options
The Reset Hour
Reset & Realign Meditation Series

A few fee-based accountability/retreat/workshop opportunities…

Single Session

September 27^th
Prose Poetry with Nick Makoha (£20)
Writing Drama with Olubunmi Familoni (£20)
October 25^th
Act Like A Writer, Think Like An Editor: Getting Your Manuscript Ready ($75 - $85)
November 1^st
Crafting Dialogue with Linda Musita (£20)

Series

October 4^th – October 18^th
Supernatural Fiction with Naledi Mashishi (£50)
October 6^th – November 2^nd
Writing with the Patterns of Nature with Kimberly Lee ($175)

A few fellowship/grant/scholarship opportunities…

The Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship

The Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship

Mass Cultural Council Grants for Creative Individuals

Nebraska Individual Artist Grants

Shearing Fellowship

Mary Shelley Scholarship

A few retreat/residency opportunities…

Akron Soul Train Residencies

Grand Marais Art Colony Residencies

A few freelance opportunities…

Asian Dispatch is seeking pitches from journalists across Asia on stories around Asian societies, culture, politics, technology, and climate.

Big Think seeks original feature pitches about transformative trends, scientific breakthroughs, and emerging ideas that challenge conventional wisdom, including interviews with high-profile scientists, entrepreneurs, authors, and thinkers.

Business Insider is looking to assign stories about recent or upcoming travels, train rides, flight upgrades, and recipes.

Mongabay invites pitches from experienced journalists for news stories, features, investigative reports, profiles, and case studies on Africa.

Mother Jones welcomes pitches of reported essays, profiles, and culture dispatches.

Wayword Media seeks pitches from travel story writers based in Canada.

A few submission opportunities…

Blood Moon Rising seeks fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and art.

Crepuscular seeks micro fiction exploring places, characters, and questions buried in the gray areas.

The Dark seeks experimental horror and dark fantasy.

The Deadlands seeks critical, academic, and personal essays on all things death.

Driftwood Press seeks fiction, graphic novels and comics, novellas, poetry and poetry collections, and visual art and comic collections.

Exquisite Death seeks dark, surreal, atmospheric, and macabre horror fiction, poetry, and music.

Factor Four Magazine seeks flash fiction in the genres of speculative fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, superhero, or any combination.

Flash Phantoms seeks horror stories and drabble submissions on Halloween themes.

Ghostlight: The Magazine of Terror seeks horror fiction, art, and poetry.

The Last Girls Club is seeking feminist horror submissions on the theme ‘Secret Police, ICE, and the Disappeared’. https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/last-girls-club-lImp7

Malefic Magazine is seeking fiction, nonfiction, and poetry on the theme, ‘The Long Dark.’

Remains seeks short stories, features, and novella horror fiction.

Skummel seeks dark, unsettling, absurdist, and experimental flash, short fiction, and poetry.

Sometimes Hilarious Horror seeks horror fiction, poetry, novel chapters, and cover art.

Tractor Beam seeks soilpunk stories and graphic novellas.

Virginia Fantastic seeks strange and wondrous speculative fiction that reimagines the Commonwealth of Virginia as a land of mystery, magic, and the unexpected.

A few sessions & workshops…