Selfie. No make up with vivid cool filter. December 2020. Bronx, New York.

Thank you to those who write asking me when I’ll share again. Since the eve of the election, I’ve not been up to it. But I’m not stopping. Just needed a breather. Know I’ve not been idle, but rather, aside from the day-to-day work life, reading voraciously and thinking deep and long about everything and everyone. And what a year it has been, hasn’t it, an unforgettable one for all of us.

 Amidst the savagery of the year 2020, it has been unavoidable not to reflect, at least for me. And today, I turn 50 years young, so a lot has been on my mind as of late—the bad, the ugly, the good and noble, and the comic too because I find it hilarious that I can start enjoying AARP benefits. But, back to reflection. I’ve come to terms with the fact that alone time can be extraordinarily fortifying and equally terrifying. Some days and nights have been so silent that journeying within has been the only option.

 My cup runneth over, and one of the many privileges of this year for me was to be in the virtual presence of Dr. Tomas Ybarra-Fausto through the NALAC Leadership Institute this past summer. Tears streamed out of my eyes and down my face through his entire story, made to inspire us to action forward always in the name of culture, but it was the lifetime take-away that I’ll never forget. Three questions that claim my nights with thoughts: ¿Quien soy? ¿De donde vengo? ¿A donde voy? | Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?

I’ve been asking myself these questions almost daily since July. They are available to you now also. And I’m sharing my answers of today, December 13, 2020, which equal a chunk of my heart.

Who am I?

I’m part of the good and noble, kind, real, generous, a caregiver, a dancer, a lost poet, a passionate being, a deep feeling woman, an observer, a reader, a thinker, a creative type, and at times a sinner.

Where do I come from?

From the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Puerto Rico, the conquest, but also from love, philosophy, humanity, standing by principles, committed artists, music, the theater, show business, and the imagination of the heavens.

Where am I going?

Carrying on supporting artists and welcoming 2021 as I stand today, defeated in some ways, triumphant in others, but definitely game to embrace my maturity in its sincere and vulnerable way, as it comes.

I wish you all, health and well-being.

Live long and prosper,

Sol

Easter Sunday. I confess. I failed all week to catch a recording of Edgardo. We spoke on Tuesday night, and then it went downhill. Que horror. To his credit, humbleness, and team spirit, he stuck with my tech meltdown. Each attempt was worse than the one before. Ay, Dios mio. My computer crashed, and I’m using a temp one, and I found a way to record on mobile and will moving to the platform, Anchor, bla bla bla...But. Edgardo is still standing by (un sweetheart), and Oprah is my north for so many things, and she says, get back on your feet no matter how many times you fail. So. I stand with an IOU of the properly recorded conversation, but for today, I mean to say that Edgardo is marvelous, no pun intended. 

There truly is a poetic weave in his path from start to now as a comic book artist, though he's so much more-a writer, a graphic designer, a producer, un artista completo, una jodienda, un badass con un corazón de oro. 

The two things: 

La Boriqueña #3 

We had a lovely conversation about the importance of the fundraising campaign of La Boriqueña #3. His share of what goes behind the making of a puertorriqueña superhero comic book is amazing and will make you want to buy a pre-order copy. His goal is to publish in November with the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Puerto Rican flag. 

Marisol Rios De La Luz comes alive not only by Edgardo but from an all Puerto Rican comic book artist team he brings together. 

As a puertorriqueña I feel her. She is very much around. So thankful.  

Masks for America

This is a huge project. La Boriqueña in the frontlines as the Masks for America heroine. Visit the Go Fund Me page. 

Live long and prosper,

Sol

Leadership succession in the Bronx arts and culture sphere is a thing to look at, write about, and discuss. The future does matter. This is a subject I’ll delve into in 2019. I’m pre-preparing my year. For now.

Oscar J. Rivera is an example of that tomorrow for EnFoco. Since 1974 EnFoco has supported visual and photographic artists of color in underserved communities. But, the borough is changing, leaders are aging, and the promise of these imperative spaces and projects need us and younger minds to carry out the next 40-years.

This was the undercurrent feeling I was left with after my convo with Oscar. Young, purposeful, real, he’s a man with a caring eye and heart. He travels from Brooklyn to the Bronx to make it to the office and is quickly becoming an inter-borough creative connector. Love him for it. December’s Nueva Luz photo journal is The Queer Issue with Oscar’s touch from beginning to end. To purchase or check it all out visit EnFoco’s website, and listen to us with perfect sound, here.

With gratitude for the Lenape Indians, original holders of Manhattan.

Sol

I’ve been busy. Really, really, really busy. My interview schedule is off though soon enough I’ll be on track again. Therefore, today’s share is a bit of a bulletin...

1. Here is to the fathers both present and absent. Mine is very much alive, blessed be his soul and voice. Here is Episode 27, a lovely conversation I had with mom and dad back at the beginning of NFAND. It is a Spanish talk, but it is real.

2. The President of the Unión de Trabajadores de la Industria Eléctrica y Riego de Puerto Rico (UTIER) Juan Figueroa Jaramillo, will be speaking at Hostos Community College on Monday 18 June at 7:00 p.m., 500 Grand Concourse, Room B-501. See Flyer attached. Just like last week’s The Battle for Paradise book launch and forum hosted by The Intercept, this should be a MUST ATTEND talk for those of you interested in Puerto Rico.

3. Master artist Manny Vega is going to have an art sale next week and you should prepare to buy. I’m holding for the flyer, will circulate when I receive it. Manny spoke deep and penetrating for Episode 59.

4. Circling back to father’s day, I share the song Huracan. Dad recorded the song over 40 years ago for his seminal album, Alborada. These things have come to pass...

5. AND, FAMILIES BELONG TOGETHER. The overlords are out like wolves. Watch out.

Sol

Who can put a price on memories? Pictures are precious for this very reason I suppose. We hold on to moments of moments. It is one of the ways in which we can capture time. In this is the age of citizen journalism and citizen photography, who and what is the real deal? Amateurs and Pros meet at junctures of action and practice. There is so much to see. How it turns out is that most famous images are credited to men photographers. But as photography experts and buffs know, women photographers have also captured history. This is for them...

The article, The Women Who Covered Vietnam by Elizabeth Becker immediately made me think of Verónica Sanchis Bencomo, founder of Foto Féminas, a platform exclusively devoted to showcasing Latin American women photographers. Since its launch, Foto Féminas features one photographer a month. Today, Foto Féminas is a showcase platform and a library. The collection is named after Maria Cristina Orive, a pivotal figure in Latin American photojournalism from Guatemala, who passed away this September. Orive, alongside legendary Argentinian photographer Sara Facio founded La Azotea one of the most respected oldest photography publishing houses in Latin America.

This month’s featured photographer is Gabriela Rivera Lucero. A beast. And I mean wonderful and good. The work is literally beastly, it’s called Bestiario. Check it out. The proposal is not for the faint of heart, but it is real and timely and some of the most exciting work I’ve seen in some time.

Foto Féminas has an important role and we have Veronica thank. The collective voices of these women photographers are telling the story of Latin America with bravery and not a hint of shyness. Fierce.

Sol