Tía Sara’s rhinestone hair combs, the ones Tío Cesar bought her on their one and only trip to “Nueva Yol.” She used to wear them to church, and any special occasion, as if they were made with real diamonds. Mira, your tio has great taste, she used to say. Los diamantes son para amantes. Us kids would cringe at the thought of Tía Sara and Tío Cesar as lovers, and she would dance to an imaginary merengue all the way to the kitchen. I never had the heart to remind her that were just rhinestones from one of the many $2.99 jewelry stores in Midtown; a lower grade than Claire’s, even. I just let her admire her hair combs and told her she was beautiful.
On Sunday, April 21, I will once again host the New Voices Reading Series at La Casa Azul Bookstore in East Harlem, and you’re all invited. On that night I will be reading from one of the stories I wrote while on a recent trip to the Dominican Republic. My aunt took me to our “ancestral” town–La Descubierta–and it was the most beautiful experience I’ve had so far. And as a bonus, being there conceived a whole new series of short pieces, including “What the Lake Stole/Lo que el lago se robó,” a bilingual piece that I’m anxious about but eager to share.
A bit of back story: Lago Enriquillo is the largest in the Caribbean and is currently rising and flooding the area at alarming rates. According to my grandfather, the land/town is only there because the water evaporated a bazillion (yes, bazillion) years ago, so this flooding is just the lake claiming its territory again. It’s a beautifully tragic situation–I actually witnessed the flooding–and the whole thing just woke my creative juices up.
Also featured on the 21st are a hand-picked bunch of truly amazing writers, poets and storytellers, and you won’t forgive yourself if you miss out.
Hope to see you there!
xoxo,
Raquel Ivelisse
PS- Don’t forget to check back ever so often to see where I’m reading next!