Catching up...

When did life become so busy that I’m always trying to catch up and feeling like I’m not present enough at any given moment?

I look back on the following “news item” and it seems to exist in someone else’s past. I appreciate this moment to share with you and to remember: 1. I have much for which to be grateful, and 2. I should slow the f*** down (as hard as it is for this anxious little brown woman).

I posted recently about Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (and Creative Writing editor Grisel Y. Acosta) publishing my creative nonfiction piece Dressing Mami. I was again grateful when I saw the kind words CLS had posted on Instagram about my writing.

I got teary, likely because I noticed it on Mother’s Day and writing about mothers and motherhood is … complicated. So are writing and life but reading that post was a moment when I felt seen, acknowledged, and felt that the work I send out into the world might matter.

Small independent journals such as CLS give voice and support to writers who might otherwise go unheard. Consider subscribing to CLS, purchasing Volume 24:1, or making a donation/gift to support this volunteer-run organization.

Dressing Mami is not available to read online. Video of a July 2024 performed reading at SMUSH Gallery is available online.