We’re kicking off our second season with a conversation between mentor alum and debut author of The Waves Take You Home, María Alejandra Barrios Velez, and Mentee Fiona Hernandez.
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María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
(she/her) Alum | Guest/Teaching Artist | Mentor
María Alejandra Barrios Vélez is a writer born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She has an MA in creative writing from the University of Manchester and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and scruffy dog, Gus. She was the 2020 SmokeLong Flash Fiction Fellow, and her stories have been published in Shenandoah Literary, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, El Malpensante, Fractured Lit, SmokeLong Quarterly, The Offing, and more. Her work has been supported by organizations such as Vermont Studio Center, Kweli, Caldera Arts, and the New Orleans Writers’ Residency. The Waves Take You Home is María’s debut, inspired by the resilience and strength of the women in her family and the Caribbean city she spent most of her life in.
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Write a First Novel Inspired by Your Own Story with María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
Learn the importance of telling your story in your own voice and how to overcome the challenges of writing a first novel with author María Alejandra Barrios Vélez.
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Silent Neighborhoods Across New York
A poem about our two neighborhoods in New York and our experiences inhabiting the city in our own particular lenses.