Saturday, April 12, 2014

Odilia's Metropolitan Diaries by Odilia Rivera-Santos

My book release party on March 29th at Chips And Salsa was a lot of fun. The weather was horrible -- raining and cold. And my Hunter boot sprung a leak, so one of my toes got wet.
It was cozy nevertheless and a celebration of getting the work out in the world.

I spoke a little about my name, which people enjoy saying.
My birth name is Odilia Rivera-Santos and upon arrival on the mainland, they chopped off the Santos. I decided to legally change my name back to the original.
The conversation got me to thinking about all other decisions made without my input, prior to my full consciousness
- religion
- family of origin
I embrace all of those choices made for me as a divine inheritance and a bundle of experiences from which to learn.
I was baptized Catholic and wandered into Buddhism as a child. All are ingredients in the Odilia Rivera-Santos mix.

I also decided while meditating yesterday that I will marry again. He will have to be Latino, multilingual, an artist and an intellectual. I don't want to explain myself to anyone, so it's best to have some guidelines in place. I have studied art and writing since kindergarten, so surrounding myself with people who understand how artists think, work, disconnect, dismantle and reconstruct things is essential.
Story boarding my future right here, folks!
On the artistic front, I am honored to have been asked to publish my work by Marlena Fitzpatrick and
Charlie Vazquez of Editorial Trance and to have been asked to perform at The New Museum by Leenda Bonilla Roman Pagan

MainlandMix, the New Museum show, promises to be an exciting multidisciplinary event dedicated to an exploration of Puerto Rican identity through the lens of Puerto Rican creatives.

It was a fantastic Saturday morning. I wrote and went to a Writers' meeting and now, I'm watching a movie with an actor I don't particularly like, but my friend chose it. Today is a day to reflect on what others choose for me and what I might learn from just observation.

 Buy my book here: Love When You Say Love

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