While waiting for the results of the International Latino Book Awards, for which my book, Cuba, Adios, has been nominated in two categories (Best First Book, and Best Autobiography), I was delighted to read the following editorial review of the book (the awards will be announced on September 8th, so keep tuned in) Cuba, Adios […]
I posted the following review on Amazon and Goodreads. This is a book that deserves attention. “The Coconut Latitudes” by Rita M. Gardner is an emotional journey into the life of the author whose father moves the family to a small village in the Dominican Republic. Ms. Gardner, five at the time of the relocation, […]
First, it’s a dream. Then, it’s hard work that stretches over months and years, peppered with sheer frustration. Doubts creep into your sleepless nights. Who will want to read this? Who cares? You don’t think you can do it. Somehow you go on. You’re too far into it to give up. The day comes when […]
According to a song in the musical A Chorus Line, all is beautiful at the ballet. But is it? At the National Ballet of Cuba, which has been hailed as one of the leading ballet companies in the world and the best in Latin America, dancers receive modest salaries of $10 to $30 a month […]
Why did I write a memoir? At 18, my life took an unexpected turn. Up to that point, I had aspired to become a pianist, a dream my family and friends had helped me shape since I was a child. “You’ll be like your Abuelo Clemente,” mamá’s father, a respected musician who died before I […]
On Mother’s Day, we celebrate our mothers. And on this holiday, I want to honor mine for the title she earned: “Worst Cook in the world.” After many dinners dishing up rice that sat on a low flame all day developing an almost burnt crust, and serving dried-up pork, the honor seemed well deserved. But, […]
LORENZO PABLO MARTINEZ 