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Courtesy of Alyssa Reynoso Morris By Virginia Isaad February 28, 2025 – 08:00 Alyssa Reynoso-Morris is a queer Afro-Latinx Dominican and Puerto Rican award-winning storyteller, centering stories about the Latinx community through her work. The Bronx native works with community members, non-profit organizations, and government officials while also balancing motherhood and her literary work. She is the author of Plátanos Are Love & Los Plátanos Son Amor; The Bronx Is My Home; Gloriana Presente: A First Day of School Book & Gloriana Presente: De la República Dominicana al Bronx; Bold, Brilliant and Latine: Meet 52 Latine and Hispanic Heroes from Past and Present; and Pieces of Home. She is a member of KidLit In Color, which is a group of traditionally published BIPOC creatives, as well as Las Musas which spotlights diverse voices in literature. “Kids deserve to see themselves on the page in positive and empowering ways so they learn they are important, valued, worthy, and powerful,” she previously told HipLatina . Which Latina(s) have had the greatest impact on your life and why? My grandmother and mother have had the greatest impact on my life. My Abuela was the storyteller in the family who inspired me to become a storyteller and author. She showed me the positive impact storytellers can make and how it was a powerful tool for connection. My abuela was not allowed to go to school and was not able to write her stories down, which is why I consider my work as an author to be part of her legacy. My mom encouraged me to get an education and exposed me to authors like Julia Alvarez and Sandra Cisneros , who inspired me to keep writing. In addition to them, the authors who had the biggest impact on my life are Jacqueline Woodson and Donna Barba Higuera. Stay connected! Subscribe now and get the latest on culture, empowerment, and more. SIGN ME UP! This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service . Thank You! You are already subscribed to our newsletter If you could meet a Latina icon who is no longer alive, who would it be and why? I would love to meet Pura Belpré. She was the first Puerto Rican and Afro-Latina librarian at the New York Public Library, as well as a talented storyteller and puppeteer. Pura celebrated the power of oral traditions and shared stories passed down through generations, publishing Pérez and Martina in 1932. She believed libraries should be welcoming spaces for everyone, offering programs and books in Spanish to her community at a time when that kind of outreach was rare. Her work continues to inspire me to uplift and celebrate our stories. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? My abuela told me that I should do three things every day: one, smile; two, learn something new; and three, be kind. I try to do these three things every day. In pursuit of knowledge and kindness, my life has blossomed and surpassed my expectations for myself. I was able to travel the world and build water purification systems and aquaponic systems to help communities in need. I served as a researcher helping with the development of the witness protection program for the United Nations Tribunal of Rwanda. I conducted research for a microfinance organization working to mitigate poverty in India. I’ve been able to become a published author, which has been my goal since I was seven years old. As a mother, I try to be as patient and compassionate as my abuela was with me, while I encourage my daughters to smile, learn, and be kind. What was the scariest part of pursuing your career goals and how did you push through? The scariest part of pursuing my career goals was navigating the unknown as a mom and managing my time accordingly. I knew very little about the publishing industry so I needed to find the time to: write, learn how to write for children, edit my books, learn about how to get published, find an agent, and work with editors, in the margins of my time, as I was juggling motherhood and working. I wish I was able to clone myself but that technology doesn’t exist so I needed to invest in time management tools like Trello, Calendly, and a shared calendar to keep me on track. If you want something, you need to make time for it. How do you stay connected to your cultural roots? I stay connected to my cultural roots by reading books, listening to music, and dancing in my living room with my kids. I also make it a point to learn about my ancestors because they give me the courage to keep pushing. They had to overcome so much – slavery, exploitation, poverty, lack of education, and racism to name a few – so I can and will overcome my challenges to make them proud. I am excited to share that I have a new book coming out called Bold, Brilliant and Latine to inspire the next generation of changemakers. Readers will learn about 52 Latine heroes because all children deserve to see themselves positively represented in the books they read. From sporting legends to fashion icons, and political leaders to fearless changemakers, as well as renowned writers, musicians, artists, scientists, and more, these heroes’ lives will inspire readers of all backgrounds to chase their dreams…whatever they may be. What do you wish more people understood about what you do? As a traditionally published author, we do not make a lot of money. Most of us have other jobs in addition to being authors. I get paid 50 cents per book sold. I am not in this for the money and have another job on top of this. But I do it because I love writing and I love seeing the impact of my books. To support authors, please buy our books, request our books at the library, write a review for our books, recommend our books, gift our books, and follow us on social media. If you are an educator or librarian, see if you can hire an author to visit your school or library because kiddos benefit from seeing authors who look like them in person. What motivates you? My daughters motivate me because I want them to grow up with books that represent them and their experiences. I am also inspired by my younger self who dreamed of being an author one day. I did not know how or when but deep down I knew I wanted to become an author and little Alyssa inspires me to keep dreaming big. Last but not least, I am motivated by fan mail. I love getting letters from readers and fans who share how my books inspired them and/or brought them joy and love. How did you end up on the professional path you’re on now? Before becoming an author I was a chief of staff, program manager, event coordinator, career coach, and many other things. My path was not linear and my experiences have helped me as an author. I strongly believe that we do not need to pick ONE thing to do for the rest of our lives if we don’t want to. You can do all the things you want if you have multiple interests. You can reinvent yourself multiple times — you just might not be able to do everything at once. Instead, you might have seasons; I personally have had seasons for creation and creativity, seasons to generate wealth, and seasons to invest in family. What is your greatest professional achievement so far? Personal achievement? It is hard to pick just one – I would say two of the coolest achievements have been seeing an entire display of my books in a bookstore and connecting with a student who dressed up as me for Hispanic Heritage Month at school. I cried so much on both occasions. To know my books are having such a positive impact on the lives of kids makes this challenging journey worthwhile. Often we are the only Latinas in the room or one of a few, what has it been like being a Latina in your field? Publishing is a very competitive industry. Only 1 percent of submitted manuscripts are actually published. According to data from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), in 2021, around 9.8 percent (311 out of 3,183) of published children’s books were written by Latino authors and only 7.35 percent (234 books) focused on Latino characters. So basically I am 9.8 percent of 1 percent. Learning this reality was both disheartening and encouraging. I felt disillusioned because I knew there was a strong possibility that my books would never get published, but at the same time, I felt encouraged once I focused on writing for the love of it, regardless of the outcome. With all that said, it is hard being a Latina in publishing, because my manuscripts get rejected all the time. They are considered “too niche” or “not marketable.” It hurts to work for years on a book for it to be rejected by editors, which is why community is so important. I joined the Las Musas collective and it has been nice making friends with book lovers and authors who understand the struggle. What pop culture moment made you feel seen as a Latina? I don’t know if this really counts as a pop culture moment, but in addition to books, I was a theater and musical geek. I participated in musicals in high school, which was also when the musical “In The Heights” came out by Lin Manuel Miranda. It was revolutionary. Aside from “Rent” and “West Side Story,” which are incredible works of art, I never before felt so seen until this musical. I was Nina and would sing the soundtrack at the top of my lungs non-stop on my fire escape, the train, the street – everywhere. How do you practice and prioritize self-care? Honestly, I have not been lately. I have 6-month-old twins and a 5-year-old, plus all the work I do as an author, so I am on the struggle bus. I try to dance to one song a day. I try to sleep when I can. I also let myself cry when I feel overwhelmed, which is often these days. Quick Fire: Shoutout a Latina’s IG account that could use more love and tell us why you’re a fan: Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda is a business coach and author @ashleykstoyanovojeda Ashley helped me see myself as an entrepreneur, which is important for authors to understand. Her book Jefa In Training really clarified a lot of business blindspots for me. Dr. Esther Zeledon is an author book, motivational speaker, and coach @be.act.change Dr. Esther inspires me to continue pursuing my purpose. Shoutout your favorite Latina-owned business and why: The Lit Bar is the only bookstore in the Bronx @thelitbar The Bronx Is Reading ( @thebronxisreading ) is doing incredible work empowering the next generation of readers and writers in The Bronx. They organize an annual book fair as well as programming to bring authors, books, and literacy to schools. Digame is a monthly series featuring prominent Latinx leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, and public figures uplifting the community and making a difference. 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