In this episode, we return to March 7, 2026. It is a reflection on Grace & Boldness: Latina Voices for Change, the first public event hosted by Casa de María Publisher at Yale University.

We revisit key ideas from the keynote address, beginning with a central truth: storytelling is not separate from social justice. It is often where the work begins. Before policy is debated and community change is ratified, someone tells the story of what is happening. In doing so, this act asserts that their life, and the lives of others, matter.

This episode reflects on what it means to hold story as both power and responsibility. We explore the role of literary spaces in safeguarding memory and dignity.

We return to the voices of the authors who shared their journeys. Each naming the tension between telling the truth and protecting what must be held with care. Their reflections remind us that writing is not only about expression, but it's about responsibility to self, to family, and to community.

This episode also traces the origin of Casa de María Publisher. A commitment to build a literary home for writers. Learn more about each of our speakers and future events. Writing Programs: Retreats, Webinars & Podcast

Media Coverage by Zuleyka Torres. Follow her on Youtube Channel @Inspire Me By Zuly Torres.

Guest Speakers:

Chef Red (Kristina Cruz-Diaz). Follow her on Youtube Channel @Red Kruz

Jill Interlandi, Owner of DoNo Cafe

Rachel Torres (Moderator of Panel Discussion)

AUTHORS:

Daisy Plaza, Author of I Did it for Her: From Trauma and Fear to Pure Love and Strength

Jacquelyn Santiago, Contributing author in the anthologies Becoming Her: A Woman's Path to Purpose, Self Love, and Fulfillment and Live Your Optimal Life: A Transformation Anthology

Dr. Vilma Luz Caban, Author The Heart of an Advocate

Support the show

https://www.casademariapublisher.com/

What happens when speaking up becomes more than a single moment of courage?

In Episode 11 of the Casa de María Publisher Podcast — Write… Reflect… Reimagine, Dr. Vilma Luz Cabán sits down with nationally recognized violence-prevention leader and youth advocate Jacquelyn Santiago for a conversation about voice, service, and the legacy that grows from speaking when silence once felt safer. Jacquelyn Santiago is a respected author, community leader, and advocate whose work centers youth empowerment, organizational leadership, and personal development. Jacquelyn has made multiple visits to Washington, D.C., to share her expertise in the violence prevention field with The White House and the U.S. Department of Justice.

This conversation unfolds in Hartford, Connecticut, as Casa de María Publisher prepares for the public literary event Grace & Boldness: Latina Voices for Change at Yale University in Dwight Hall: Center for Public Service and Social Justice. The episode begins with the image of vibrant murals rising from brick walls across Hartford — one of them bearing Jacquelyn Santiago’s face, voted on by the Frog Hollow neighborhood itself as a reflection of her decades of work with youth and families navigating violence, grief, and systemic inequities.

But long before national recognition, policy conversations, or murals painted across Hartford neighborhoods, there was a young girl navigating questions of identity, belonging, and worth.

In this episode, Vilma and Jacquelyn explore the deeper journey behind public leadership:

• how a voice forms when silence once felt like safety
• the tension of cultural identity and belonging • the moment when personal healing becomes service
• how storytelling disrupts systems and liberates people
• and what legacy truly means when communities reflect courage back to those who speak

Together, Vilma and Jacquelyn reflect on a powerful truth: Legacy is rarely built in a single moment. It is built quietly in different spaces and in the decisions to speak when silence would be easier.

Listen to Episode 11: The Legacy of Speaking Up

Voice does more than tell a story. Voice builds a future.

FROGHOLLOW MURAL

HARTFORD HEROES MURAL

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https://www.casademariapublisher.com/

What allows a writer to continue, not just for a single manuscript, but across years of creative life?

In this episode of the Casa de María Publisher Podcast, we explore what it means to sustain a writing life beyond deadlines, publication milestones, or moments of urgency.

Many writers begin during periods of intensity. Perhaps it was after loss, a life transition, or a moment that demands to be written. But sustaining a writing life requires something different. It requires rhythm, care, and the quiet discipline of returning to the page when no one is watching.

This episode reflects on the deeper conditions that allow writing to continue across seasons of change. We explore the difference between practice and performance, the role of environment and ritual, and how writers adapt their creative process as life evolves.

Dr. Vilma Luz Cabán also shares personal reflections on writing during a season of transition...about developing new work while rematriating to Puerto Rico and building Casa de María Publisher.

A sustained writing life is shaped by patience, attention, and the willingness to remain in conversation with the work over time. Join us! DON'T GIVE UP!

Support the show

https://www.casademariapublisher.com/