COMING OF AGE

Growing up on three continents was as unsettling as it was exhilarating. While I often felt isolated after landing in the Venezuelan Andes as a child, I am forever grateful for the discovery of my extended family—and of the poets whose words became my refuge: Pablo Neruda, Rubén Darío, and Andrés Eloy Blanco…

sombra azul que cruza el mar
la borra el azul marino

Poetry has long been part of my lineage—not just in the works of these literary giants but in my home. In 2012, my late Venezuelan mother self-published a collection of poems in Spanish, reinforcing my connection to poetry as both a personal and cultural inheritance.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

Each land that welcomed me through childhood and adolescence unwittingly housed a dreamer. To say that my academically-minded parents were not enthusiastic about my dream of becoming an actress would be an understatement. I found the courage to mention it but once, quickly grasping that I’d be better off putting that idea to rest the way one would a loved one: surrender, yet always remember.

At eighteen, I became financially and emotionally independent, eventually earning degrees in architectural engineering design and business administration. But as fate would have it, I worked as a producer and writer with what was then Hollywood’s most prominent independent Spanish-language television production company. What began as a one-year experience evolved into a seventeen-year career as a sole proprietor, working directly with major studios like Disney, Touchstone, and Fox Films. I provided on- and off-camera material, including electronic press kits and Spanish voiceovers, to support publicity efforts across 14 South American countries.

My mentor foresaw a fulfilling career: “Learn everything there is to know about how to produce a show before seeking to host it, and you will be grateful to be more than just a talking head.” He could not have been more clairvoyant.

PIVOTING MY PURPOSE

An unrelenting quest to expand my creative horizons led me to further study acting, painting, drawing, voice, and dance. While the bliss of motherhood halted my career in television, my thirst to weave beauty and creativity into everyday life never floundered. In 2014, Designs by Alina was born as a fine jewelry design studio, which grew to include a collection of gifts and home accents.

The Designs by Alina blog quenched my thirst for writing, featuring everything from design to motherhood to travel. Then, on November 2, 2020, I wrote my first poem in decades, Civic Sunset, to free my mind from discord before volunteering for the National Voter Protection Hotline on Election Day. That exercise reignited an old obsession with poetry, producing dozens of poems* and a couple of essays slowly finding their way here. I hope you draw beauty, meaning, and light from them.

*Exploratory micro-poetry can be found on Instagram. @streetwritersofficial published “Dear Young Poet” and invited me to join their team as senior curator and contest judge—a wonderful experience that spanned one year.

NOTE FOR YOUNG WRITERS

Upon completing my A levels in England, I returned to the U.S., having never heard of the SAT or ACT exams required for college admission—let alone that students spent several months preparing. I was ill-equipped to face the challenge and daunted by endless multiple-choice questions, including the dreaded “none” or “all of the above.” As expected, I bombed the test—so badly, in fact, that the school insisted I enroll in remedial English. I refused, instead convincing the admissions director to let me challenge my placement with an essay—the same essay that earned me a spot in Honors English.

All this to say that if you love writing, follow your heart, flex that muscle, and…

Be your own advocate —if not you, then who?

Remember that teachers, publishers, readers, and fellow writers sing to their tune. What will yours be?