My Heartbeat

I got interested in storytelling when my bilingual teacher taught our class the song “En mi Viejo San Juan.” It was in that very same classroom where I wrote my first short story about a little girl who wants a friend. She meets a magical talking rocket, and both travel the world. I didn’t realize at that time the extent of my loneliness and desire to explore though I was aware that opportunities were limited. Money was not necessarily scarce but not abundant either. Trips, restaurants, and fun activities that require funds were out of the question. That is why I leaned on words to escape and go on a journey.

Most of my poetry is quite musical. Music and writing go hand in hand for me. When I write poems, I pay much attention to the beat and the sounds the words make. I read my work aloud many times until I find it satisfactory to my ears. I look at each line as a musical measure and must feel a cadence.

I have written poems about salsa and merengue music. I have written pieces in the blues format as well. In my TEDx talk “Verses of Hope,” I discuss how music played an important role when I was grieving the loss of my Abuela. She gave my family the gift of music. I now have the alto saxophone she bought for my aunt, who gave it to my mother. My mother passed it down to me when I was in fourth grade. If you have not seen my TEDx talk, I encourage you to watch it.

I love merengue, salsa, the blues, bachata, jazz, and gospel. In my first novel, one of the main characters is a bachata singer. I, too, wrote song lyrics which I incorporated to enhance the narrative. I’m currently working on a second novel and can’t wait to share the songs I have written to propel the story forward.

#ElaineNadal #Poet #Storyteller #LatinaAuthor