Zoraida Rivera Morales

My first words came in Spanish. My first books were fairy tales. Born in Puerto Rico, I learned to love the mountains, the birds, coffee and pasteles (a mass made of green bananas and plantains, usually, and filled with pork meat, potatoes, peppers and other goodies) and the greatest treasure: its people. My writing is full of nature and journeys. I’ve yet to write about pasteles.

Still in elementary school, I moved to New York where I learned English, the difficult task of being an immigrant, the greatness of family and friends. I returned to the island to finish high school. I studied in the University of Puerto Rico; first to become a teacher; years later to obtain a Master’s in Guidance and Counseling.

I dreamt of being a writer for a long time but life, like Puerto Rican roads, has many curves, hills, and valleys. June Cotner published one of my first poems in Everyday Blessings Calendar 2005. Ediciones SM, an educational publisher, opened its doors to my stories and poems in Spanish. Iguana Magazine, then owned by Christianne Meneses Jacobs, published my poems, articles, and stories. Then came others...anthologies, magazines, blogs, newspapers. Books... will come!

I’m a writer and poet. I love the mountains and the sea, the country and the city, Spanish and English, New York and Puerto Rico, the picture book and the novel. I'm a writer between two waters, like my country, Puerto Rico. My island is part of the United States, but also a Commonwealth or unincorporated U.S. territory. Its diverse fauna and flora are rich and beautiful. I’m working to share beautiful worlds in words.   

I can be found on Twitter at: @Z_RiveraMorales