Celia Lisset Alvarez's Blog

#YOUBEYOUSo there’s been this meme going around social m...

 #YOUBEYOU

So there’s been this meme going around social media in whichwomen proudly post pictures of their “real” selves: no makeup, no filters, andthen you must say how old you really are. It’s supposed to be empowering, andin many ways it is, but something about it has been stuck in my craw for weeksnow and I haven’t been able to shake it. What’s wrong with this meme?

For one thing, it strikes me as funny that the women whoparticipate are usually pretty good looking without makeup and ...

#YOUBEYOU So theres been this meme going around social m...

 #YOUBEYOU

So theres been this meme going around social media in which women proudly post pictures of their real selves: no makeup, no filters, and then you must say how old you really are. Its supposed to be empowering, and in many ways it is, but something about it has been stuck in my craw for weeks now and I havent been able to shake it. Whats wrong with this meme?

For one thing, it strikes me as funny that the women who participate are usually pretty good looking without makeup and...

#YOUBEYOU So theres been this meme going around soc...

 #YOUBEYOU

So theres been this meme going around social media in which women proudly post pictures of their real selves: no makeup, no filters, and then you must say how old you really are. Its supposed to be empowering, and in many ways it is, but something about it has been stuck in my craw for weeks now and I havent been able to shake it. Whats wrong with this meme?

For one thing, it strikes me as funny that the women who participate are usually pretty good looking without makeup and...

#YOUBEYOU So there’s been this meme going around social ...

 #YOUBEYOU

So there’s been this meme going around social media in which women proudly post pictures of their “real” selves: no makeup, no filters, and then you must say how old you really are. It’s supposed to be empowering, and in many ways it is, but something about it has been stuck in my craw for weeks now and I haven’t been able to shake it. What’s wrong with this meme?

For one thing, it strikes me as funny that the women who participate are usually pretty good looking without makeup and fo...

I've Got a New Blog!

Perhaps the last thing poor, neglected Writing with Celia needs is competition, but I decided to start a new blog about eating vegan in Miami, and really there was no way to justify it on this blog. Please check it out at miamiveganreports.blogspot.com!

Easter in Sarasota

Such a treat to celebrate Easter in Sarasota, at St. Michael the Archangel on Midnight Pass. This was my parish all during those amazing summers of my childhood, when we would spend as much as a month on Siesta Key. Now I only make it up here for a week during Spring Break, but it’s always nice to return. I had never been here for Easter, and it was a great celebration—people were packed in so tight they kept the doors open, and they stood outside. Another mass was going on simultaneously in...

Publication News

It's summer! That means time to catch up, and I have to begin with a string of publications that I'm totally stoked about. Here they are, in the order in which they got to my house:

Zymbol published one of my "wacky poems"! Take that, Rafael (my husband, who first referred to my poems as such)! In all seriousness, it's pretty hard to publish experimental poetry, in my experience, at least, but Zymbol--just a few issues old--is especially interested in symbolism and surrealism. Thus, "Magic Tri...

Lisset's Mother's Legendary Croquetas

Many moons ago, I was known by my middle name, and my mother packed my school lunches with homemade goodies I would share with those lucky enough to be called my friends. In time, one lunchbox staple became the stuff of legend: Las croquetas de Sonia. A quarter century later, people (okay, maybe just my old pals Rita and Shirlene) still clamor for the secret recipe. Behold:












4 tbsp. butter

 1 small onion, chopped

4 tbsp. flour (any kind)

1 cup milk

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. each pe...

From the Swamps to the Skies: Preston L. Allen Talks about Every Boy Should Have a Man

My homie Preston Allen’s new novel, Every Boy Should Have a Man (Akashic, 2013) is the most interesting
book I’ve read this year. Since it’s still only May, let me rephrase that: it’s
the most interesting book I’ve read in a long, long time. It’s not the sort of
novel I often read; it’s neither realism, nor sci-fi, nor fantasy, nor
speculative fiction, but its own thing, what could perhaps be called an epic
fable or fairy tale. Regardless, what has most impressed me is not its style,
although...

Cooking with Celia: Mango-Papaya-Tempeh Salad

One can hardly call this a "recipe"--it's more like an idea, since it's just a bunch of things Rafael and I tossed together today for lunch. But it was soooooooo delicious! Behold:

 

 

We have an excess of mangoes--my godmother's neighbor just lets them rot on the ground, and we have been trying to rescue as many as possible. So we cubed some. We also had a giant papaya we've been trying to eat, so we cubed that, too.

Next, we sautéed some tempeh in olive oil, seasoning it with salt...