Meet Cynthia Roman!

21 Questions with Cynthia Roman.

1. Who are you and where are you from?

Cynthia Roman Cabrera is a loudmouth Dominican and Puerto Rican native of Brooklyn who grew up in the Bronx. I am a storyteller, essayist and poet exploring culture and identity, cityscape, familismo, and the healing of my inner child. I grew up the eldest of 3 siblings and as first daughter of immigrant parents, so I always felt an incredible amount of pressure to do everything right. As a result, I am a perfectionist, ultra-hard on myself and struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression. I am also a mental health and antiracist practioner, researcher and scholar, which is where I use my passion to move towards change within Black and Brown communities to make this

world a more livable place. On the flip side, I honor the complexity of my identity as a broke girl, comelona, reader, community advocate, and a queer person in love, knowing this shows up in my writing as well.

2. What's a common misconception people have about writers?

People think writers only come in one shape: White, rich and perpetually angsty, staring outside any rainy window (which we do, but that’s beside the point LOL). People think writers can create at any time. But the reality is that we struggle with structure. Not all writers want to publish (a book or otherwise). It took me a long time to imagine producing a book because I thought I did not look worthy of publishing. That I did not have anything noteworthy to say that others wanted to read. I’m not well read or neatly packaged. But I said fuck it, white men have gotten by on less so how can I challenge the writing world. People need to know that writers like me need support, guidance and mentorship. Although we have so much to offer, we need to make sense of it all and need publishers to build in time for us.

3. Who inspires you?

Witty writers. Loud bitches. Dad jokes. Greenery and light within nature.

Cooking and spices! Black, Latinx and Asian memoirists. Salsa music.

4. How long was the last book that you read?

308 pages; Woman of Light!

5. Do you prefer to read in English or Spanish? What about writing?

Spanglish, I use it as a literary tool to challenge the ways in which the writing field traditionally labels writers bringing to light experiences of first generation Latinx creatives. I love writing in blended language, primarily transforming my spoken language, which often can be chewy mix of English and Spanish to give my work life.

6. Novel or a poem?

Novels, because they can squeeze in poems too >,<

7. Who is your favorite author?

I am influenced by mainly Black and Latinx writers. I always come back to Octavia Butler. She is masterful in language, imagery and her truth telling traverses generations and borders. Her writing allows me to imagine other worlds.

8. What is your favorite book?

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao changed my life at a

young age and I can re-read it every year.

9. Do you enjoy movies that are based on books? Why or why not?

Sure, I love to see how

others can interpret the written word on the screen. It a great exercise of creative expression and respect of a book.

10. Favorite place to travel?

The Caribbean... the food, the people, the warmth, the FOOD!

11. What's a huge goal that you're working towards right now?

Getting my poetry book published! And working towards another book...stay tuned!

12. To-date what's the longest its taken you to write a poem?

4 years! See Brooklyn Poets poem

13. Are you the first writer in your family?

Not sure, but I think so!

14. Do you follow any other BIPOC writers?

So many! James Baldwin, Julia Alvarez, Prisca

Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez, Elisabet Velasquez (makes me nostalgic, petty and cry to much), Danez Smith, Elizabeth Acevedo, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Yrsa Daley-Ward.

15. How do you prepare mentally to write by a specific deadline?

I surround myself with my favorite writers, revisit my old pieces or even do other types of art (cooking, drawing) to draw inspiration.

16. Can you walk us through your self-care routine?

Deep conditioning my curls, while blasting old school Salsa music sitting down to a home cooked meal after cleaning my apartment, lamp and candle lighting with a nice blunt to relax.

17. Do you aspire to write full-time? Why or why not?

No, that is too much pressure to produce and make a living. We live a capitalist society so I would hate my art being connected to my financial worth. I thrive when I have a balanced life of work, family time, alone time, bae time because my life inspires my writing. Ideally, I would have some time once a year where I can go retreat, spend time with nature and dedicate time to finishing up my projects that I have put in time across the year.

18. What's the biggest thing you've learned about sharing your work online?

Finding creative ways to share my writing visually. It has actually been really fun because I collaborate with other visual artists to bring the work to life!

19. How would you describe your writing style?

Not sure, but my partner told me that she has noticed I use my writing almost as a live journal as if I am writing for a time capsule to open up later in life, which is fitting because I write for my own liberation, marking the passage of time so sometimes my writing is raw, unfiltered just like my culture.

20. Do you remember the moment when you decided to become a writer?

In the 6th grade I was introduced to poetry.

21. Could you share some of that experience with us?

In the 6th grade I was introduced to poetry. I think I have always been pretty depressed, and I used writing to explore my feelings. I still have the book I made for class. It wasn’t until I was in college that I realized I was a writer and will always have that voice inside me to explore.

Find her on Instagram: Cynthia (@alladem_poems) • Instagram photos and videos

Find her published works:

Brooklyn Poets, changing womxn collective, HerStry, Breadcrumbs, Moko Magazine, Spanglish Voces, and the Bronx Magazine.

During the Spring of 2021, Cynthia was named a Brooklyn Poets Fellow.

She is currently working on her first collection of poems.

Join her Patreon! (https://www.patreon.com/cynthiapoems)