Literanista

Valerie M. Evans is a visionary, bilingual writer and award-winning strategist with over two decades of global leadership experience in life sciences, biotech, beauty, and B2B sectors. With a Master’s in Media, Ethics & Social Change from the University of Sussex and BA in Anthropology, her work centers on cultural preservation, identity, and social justice through creative and scholarly writing. As a Nuyorican descendant of Puerto Rico and Canary Islands’ founding families, her research explores Indigenous resilience, historical memory, and the intersections of technology and heritage. Online she writes as Literanista, blending art, technology, and cultural advocacy. Evans now lives on the Carolina coast, where she writes and mentors emerging voices.
http://www.valeriemevans.com

42 of the Best Feminist Rage Books and Feminist Theory Books to Read Right Now

I have been seeing a lot of requests for feminist rage books lately, and I understand why. We are living …

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Resilience Is Too Often a Word Used for People the System Has Exhausted

Puerto Rico is often noted for its resilience, but “resilience” can be a dangerous word. It can turn endurance into …

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Basque, Portuguese & Noble Families of Puerto Rico: The European Roots You Didn’t Learn About

Explore how Basque, Portuguese, and noble European families shaped Puerto Rico’s southern towns (like Ponce) through surnames, migration paths, and hidden ancestral histories.

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Puerto Rican Surnames with Taíno & African Roots: Origins in Ponce, Juana Díaz & the Southern Highlands

Many of the names we still see today (Montalvo, Negrón, Fontanes, Rivera, Chamorro, Zapata, Maldonado) carry the intertwined legacies of Taíno survivors, Africans and European migrants who moved through the island. This guide unravels those lineages with care.

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I, Medusa by Ayana Gray: A Myth Retold with Power and Humanity

Ayana Gray’s I, Medusa reimagines the mythic villain as sister, priestess, survivor. Read Valerie M. Evans’ review of this bold, haunting retelling.

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Brooklyn’s Jane Doe: A Shocking True Story of Assault, Media Betrayal, and Delayed Justice

Book review and critique by Valerie M. Evans: Brooklyn’s Jane Doe reveals how one woman’s assault became a public smear, and why her fight for justice still matters today.

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Other Inheritances: Scent Memories from a Childhood at Fat’s Pet Shop in East Harlem

Before I ever knew what a perfumer was or that someone could make a living decoding and remixing scent, I …

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Ghosts of the Palisades: Threads between memories, places and time

Somewhere tucked away, high on the Palisades, on lovely, dead end street, in the ether of the internet and Google …

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Eight Goodbyes: Love, Loss, and the Six Years That Changed Everything

The first to die that year, the year before COVID-19 changed everything, was my aunt, Ruth or “Chin” as we …

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How DNA, Haplogroups, and Genetic Markers Reveal Taíno Heritage

The Genetic Echoes of the Taíno People The Taíno people, the first known inhabitants of the Caribbean, have long been …

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