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Writer's pictureDWA Team

Dominican Writers who published in 2019

Updated: Mar 24, 2022


As the end of 2019 approaches we have taken some time to reflect back on the Dominican writers who have published this year. 2019 has been a great year for us, we've compiled a list of books for you. Make sure you support by picking up a copy at your local bookstore or online. Don't forget to leave a review on Goodreads!!


For Nesto Vasquez, moving his Afro-Caribbean food truck from New York City to the wilds of Upstate New York is a huge gamble. If it works? He’ll be a big fish in a little pond. If it doesn’t? He’ll have to give up the hustle and return to the day job he hates. He’s got six months to make it happen—the last thing he needs is a distraction.

Jude Fuller is proud of the life he’s built on the banks of Cayuga Lake. He has a job he loves and good friends. It’s safe. It’s quiet. And it’s damn lonely. Until he tries Ithaca’s most-talked-about new lunch spot and works up the courage to flirt with the handsome owner. Soon he can’t get enough—of Nesto’s food or of Nesto. For the first time in his life, Jude can finally taste the kind of happiness that’s always been just out of reach.

An opportunity too good to pass up could mean a way to stay together and an incredible future for them both…if Nesto can remember happiness isn’t always measured by business success. And if Jude can overcome his past and trust his man will never let him down.


New York City social worker Camilo Santiago Briggs grew up surrounded by survivors who taught him to never rely on anything you didn’t earn yourself. He’s always dreamed of his own happily-ever-after, but he lives in the real world. Men who seem too good to be true…usually are. And Milo never ever mixes business with pleasure…until the mysterious man he had an unforgettable hookup with turns out to be the wealthy donor behind his agency’s new, next-level funding.

Thomas Hughes built a billion-dollar business from nothing: he knows what he wants and isn’t shy about going after it. When the enthralling stranger who blew his mind at a black-tie gala reappears, Tom’s more than ready to be his Prince Charming. Showering Milo with the very best of everything is how Tom shows his affection. Trouble is, Milo’s not interested in any of it. The only thing Milo wants is Tom. Fairy-tale endings take work as well as love. For Milo, that means learning to let someone take care of him, for a change. And for Tom, it’s figuring out that real love is the one thing you can’t buy.


Chula Paperback – March 21, 2019

Unapologetic Caribbean palabreo. Storytelling desde mi. - Amanda Alcántara“Chula” is an imaginative bilingual collection of intimate poems, short stories, memories and vignettes about the life of a Dominicana before and after moving to the United States. Dealing with childhood curiosities, struggles faced by women, identity, pleasures, heartache, and joy, this work is an exploration of self.


Juan Pablo Campos doesn’t do regrets. He’s living the dream as a physical therapist for his beloved New York Yankees. He has the best friends and family in the world and simply no time to dwell on what could’ve been.

Except when it comes to Priscilla, the childhood friend he’s loved for what seems like forever. New York City police detective Priscilla Gutierrez has never been afraid to go after what she wants. Second-guessing herself isn’t a thing she does. But lately, the once-clear vision she had for herself—her career, her relationships, her life—is no longer what she wants.

What she especially doesn’t want is to be stuck on a private jet to the Dominican Republic with JuanPa, the one person who knows her better than anyone else.

By the end of a single week in paradise, the love/hate thing JuanPa and Pris have been doing for sixteen years has risen to epic proportions. No one can argue their connection is still there. And they can both finally admit—if only to themselves—they’ve always been a perfect match. The future they dreamed of together is still within reach…if they can just accept each other as they are.


10 dominicanas de letras. Homenaje & antología es una oda, un aliciente literario. Este texto reúne a diez transcendentales escritoras dominicanas que han residido o residen en el extranjero. Ellas son Camila Henríquez Ureña, Rhina Espaillat, Mélida García, Osiris Mosquea, Josefina Báez, Aurora Arias, Yrene Santos, Marianela Medrano, Rosa Silverio y Sussy Santana. Además de incluir poesía, cuento y microcuento de estas escritoras, el libro también contiene textos literarios, de ficción y anecdóticos que celebran la grandeza, el talento o algún aspecto especial en la vida de estas escritoras. Homenajes escritos por escritores y escritoras también con excelsas trayectorias literarias. Es un privilegio poner en sus manos textos que varían en género, en épocas, corrientes literarias, estilos, motivaciones y temas; textos de y para mujeres de letras que, a través de su talento, de su arte, de su educación, de su persistencia, de su fuerza, de su amor y respeto por la palabra se han convertido en pilares de nuestra literatura.


Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.


En ingles, Spanish o en Spanglish, escritores Dominicanos submited piezas para National Poetry Writing Month en el abril del 2018 bringing un ritmo que late en nuestras venas together like a babbling brook; beats that would soothe our souls al cruzar los mares.


Unbroken is a hope-filled story of a mother and a daughter, and their unwavering grip for life; reminding us that the human spirit is unbreakable. Grounded in their faith, together they battle a life-threatening disease that would forever change the course of their lives. In this chronicle you will hear these warriors’ roar, holding on to life and God's promises. Dr. Egli Colón Stephens digs into memory weaving stories of her cultura, familia, and tradiciones that armed her with the tools to survive the challenges of life. Instinctually, she began to write about the journey God had brought her from, and a decade later, here it is. Like life, which is not linear, this story takes many shifts and unexpected turns. Facing the biggest challenge to date, through her daughter’s life challenge, Egli learns what it means to be courageous, resilient and relentless while leaning on her community for prayers.Their story has over 53,000 views on Telemundo and over 32,000 visits on their CaringBridge blog. In 2015, Egli had her article published on NBC News, and Natalia Harris has been featured on the NY Daily News, The Morning Show in Australia, The Sun in UK, Mirror, UK, Vivala, ABC News, DNAinfo, Refinery29, Women’s Health, Us Weekly and Vogue.


Dominicana: A Novel Hardcover – September 3, 2019

Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.


As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.

In bright, musical prose that reflects the energy of New York City, Angie Cruz's Dominicana is a vital portrait of the immigrant experience and the timeless coming-of-age story of a young woman finding her voice in the world.


In the middle of the Caribbean Sea, aboard an illegal voyage from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, a twelve year old learns her name; a former cacao farmer finds a constellation on his lover’s thighs; best friends become strangers and find the essence of themselves in the face of deception; an old man exchanges his homeland for a New York City bodega storefront; preteen boys grapple with authority; female cousins come to terms with their first shared sexual experience; an alcoholic woman finds serenity at the bottom of the sea; feminism is deconstructed by opposing views; on the back of a motorcycle, self-awareness is found; and a woman discovers that healing is a series of choices.


Haitian-born professor and activist Patrice Denis is not here for anything that will veer him off the path he’s worked so hard for. One particularly dangerous distraction: Easton Archer, the assistant district attorney who last summer gave Patrice some of the most intense nights of his life, and still makes him all but forget they’re from two completely different worlds.

All-around golden boy Easton forged his own path to success, choosing public service over the comforts of his family’s wealth. With local law enforcement unfairly targeting young men of color, and his career—and conscience—on the line, now is hardly the time to be thirsting after Patrice again. Even if their nights together have turned into so much more.

For the first time, Patrice is tempted to open up and embrace the happiness he’s always denied himself. But as tensions between the community and the sheriff’s office grow by the day, Easton’s personal and professional lives collide. And when the issue at hand hits closer to home than either could imagine, they’ll have to work to forge a path forward…together.


Anacaona vivió durante la época de Cristóbal Colón. Era una Taina, una nativa de Quisqueya, la isla que hoy se compone de República Dominicana y Haití. Anacaona se resistió a la conquista española, por lo que perdió la vida. La historia inspiradora de esta valiente Taina está destinada a inspirar a jovenes lectores a que sean valientes y firmes en sus convicciones también.


Discover the lives of amazing Hispanic women who achieved incredible things and made history.

Mama Tingo was born on November 8, 1921 in the Dominican Republic. She was the leader of a group of farmers whose lands wanted to be taken from them. The inspiring story of this courageous peasant woman who didn't know how to read and write is meant to inspire children to be their own brave selves.


Snowy Day Paperback – Large Print-December 9, 2019

A book about a brave and inquisitive little girl named Ari who loves learning, loves teaching and loves adventure. Ari encourages the adult reader to look at the world through the eyes of a child and welcomes the younger listener to join her exploits. Mom plays along with Ari's feats, reliving her own childhood escapades in the process. Welcome to this family's world where children learn there is adventure all around, even in things often dismissed as mundane.


Periodicos de Ayer- December 14th, 2019

periódicos de ayer is a lover’s archive. a series of poems documenting the art of loving, letting go, and tending to the heart. written over a span of four years, danyeli bares her wounds in pieces emerging from complete vulnerability, ache, and joy. the ins and outs of romantic partnership have heavily influenced her writing and her story.

should these poems continue to be a testament that love is a choice we are entitled to make as often as we seem fit. and although we risk the possibility of hurt, loving openly is the most glorious gift we could ever offer ourselves.


Kiskeya Burgos left the tropical beaches of the Dominican Republic with a lot to prove. As a pastry chef on the come up, when she arrives in Scotland, she has one goal in mind: win the Holiday Baking Challenge. Winning is her opportunity to prove to her family, her former boss, and most importantly herself, she can make it in the culinary world. Kiskeya will stop at nothing to win , that is, if she can keep her eyes on the prize and off her infuriating teammate's perfect lips.

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