What are you doing on Substack, Lupita?!
I never thought I’d see myself extending beyond Instagram but here we are! The truth is the I am limited by Instagram caption limits and for a while I took that as a challenge to be more direct as well as to practice being succinct because my boss told me a while ago my writing needs help. That said, I’m actually find myself limiting what I want to say and often left hanging with everything I didn’t say. Succinct just isn’t me and while I understand the need to write directly, my personal nature is to write into a thought. To explore it well beyond the initial sentence and because I am a Sagittarius - float away with it. That’s me, sorry boss.
Additionally, I am also starting a new project to highlight Latinx authors and their new work published every year which I plan to feature here for anyone not on Instagram to access.
So I am hoping this space will be an extension of me plus an added resource to connect more readers to Latinx literature. Feel free to subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website or just swing by here occasionally to see what I am up to. This is a very flexible arrangement but if you don’t want to miss an update, subscribe!
I don’t know who you are! Who is Lupita.Reads?
Hi! and thank you for coming across this extension of “Lupita Reads”. Well, my elevator pitch is I am a queer Mexican Mamá and wife that started an Instagram account to blog/talk about the books I was reading. Honestly, my wife got tired of listening to me talk her ear off about my current read and I had run out of family members/friends to ask about what they were reading so I took to the internet! I really did think in the beginning I was doing something newish but to my surprised there was a whole community of readers on Instagram, a community that is called #Bookstagram. You might find me writing here about that community or maybe not but it’s a very important community to me because it’s given me so much.
Outside of that I am a clinical research professional by day that loves running, cycling and anything to help ease that anxiety/depression.
The most important thing I’d want you to know about is that this is all me, just me, no one else. I am a real person (that’s strange to say on the internet lol) with real feelings and my intention in any social media space is to give my perspective and speak from my own experience- that’s all.
Wait…..do I have to pay for this?!
No. I know money is a weird thing to talk about and capitalism is a very real thing and we are all in some capacity contributing to it instead of challenging it. So with all that in mind, parts of this newsletter (the important parts- Nuevas Páginas: Hispanic/Latinx/e author interviews) I really do want to keep pay-free.
That said, in the past I have had people ask how they can support me beyond sharing the work I do which is why I have set up a way for those that want to financially contribute/support, to do so here. If that’s you and you are able to subscribe as a paid subscriber, I would deeply appreciate that. Truly. Because I won’t shy away from the fact that this is a lot of work!
Either way, please know my intentions and motivations behind this site and my Instagram account is a passion for books and those that read them and write them even if its an unpaid labor.
Short Bio for Lupita:
Lupita Aquino—better known as @Lupita.Reads on Instagram and TikTok, passionately spreads her love for books online. Alongside her vibrant online presence, she has contributed insightful book coverage to outlets such as TODAY.com, Aster(ix) Literary Journal, She Reads, The Washington Independent Review of Books, and many more. Notably, Lupita has served as a judge for the 2023 Louise Meriwether First Prize for the Feminist Press and was on the Selection Committee for the Aspen Words Literary Prize in 2021. When not immersed in books, she enjoys exploring local bookstores and libraries with her wife and son.
I am a Hispanic/Latinx/e Author (or I work with an author)! How can I be featured on Nuevas Páginas?!
Feel free to email me for consideration at Lupita.reads@gmail.com!
Please keep in mind I do not do this full-time. I have a full-time job and I am a Mama to a very active toddler and I am a wife to a beautiful woman who loves spending time with me too AND I pretend to be a book influencer on Instagram and TikTok and Twitter!!! All that to say if I don’t get back to you immediately, please give me some grace and time. I also can’t promise that if you email me, you’ll be featured because this all really depends on the tiny pockets of moments I can find to work on this. That doesn’t mean I don’t have love for you or your work. Know that I am always leading with an intention of love for books and people that read and write them.
Please note: I earn a small commission on any books purchased through the links provided in the posts.
