Dear reader friends,
December has arrived, and I believe that at this time of year almost all of us begin a countdown to the New Year, which in Spain is celebrated with the twelve chimes and the grapes, while in Brazil the ritual is marked by jumping seven waves at the beach and wearing white clothing. Two different countries, with different cultures, but, like all nations, connected through their customs, which aim to ensure the arrival of a new cycle.
This writer dares to say that, regardless of beliefs, what can truly mark the beginning of a new era for this planet is the personal transformation of each and every one of us. And for that to happen… we must look inward and break the paradigms we carry hidden in the pockets of our souls. It is certainly no easy task, especially because people say this is a month full of expectations of renewal, heralded by a little angel-child who is celebrating his birthday… And the truth is that, for this hopeful LGBTIQ+ immigrant writer, fortunately, throughout this season people become more fraternal.
As a contribution to this movement of renewal or reconnection, I am sharing some ideas that I recently released from paper. I hope you enjoy them, just as it was a pleasure for me to bring them into the world.
Warm regards,
Alan Leites 🌻
Coming up: Talk “Immigration of Multispecies Families” + presentation of the book Raji, My Family at the Madrid Vegan Market (14/12)
It is a true honour for me to be part of the Christmas edition of the Madrid Vegan Market with the talk “Immigration of Multispecies Families”, where attendees will be able to approach an intimate account and learn about the intersectionalities and challenges faced by a multispecies family during a migration process.
The Madrid Vegan Market, which will open its doors from 10:00 to 16:00, will host some of the city’s leading vegan enterprises: from gastronomy, clothing and crafts to the presence of important sanctuaries with their solidarity products.
The talks will begin at 11:00, with my colleague Diana Esteban, who will speak about the difference between biological adulthood and emotional adulthood (“Experience Veganism from Emotional Maturity”). At 12:00 it will be my turn, when I will share reflections on the complexity of migration processes when the family also includes animal children (“Immigration of Multispecies Families”).
✨ We look forward to seeing you there! ✨
Event: Madrid Vegan Market
Date: Sunday, 14 December 2025
Market hours: 10:00–16:00
Talk schedule:
• 11:00 – Diana Esteban: “Experience Veganism from Emotional Maturity”
• 12:00 – Alan Leites: “Immigration of Multispecies Families”
Venue: Espacio Rastro Madrid
Calle de San Cayetano, 5 — Madrid, 28005 (Metro La Latina)
Free entry until full capacity is reached.
It happened: Presentation of the book Raji, My Family at the Casa do Brasil (Madrid, Spain)
What a beautiful gathering! One of the most special moments I have ever lived!
The attendees were in complete harmony with the purpose of the presentation, and what I witnessed was an evening dedicated to love, empathy, interspecies fraternity, and the joyful sharing of experiences and insights.
We had the pleasure of counting on the warm-hearted support of Sergio Ojeda (The Vegan Eater) and Jaime Posan (Anima Naturalis), who accompanied me in a sincere and profound conversation, helping me unravel the threads of this story. After the questions and the hugs — both literary and real — I signed copies in a book-signing session that was, in itself, a moment of connection.
We ended the event, initially scheduled to finish at 20:30, at 23:15, celebrating life with a generous tasting offered by Santa y Pura and Dolce & Vegana, with vegan food and wines, surrounded by laughter, new friendships, and the sweet memory of an evening that filled our hearts.
My thanks go to the Casa do Brasil for keeping its doors open to the social issues of our time, represented by the director, Mr Cássio Romano, and Ms Giovana Marinn, from the Cultural Department. Thank you to everyone who made this possible and to all who joined us with their presence. ❤️
It happened: End-of-term class for the Journalism degree at Estácio de Sá University (Brazil) on “Journalistic coverage of migration processes, immigrants, refugees and political asylum seekers”. (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
I delivered the end-of-term class online for Journalism students at Estácio de Sá University, located in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), with students connected from different parts of the country.
During the session we addressed the main challenges of media coverage of migration processes, migrant, refugee and political asylum-seeking populations, with particular emphasis on ethical treatment, responsible use of language, and the impact of journalistic approaches on public perception.
The class included practical examples, real case analyses, and tools to strengthen a rigorous, sensitive and human rights-based informative narrative.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the dear Prof. Dr. Soraya Ferreira for the invitation, as well as to Estácio de Sá University for opening this academic space and for the warm welcome. It was an honour to take part and contribute to the training of future journalism professionals in Brazil.
It happened: Launch of the book Foco na Poesia 4 (various poets). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It was an honour to take part, on 29 November, at the Leitura bookshop (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), in the fourth edition of Foco na Poesia, a special project that merges poetry and photography, published by Dowsley Editorial.
With immense pride, I contributed a poem and a photograph titled (Eu), where I transformed my experience of forced migration into art. This moment was especially meaningful, as it was my first work published in Portuguese, an intimate space where I shared a personal account of love, resilience and overcoming adversity.
I am grateful to my dear friend, poet and journalist Lucilia Dowsley, curator of the project, for the invaluable invitation to be part of this celebration of art. It was a privilege to collaborate on something so inspiring.
Exclamation Mark!
I invite you to discover Exclamation Mark (Ponto de Exclamação), my space on YouTube where I share my poetry with all my heart. Each poem is recited in Portuguese and comes with Spanish subtitles, so you can enjoy the musicality of the language and connect with the meaning of every verse.
If you enjoy poetry and those small moments of beauty, I look forward to seeing you on my channel:
Besides YouTube, you can now also listen to my poetry on Spotify (Portuguese only)!
Just click the icon below.
Copyright Alan Leites © 2025. All rights reserved.
