Dear reader friend,
«Follow the Yellow Brick Road«
(Arlen/Harburg/The Wizard of Oz)
Warm regards,
Alan Leites 🌻
Seeds for Your Garden in 2026
I begin 2026 by sharing two literary seeds I have just planted.
It is my small gesture towards helping to build a better world: offering flowers made of words and images, in the hope that they may attract butterflies and help make your surroundings a more beautiful, safe, inspiring and poetic place.
Thank you for being there and for reading.
With warm regards,
Alan Leites 🌻
It happened: Talk “Migration of Multispecies Families” + presentation of the book Raji, My Family at the Madrid Vegan Market.
I would like to sincerely thank @madridveganmarket for the wonderful welcome during the talk “Migration of Multispecies Families” and the presentation of Raji, My Family, which took place on 14 December as part of their Christmas edition. 🎄
It was a true honour to be part of such a thoughtful, conscious space, filled with people committed to respect for all beings. Being able to share an intimate account of the migratory processes of multispecies families, reflect on their challenges, and open such a human and necessary dialogue — surrounded by so much care and attentive listening — was deeply moving.
My thanks to the organising team for making it possible, to @theveganeater.es for being part of this adventure, to everyone who attended for their presence and sensitivity, and to all the vegan initiatives, sanctuaries and projects that give life to this very special market.
I leave with a full heart and the certainty that these spaces continue to sow awareness and community. 🌱🐾
See you soon 💫
Alan Leites 🌻
It happened: Volunteer Recognition Ceremony – Spanish Red Cross
Sometimes life, without warning, takes us by the hand and invites us to look back. Not to judge ourselves, but to remind us that every step taken — even those that seemed small or routine — was shaping a path. A path made of simple gestures, of grains of sand that, without our realising it, ended up forming something greater.
This happened to me on an autumn afternoon, when my phone rang while the village lay in silence and the birds were already resting in their nests. On the other end of the call was the team from the Madrid Local Assembly of the Red Cross, asking whether I might be able to come to the headquarters on 15 November to attend a celebration.
This somewhat absent-minded writer admits that, at first, he thought it might be a local festivity or a meal with colleagues. But the surprise was as warm as it was unexpected when the coordinator explained the reason for the call:
— Hello, Alan. We are pleased to invite you to the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony, which will take place on Saturday, 15 November. We would like to especially thank you for your five years of continuous service with the Red Cross, work that has left a valuable mark on our community, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
It was then that time became conscious. Five years. Five years since that second month after my arrival in Spain, when I began offering my time as a volunteer. I remember the beginning: handing out face masks at Moncloa underground station, among tired looks and hurried steps, to people who continued working amid uncertainty, with their travel permits in their pockets and shared fear hanging in the air.
Today, all I can say is thank you. Thank you to the Red Cross for the gesture, for the recognition, and for that suspended moment in which one understands that serving others also leaves a mark. Thank you to my fellow volunteers, for the shared path and the silent embrace of solidarity.
And thank you to all those who, each day, sow their small seeds of kindness and add their grains of sand, convinced that another world is possible — even when no one seems to be watching.
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
@leitesphotographer
This is a space for authorial photography and poetry, where image and word engage in dialogue from an intimate and sensory place. My work is built upon a personal, unhurried gaze, attentive to silence, memory and emotion.
The photographs are accompanied by poems written in Portuguese, Spanish and English, expanding the visual reading and proposing a contemplative experience beyond immediacy.
This project unfolds as an ongoing exploration of the relationship between image, language and perception, moving away from algorithmic formulas and prioritising human and poetic connection.
The portfolio can be explored across two platforms:
Vero: an algorithm-free environment, conceived for a more reflective and poetic experience
Instagram: a more familiar and dynamic space for sharing and dissemination.
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.
