HeyJaredLuz M. Mack
Dominican-born, Washington Heights–raised, and thriving in the South Bronx, I’m a children’s book author and 2D creator crafting bilingual stories that celebrate culture and belonging, including The Secret of the Plátano and Family is Everything.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 10
- Latest publication
- Sep 25, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Aug 11, 2026
Latest issues
The People Who Make a Community Beautiful (opens the original)
Read excerpt
When I invited my dear friend Luis Jimenez to The Missing Book, I knew we would talk about Helping Our People Evolve, the organization known as HOPE. I’ve seen Luis bring people together and celebrate our communities. During our conversation, I learned more about the experiences that shaped that work.Luis grew up in Washington Heights and spent time in Inwood, the Bronx, and Queens. He saw so much talent around him, but he also saw people trying to find resources and opportunities on their own.
Elliot Place: Our Island (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Inspired by a blip in time ( 2005) when I lived on Elliot Place in the Bronx, a place where two islands became one, laughter carried us through our struggles, and community meant everything.Elliot Place: Our IslandSummer in the BronxI walked down Elliot Place from the Grand Concourse.The thing nobody tells you about Elliot Place is that you don’t have to travel back home to feel like you’re home.On one block, Puerto Rican flags wave high. You won’t hear a coquí, but you’ll hear Big Pun, loud and
Books, Belonging, and the Bronx Children’s Museum (opens the original)
Read excerpt
There are some conversations that stay with you long after the cameras stop recording, and my conversation with Jessica Jackson for Season 2, Episode 6 of The Missing Book Podcast was one of them.Jessica is an author, educator, Afro-Latina creative, and the Director of Education and Programs at the Bronx Children’s Museum. During our conversation, we discussed her children’s books, The Otter in Charge and Mimi Can’t Camouflage, her path to becoming a traditionally published author, and the beaut
More Than a Bookstore: How Loc’d & Lit Is Building Literacy and Community in the Bronx (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Everyone deserves access to books.In Season 2, Episode 5 of The Missing Book Podcast, I sit down with my dear friends Alanna Lewis-Ramirez and Triciah Claxton, the founders of Loc’d & Lit.Alanna and Triciah are Bronx girls, island girls, avid readers, booksellers, and literacy advocates. What began as a Bookstagram page celebrating Black and Brown authors has grown into a community-centered literary organization that hosts author events, supports independent writers, develops meaningful partners
You Are Still a Writer, Even If You Never Publish (opens the original)
Read excerpt
In Season 2, Episode 4 of The Missing Book Podcast, I sit down with my personal bestie, Lillian. She is a Dominican writer, artist, paraprofessional, and one of the most creative people I know. She is also the first writer I met who openly told me, “I don’t write for anyone. I write for me.”TThat simple statement offers powerful words for every writer to live by.Lillian has written poetry and created art for years, but she did not always consider herself a writer. In this episode, she shares how
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.