Dream Your Book
Wayfinding for Writers with Nina Alvarez
About Nina Alvarez
Below are my milestones as a writer, editor, publisher, and teaching artist. It's nice to have it all laid out, but what's important for you to know is simply that I have been dedicated to the written word my entire life. From my earliest beginnings as a young poet; to my master's degree in English with concentrations in creative writing and literary theory; to teaching community college composition and literature, to learning the trade of copyediting, copywriting, and graphic design in corporate and nonprofit offices; to going out on my own in 2009 to create Dream Your Book, my author services company; to returning to teaching at Writers & Books Literary Center, where I was able to guide many teen and adult writers; to building Cosmographia Books, a small press with 14 titles; and along the way publishing my experimental fiction, traditional poetry, hybrid pieces, essays, articles, and plays.
At the end of the day, I am a seeker—a serious, disciplined, obsessive, immersive seeker after mystical, metaphysical, and subjective experience. I am obsessed with finding and communicating deep truth, and helping others do the same. Alignment with inner genius. I know many rules and guidelines and best practices, and as an editor and coach and teacher, I want to give people tangible actions they can use when writing and revising. It's important to ground ideas and information. But those rules are nothing without intuition, integrity, and emotional intelligence to give context, discernment, and beauty to writing. To give it power.
If you'd like to know more about me, email . I'm also on instagram.
2020
Published Canvas Winter 2020 (Canvas Literary Journal)
Audiobook of "Another Notch in the Beltway" published on audible (Dream Your Book)
2019
Published "The Spirit It Travels: An Anthology of Transcendent Poetry" (Cosmographia Books)
Published Trees Of Life And Shade (Cosmographia Books)
Published Journeys With Fortune (Cosmographia Books)
Published Salt Water (Cosmographia Books)
Created and ran CosmoCon 2019
Published Canvas Spring 2019 (Canvas Literary Journal)
Published Canvas Summer 2019 (Canvas Literary Journal)
Published Canvas Autumn 2019 (Canvas Literary Journal)
2018
Published Poems For The Camel (Cosmographia Books)
Published There Is Only Lampyridae (Cosmographia Books)
Published The Umbilical Universe (Cosmographia Books)
Published Letters To My Lover From Behind Asylum Walls (Cosmographia Books)
Published Early American Gothic (Cosmographia Books)
Published Island Chains (Cosmographia Books)
Published Canvas Autumn 2018 (Canvas Literary Journal)
Re-Established Canvas Literary Journal
Publication Of So Many Homelands by Berdjouhi Esmerian (Dream Your Book)
Publication Of The Lonely Child by Susan Moyer (Dream Your Book)
Editing And Marketing For A Better, Not Bitter Divorce: The Fair And Affordable Way To End Your Marriage by BJ Mann (Dream Your Book)
2017
Published Saving Faith (Cosmographia Books)
Published Blissful And Other Stories (Cosmographia Books)
Publication of Finding Other Countries by Alan Hilfiker (Dream Your Book)
2016
Taught Teen Intensive Fiction for Summerwrite At Writers & Books
Taught Teen Intensive Playwriting for Summerwrite At Writers & Books
Publication of Sources Of The Morning by Alan Hilfiker (Dream Your Book)
Wrote "Water of Life," a profile of Jim DeCaro and his scotch collection for 55+ magazine.
2015
Published Print Version Of The Best Of Follow Your Bliss (Cosmographia Books)
Published Dimitri House Stories (Cosmographia Books)
Taught Teen Intensive Fiction for Summerwrite at Writers & Books
Opened The Aurora Center For Creative And Spiritual Arts, 11 North Goodman, Suite #24
Taught Order Of The Phoenix for Summerwrite at Writers & Books
My hybrid nonfiction "Eighth Grade Bio" Published In Split Lip Magazine, April 2, 2015
Launch of "Lit Up! With Nina Alvarez," Weekly Radio Show About Writing And Spirituality. March 14, 2015.
"The Questions Is What To Do About The Question" Published In The Sonder Review, Jan 2015
My Hybrid (Cross-Genre) Piece "Copywriting For Your Business Blog" Published In Prick Of The Spindle, April 2015
Gave Talk On Self-Publishing At Writers & Books, May 1, 6-7 Pm At Writers & Books
Gave Reading With Sonja Livingston And Kitty Jospe At Writers & Books, July 2015
Split Lip Magazine Nominated "Eighth Grade Bio" For Sundress Publications Best Of The Net 2015, September 2015
Gave A Reading Of My Fiction And Hybrid Work At The Gennesee Reading Series At Writers & Books, December
Publication Of Memorial Day (Dream Your Book)
Publication Of Journeys Off The Road (Dream Your Book)
Pitched Interview In 55+ Magazine For Jackie Mccullough (Dream Your Book)
Pitched interview In Democrat & Chronicle For Fran Morse (Cosmographia Books)
Pitched interview In 55+ Magazine For Fran Morse (Cosmographia Books)
2014
My short play "Type Writer," Winner In The Geva 2015 2 Pages/2 Voices Festival And Staged Reading, January 2015.
Taught Teen Intensive Fiction For Summerwrite At Writers & Books
Won Writers & Books' Big Pencil Award for teacher of young writers
Solo Reading At A Different Path Gallery In Brockport, NY.
Brought on to talk about self-publishing with Evan Dawson on radio, WXXI 1370 Connection "How Do You Do That?" (Dream Your Book)
Developmental editing, ebook layout of Finer Spirits By S.J. Seymour (Dream Your Book)
Got article In Post Magazine For Julian Foster, Spot On The Stuart Bedasso Show, Articles In City And The D&C, Reading At Writers & Books, August 2014 (Dream Your Book)
Interviews In 55+ Magazine for clients Dorothy Ferguson and Alan Hilfiker (Dream Your Book)
Got article for client Terry Lehr "A Health 'Massacre' In Rochester Leads One Historian Down A Curious Path" In Gvhealth (Dream Your Book)
Published Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Summer 2014, And Autumn 2014 of Canvas
"The Battle Cry Of Frieda" produced at the 24-Hour Plays At Writers & Books
2013
Taught Teen Intensive Fiction for SummerWrite at Writers & Books
Published eBook of The Best of Follow Your Bliss (under Cordage Books which would later become Cosmographia) (Cosmographia Books)
"Follow Your Bliss," radio interview on "The Life's Dash" with Michele Mattia, Jan. 3, 2013 (Cosmographia Books)
"Eager to Be a Writer's Companion," interview in the Rochester Business Journal, Feb. 1, 2013 (Dream Your Book)
"First-time playwright Nina Alvarez anticipates production" profile in Her Rochester, April 26, 2013
"Top 10 Things to do this Weekend" (#10: The Life of Leo Wool by Nina Alvarez) Democrat and Chronicle, May 9, 2013
my play "The Life Of Leo Wool" produced by the GRRC at The East End Theatre in May 2013.
Developmental, line, copyedit, and self-publishing of Lost Trail by Robert Sinnott (Dream Your Book)
Developmental editing, self-publishing consultation, and author platform development of Elderwriters by Sue Barocas (Dream Your Book)
Layout, website, platform development for A Lone Star in the Green Mountains by Kathryn Bonnez (Dream Your Book)
Layout, website, eBook for Kathy, Your Not Lost to Me by Jackie McCullough (Dream Your Book)
Editing, self-publishing, and promotion for Before I Wake by Julian Foster (Dream Your Book)
Copyedit and line edit of After Sunset by Mary Ann Nocero (Dream Your Book)
Got article in 55+ Magazine for Kathryn Bonnez, Autumn 2013 (Dream Your Book)
Got profile of client Pat Ward-Baker. "Pat Ward-Baker Is Out To Change Negative Stereotypes Of Old Age," Her Rochester, June 2013. (Dream Your Book)
wrote book proposal for Smart Prospecting: That Works Every Time! by Michael Krause Sold To Mcgraw Hill. (Dream Your Book)
client Berdjouhi Esmerian's short memoir piece "Frog Legs" published in Blue Lyra Review (Dream Your Book)
An Excerpt From Kathryn Bonnez' A Lone Star In The Green Mountains Published In The Wayfarer Journal December 21. The Name Of The Piece Is "Vermont's Sacred Acre: Contemplation Welcome." (Dream Your Book)
Autumn 2013 Issue of Canvas Teen Literary Journal comes out
Set up client Kathryn Bonnez's first reading of A Lone Star In The Green Mountains At Writers & Books.
Canvas Teen Literary Journal launches May 3.
"The Quest(Ion) Of Self-Publishing:" gave talk at the Rundel Library (Dream Your Book)
Gave 2 talks on writing at the Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival
La Long's Operation No Coincidence (first book I ever edited) published by Soul Mate Publishing (Dream Your Book)
"Pat Ward-Baker Is Out To Change Negative Stereotypes Of Old Age," Profile Of Pat Ward-Baker In Her Rochester, June 11. (Dream Your Book)
Established Canvas Teen Literary Journal and trained 12 teenage board members in how to run a literary journal.
Published Spring 2013, Summer 2013, and Autumn 2013 issues of Canvas
My short play "A History of Bifurcations" produced at the 24-Hour Plays at Writers & Books
2012
Taught Teen Intensive Fiction for SummerWrite at Writers & Books
Fringe Staged Reading my play "The Life of the Leo Wool"
Taught Teen Intensive Fiction monthly at Writers & Books
newspaper profile "She Stopped Underselling Her Work and Magic Happened," in the Democrat and Chronicle's Young Entrepreneurs Section, April, 2012 (Dream Your Book)
Copyedit and line edit on Silent Partner by Antonio Commisso (Dream Your Book)
Line edit and copy edit on Slim Target by S. J. Seymour (Dream Your Book)
Copyedit of Holding On To Faith by Joy Argento (Dream Your Book)
negotiated a profile of client Sue Barocas: "Class Teaches People Ways To Write Their Memoirs," Democrat & Chronicle (Dream Your Book)
my nonfiction piece “No Self at the Dinner Party." published in The Finger
2011
Taught "Rewriting Your Fiction" at Writers & Books
published my short story “The Dancing Man.” Danse Macabre, Nov. 2011
published my poem “Death and the Maiden.” Danse Macabre, October 2011
Fiction Residency at Vermont Studio Center, May 2011
2010
Created Follow Your Bliss magazine with Sandy Farnan and Raquel Pidal
2009
Edited "Operation No Coincidence" for LA Long (Dream Your Book)
published my poem “October.” Electric Velocipede, September 2009
Created Dream Your Book (March 2009)
2008
published “bees.” Grasslimb Journal, March 2008
2007
the following poems and short stories:
Published “Faithless.” Dark Reveries Magazine, Feb. 2007
Published “AC/DC.” Dark Reveries Magazine, Feb. 2007
Published "Gravity is Weak." 21 Stars Review, Feb. 2007
Published "Why Do You Read Literary Theory?" 21 Stars Review, Feb. 2007
Published “Pee.” Swill, July 2007
Published “If There is No One to Listen…” Twisted Tongue Magazine, Issue 7, August 2007.
Published “Mary, Mary.” Contemporary Rhyme, November 2007
Published “Nietzsche.” Contemporary Rhyme, November 2007
created NinaAlvarez.net, a poetry website with over 400,000 views
2005-2007
Worked as a freelance copy editor, copywriter, and graphic designer in Philadelphia, PA. Also ran Inconudrum Press, a small, literary publishing company.
2004
Featured reader at the 2004 Naples Land Trust Festival
2002-2005
taught college-level composition and literature at Finger Lakes Community College and Monroe Community College, where I won an internship for talented teachers. Got my MA in English in 2003 from the University at Albany.
2001
After spending a semester at the University of Cape Town in 2001, I wrote my master’s thesis “Apocalypse is Genesis: Homi Bhabha and the Third Space of South African Culture,” combining creative nonfiction, memoir, and criticism to explore South African literature using post-colonial, materialist, and post-structuralist methodologies.
2000
Worked briefly for Foreign Affairs magazine in their customer service department while living in Brooklyn, NY.
1999
received BA in English
won Shields Mcilwaine Award For Best Poem, University At Albany, 1999
1995
poem published in Teen Magazine