My Journey Through Writing and Cultural Practice
From poetry to cultural storytelling, between literature, memory, and contemporary expression.
Who I Am
I am Alessandra Martins, writer and cultural producer working across literature, culture, and contemporary storytelling.
I hold a degree in Literature, with a Postgraduate Certificate in Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous History and Culture, and an MBA in Marketing with a specialization in Branding from USP. I also completed a program in Luxury Business at Columbia University in New York, and I am currently studying Communication at the County College of Morris, in New Jersey.
My work unfolds at the intersection of writing, culture, and creative practice. I develop projects that connect language, identity, and cultural production, moving between literature, storytelling, and strategic thinking.
My work is grounded in the belief that language is a form of presence — whether through writing, cultural projects, or narrative construction. I approach creation as a space where meaning, sensitivity, and intention meet.
I was born in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, surrounded by pain, smiles, words, and silences. From an early age, I understood that writing is also a form of resistance.
As a teenager, I started working to support my studies and sustain dreams larger than myself. Despite many obstacles and moments of discouragement, I kept going, guided by an ancestral force within me, one that continues to sustain my writing, my path, and my creative work.
My work is guided by the belief in a more conscious, creative, and inclusive world, where language and expression can emerge with authenticity. My values are rooted in listening, sensitivity, freedom, and coherence between word and action.
My journey connects art, culture, and communication, bridging literature and contemporary forms of storytelling. Since the age of 15, balancing work and study, I developed resilience and a critical sense of observation that continue to shape my creative practice today.
These experiences inform how I approach language, narrative, and cultural projects, moving between writing, research, and creative expression.
My passion for discovery has taken me to different places, broadening my worldview and shaping how I understand experience and transformation. I have traveled to 15 countries and lived in three. Today, I live in the United States, connecting my Brazilian roots with international experiences and reflecting on questions of identity, displacement, and belonging.
I am drawn to creative expression as a space for reflection and connection across cultures. This perspective informs both my writing and my creative work, which move between literature, culture, and contemporary forms of expression.
I have been writing since childhood, not only as a form of expression but as a tool for transformation. My work is shaped by themes of belonging, memory, and resistance. I wrote my first Afrocentric poem in 2008, and in 2012 I had my first text published by FLUPP Pensa. Since then, I have contributed to various anthologies and literary magazines, including volumes 43, 44, and 45 of Cadernos Negros (Quilombhoje).
I am the author of Voa, Sankofa, Voa! (2021), a poetry collection that reflects African ancestry and resistance, and the eBook O Sol Brilha Para Todos (2023), a story that addresses structural racism and sexism in Brazil.
In 2024, I was invited by the Ministry of Racial Equality to participate in the special edition of Cadernos Negros – Brazil for Racial Equality, alongside 30 Afro-Brazilian women writers, in a parallel event to the G20.
My practice also extends to audiovisual work. I received an Honorable Mention for the short film Afrodescendant Communities (UNESCO and IberCultura Viva, 2018), and participated in the Black and Indigenous Narratives Laboratory at FLUP, in partnership with Rede Globo, in 2022.
I have also been recognized with the Arte em Movimento Trophy in 2021 and 2023 for my artistic work and cultural engagement.
My work is grounded in ancestral perspectives while engaging with contemporary forms of expression, moving between poetry, image, and narrative.
Contact
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