SpeakOut! Newsletter Fall 2022

Ainhoa Palacios is a fiction candidate in the MFA program at Colorado State University, as well as a graduate teacher for the English department. She enjoys writing fiction, and creative nonfiction and has been published in journals like Lumiere Review, Somos En Escrito, and Sunspot Literary Journal. Her stories are often themed around Latinx characters, and the displacement commonly felt by immigrants and children of immigrants.

She is incredibly excited to write with the community through the internship at Community Literacy Center. She believes storytelling has the power to heal, connect, and bridge gaps between different communities.

When not writing or reading, Ainhoa can be found with her dogs—a wild-eyed husky and a three-legged miniature pinscher.

Constance Davis is a senior at Colorado State University majoring in Ethnic Studies with a concentration in Sociology. Concentrating her school work within the realms of ethnic studies and sociology, she has expanded her skills of critical analysis in the subjects of psychology and criminal justice, where her interests are most prevalent.

She is a First Generation Student who also spent time in Key Communities in Leadership, TRIO Upward Bound, and other volunteer experiences around the US. An avid writer, Constance enjoys poetry, mystery and children's literature. Besides writing, her passions include snowboarding, golfing, photography and traveling.

Constance loves to be involved in helping the community for the greater good. She aims to aid others in finding the inspiration and motivation to do the things that brings warmth to their souls, because life is too short to do anything ordinary.

Grace Dotson is a third year sociology student concentrating in criminology. During her time at CSU she has loved volunteering as a College of Liberal Arts ambassador and at SpeakOut! Grace has a passion for people and feels incredibly lucky to be spending her last year at CSU connecting with others through the Community Literacy Center. After graduation, Grace plans to attend law school in hopes of being a public defender. When she is not working on school, Grace enjoys playing the guitar, reading, painting and enjoying the beauties of Colorado.

Mia Manfredi is a fourth-year student at CSU. She has a major in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology. Mia is an aspiring writer, artist, and activist. She enjoys writing and reading YA fiction, painting, drawing, and collaging. She is very passionate about women’s rights, educational equity, environmental justice, and economic justice.

Mia loves to spend as much quality time as she can with her friends and family, preferably outdoors, picnicking, hiking, or camping. Mia has worked to advocate for social change through a variety of volunteer programs, and she is extremely excited to continue doing so through her internship at the Community Literacy Center. She believes that human connection is the first step to creating change. Being able to collaborate and communicate with others through a shared admiration for writing, reading, and creating art is a beautiful thing and must be celebrated!

Tanya Sopkin is a student at Colorado State University majoring in Sociology and Creative Writing. They enjoy writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction and have been published in the Honors Spiritus Mundi literary magazine. One of Tanya's favorite parts of creative writing is working with others and seeing the art they create, and Tanya hopes to spread the love of writing with others, as not only is it therapeutic, but it is also a unique form of self-expression. In their free time, Tanya loves reading, climbing, biking, and hanging out with friends.

Tanya is originally from Aurora, Colorado, where they spent a lot of time volunteering with the unhoused population, and they hope to continue to do more work advocating for marginalized communities. Tanya hopes to use their majors for education or social work in the future.

Please consider supporting our work!

The CLC creates alternative literacy opportunities to educate and empower underserved populations, and sponsors university-community literacy collaborations. Through our workshops, we confront stereotypes of at-risk youth, men and women who are incarcerated, and other young writers dealing with confinement. We circulate the stories and creative work of community writers through print and multi-media publications. We believe that such dynamic literacy activities are key to individual success, cultural awareness, and a more socially just world.

If you would like to become a volunteer in one of our programs, please let us know at clc@colostate.edu. We are always looking to add thoughtful volunteers to our team. We will begin a new semester toward the end of January -- let us know before then if you would like to join. We train!