Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa

As a Kimbilio alumna, I am pleased to announce that The Figueroa Sisters Fellowship has been established for women over the age of 50.  The fellowship is awarded annually to a writer who has been selected to be a Kimbilio Fellow and who plans on attending the summer retreat. The selection process for these and other fellowships will be announced at the time of the application process.

The Figueroa Sisters Fellowship, named after four Afro-Puerto Rican women who were, in their very quiet, very private way, role models for me and other women in our family. My mother, Carmen María Figueroa Llanos, and her sisters, Betty Figueroa Llanos, Modesta Figueroa Alomar, and Rosa Amelia Figueroa, were my first storytellers and, unbeknownst to them, started me on my long journey to being a published writer. I can almost hear them cheering as they stand at my back, delighting in the narratives, many based on their own stories, that I now share with my readers. I am equally sure, that they rejoice in knowing that this modest fellowship will help propel another woman in her journey on the road to becoming a storyteller in her own right.

We need to tell our own, authentic stories, in our own authentic voices. 

I am asking friends and colleagues in lieu of a birthday or holiday gift, to please donate to The Figueroa Sisters Fellowship.  When donating, simply indicate "The Figueroa Sisters Fellowship" and donations will be earmarked accordingly. To learn more about Kimbilio Fellows and The Annual Kimbilio Retreat, visit Kimbilio.

Thank you,

Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa, novelist

Daughters of the Stone (2009, 2019)

A Woman of Endurance (Amistad, 2022)

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