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Dona Julia:
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Never too late: $10.00
Lessons for Myself:
$9.00

Total for 3 Books:
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Albeto O. Cappas
PO Box 581, Triborough Station
New York, NY 10035

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Alberto O. Cappas reads from his book, Echolalia, at the home of the late and great Puerto Rican Poet Pedro Pietri (left) on New Years Eve in 1986
Place your Order Here:
3 BOOKS TO HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST IGNORANCE:
The Footprints of a Puerto Rican Writer
ALBERTO O. CAPPAS








2nd Edition: Doña Julia & Other Selected Poems -- $10.00
Collection of poetic short stories about Puerto Ricans and their experience as new American neighbors; Cappas captures the journey and soul of new comers as they strive to make the transition from a tropical environment to an urban and cold jungle.

ISBN/EAN13: 1441403981 / 9781441403988
Page Count: 90
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 5.25" x 8"
Language: English / Published by Nubian Voices - 2009
Related Categories: Poetry / Anthologies








2nd Edition: Never Too Late To Make a U-Turn: An Educational Pledge & 15 Questions to Self-Development -- $10.00
The book is based on the successful educational pledge, plus fifteen (15) basic questions that will transform the reader and bring out the beauty and magic of the human spirit in everyone. The book provides the basic values and standards essential to a successful journey in life. This is a great book for students and family members.

ISBN/EAN13: 1441414045 / 9781441414045
Page Count: 74
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size:  6" x 9"
Language: English / Published by Nubian Voices - 2009
Related Categories: Body, Mind & Spirit / Inspiration & Personal Growth







Lessons for Myself: Getting out of my Hood BOX! -- $9.00
Lessons for young people to acquire the critical understanding and mindset at an early age to take direct control of their mental faculties and defend themselves against the manipulation of peer pressure.

ISBN/EAN13: 1441403108 / 9781441403100
Page Count: 48
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 5.25" x 8"
Language: English / Published by Nubian Voices - 2009
Related Categories: Self-Help / Personal Growth / Success

About the Author: Born in Puerto Rico, and raised in New York City; graduate of Harlem Prep School and SUNYAB. In addition to his creative and literary contributions, Cappas has also been active in community and government institutions. Presently he serves as Director of Community Affairs for the NYC Human Resources Administration, and he has served as Deputy Commissioner for the NYS Division for Youth. He also served as an Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs at the SUNYAB, where he worked as Associate Director of Minority Student Affairs. Cappas served on the "Attica Observers Committee" during the 1970's prison uprising at Attica State Prison. Cappas' work has been widely published and utilized by community and educational institutions in the United States, including the international community. Cappas is also the creator/founder of two e-commerce sites: www.EducationalPledge.com and www.AnEducationalPledge.Com. And last but not least, Cappas is the creator of the Barack Obama Principles of Learning T-Shirts, featuring the widely used and successful “Educational Pledge”, designed to motivate and inspire young people to develop an interest in Education.

Comments from Readers

A great book for our youth -- Angelica Aquino
The educational pledge is a reflective tool to help anyone, both young and old. It allows one to take a step back to move on and to understand the impact of actions and omissions. Give someone the gift of self-empowerment and self-realization by sharing the questions and the ultimate answers that come with such quest. It is a life time gift, it truly transcends generations. I encourage parents, educators, young people and everyone to share the book with their friends and loved ones. I think this book makes a wonderful staff development and parent and pupil, student and teacher conversation facilitator. It is a conduit for personal growth. 
Angelica Aquino, Attorney, Washington Heights, NY

A Challenging Book – Rafael Rodriguez
An Educational Pledge is a must read book for all. I truly recommend it, and Mr. Cappas insightful and clear message is one that will motivate everyone to start "thinking outside the box”. If you are looking for your next book to read or as a gift, this would be a great and lasting investment.  -- Rafael Rodriguez, President of the July 4th, 1899 Foundation, Queens, NY

Writer’s Digest:
….I have seen first hand how many students fall through the public-school cracks and the best way to insure against this is to empower each student to become more accountable for his or her own education and commit to it well beyond the classroom. In essence, Cappas establishes a great deal of credibility in relating his own story and how he pledged himself not just to education and learning as a way of life, but the importance of balance, commitment, and courage as one of the surest paths to personal fulfillment…..
EDUCATIONAL PLEDGE BOOKS TO MOTIVATE THE MIND
About Alberto Cappas’ Poetry

An extremely heart felt and thought provoking insight. Absolutely brilliant!  Bravo!
Stella Nkwanga
(Starlitecafe.com website)

Congratulations!  Anyone can write, but to make the reader feel and believe is a gift.
Great job!
Barbara Savage
(Starlitecafe.com website)

Full of depth and meaning, beautiful!  Stunning work here. Love the flow and the vision you've created. You are so gifted!
T.L. Stokes, Novato, California

Que Dios te bendigo! Your poems are slamming! I am also Puerto Rican and I've yet to tap into that side of my poetry. You're making me think, hermano! Keep up the fabulous work!
Melissa Mendez, Nutley, New Jersey

Cappas is a wordsmith that paints images this side of the spiritual.  Those images invoke the hope and betrayal in our legacy to our youth.
Hugo Guzman, Washington Heights, NY

Thanks for keeping the wheels turning in my head.  A playwright would find gold in your work.
Frank W. Berger, Riverdale, NY

Words are the most constructive or destructive instruments to nurture or discourage the potential in every child. I could almost feel the force of the waterfall in your words. I can relate to the feeling - so overwhelming!
Anthony Camacho, The Bronx, NY

Your poems are a true ode for all parents and children, a gift of inspirational writing. Worth more then gold!
Barbara Rosen, Boca Raton, Florida

Very deep and thought provoking writer - a reality check as well. Your talent shines through your poems. Elaina Silva, California

I have read many of your poems. Your expressions speak volumes. The poem, Hide and Seek, especially, touches my heart. Excellent writer.
Patricia Oehme, Kansas

You left your reader wanting to read more…but that is the gift of a good writer.
Sylvia Lukeman, founding member,
Poets Who Care, Liverpool, England, Great Britain

Alberto's poetry was written in a time of innocence, rebellion and change. His poems are like short stories full of characters and situations that we can relate to. Finally, they have no time barrier and will be read by many generations.
J. Enrique Rodriguez, Bronx, NY

Alberto encapsulates the essence of the soul. Read it, enjoy it - share it!
Angelica Aquino, Attorney / Journalist
New York City, NY

City Limits Magazine –
June 2003 Issue
Book Review
“Power to the Poets”
By Kenyon Farrow

If more public officials and politicians could write poetry as visceral as the Human Resources Administration's Director of Community Affairs Alberto Cappas, the world would indeed be in a different place.

Cappas' book of poetry, Doña Julia, explores the complexities of everyday life for the Puerto Rican immigrant in New York City. The poems are sometimes touching and nostalgic, sometimes painful and alienating, as Cappas speaks to the ways in which poverty and racism impact the lives of immigrants who try to incorporate the supposed American Dream into their realities--and their varying degrees of success and failure in doing so.

In "A Distant Despair," Cappas describes "the Building/With the graffiti/'Viva Puerto Rico Libre'/And other declarations/Woman and her three children/are evicted for not paying the rent." In the same building lives a Mrs. Garcia, who is "glued to the window/Looking from corner to corner/For stories to talk about and invent." The poem is
filled with images of what life is like for the tenants of this building. Its beauty (and that of Cappas' writing) lies in its ability to cause a tension for the reader, to leave us torn between those images that evoke a feeling of warmth for the people of the community and the ones that inspire anger, or sometimes hopeless-ness, over the living conditions that create such poverty.

It is this sort of complexity that keeps Doña Julia from being a book about feeling pity for the people and places it portrays. The book's characters are implicated in their own madness, too. In "Aguacate Power," Cappas shows his frustration with what he calls "unconscious Puerto Ricans" who "have made it in the USA/They exist without the ganas/Without a place in the sun/They sing songs for the politicians/With nothing to offer them in turn for their dedication/They do not know the harm they generate."

The standout poem in this collection is the title piece, "Doña Julia." The poem is about a woman who commits suicide, and leaves a note that baffles police, stating, "One way or the other, I'm going back to Puerto Rico." The poem starkly describes what led the woman to this place. "Doña Julia/ Committed suicide last night/Cause the welfare department/Demanded too many documents she did not/know existed." It's quite the indictment coming from an employee of HRA.

In a city used to low voter turnout in most elections, where people feel increasingly alienated from their political and community leaders, it is refreshing to find someone working in the system who is sympathetic to the lives of ordinary citizens. Cappas' poetry, never overly sentimental, demon-strates both a talent for the written word and a deep understanding of people, their communities and the larger institutions that influence their lives. The next time you go to the polls, don't elect a politician; elect a poet.


The
Educational
Pledge


By Alberto O. Cappas

IN DEDICATION TO
OUR CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES

I pledge to maintain a
Healthy Mind and Body
Staying away from the Evil of drugs
I pledge always to try my Best to understand
The importance of Knowledge and Education
I pledge to paint a Positive picture of where
I plan to be tomorrow
Not allowing obstacles to stop the growth of my Plans
I pledge to seek Answers to Questions,
With the understanding that they
Will lead to other discoveries
I pledge to work diligently
With the Awareness and Confidence
That hard work today will serve
As the seeds for my strong tree tomorrow
A tree that no one will be able to tear down
I pledge to learn proper languages,
Beginning with my Mother's
Always prepared to appreciate others
I pledge to gain a better understanding of who I am
By understanding my Cultural roots
I pledge to fully accept who
I am as a spiritual and human being
A Rainbow of many cultures and colors
I pledge to overcome any Personal misfortunes
Becoming Stronger from such misfortunes
Always striving to become
A wise person.
Most Recent Review:

The Work of Alberto O. Cappas
By Melisende’s Library – an Online Library
http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/melisendes-library

I have the pleasure of being an "i-friend" (i.e.: internet buddy) of Alberto. And as such, was honored when I had the opportunity to read some of his works.

A Little about Alberto: Alberto O. Cappas is both a poet and social observer. His works reflect the changing conditions of Puerto Ricans in both their homeland and mainland America. He is active in promoting self-empowerment among his local community and encouraging people to take life and the scruff of the neck and make something for themselves.

1. Dona Julia: A collection of poems that tell of life on the "other side of the tracks" - where life is both hard and cheap; where people struggle to eke out a living day by day; where violence dominates; and yet it is also a place of the home and family, of comfort and familiarity.

The language is not flowery and gossamer-like - it is harsh, sometimes brutal but always upfront and in your face. It is a reflection of reality - it is not something akin to the fantasy poetic worlds of Keats and Byron. It is poetry for today and for today's society.

Alberto provides a glimpse into the ying and yang of life.

2. Lessons for Myself: A work dedicated to young people who feel trapped by their environment; who feel that there is no possible way out of the day to day struggle with life; who feel nothing but despair and anger. Alberto's work compels young people to "think outside the box" - to not accept stereotypes, to take charge of their destinies, to make the change necessary themselves rather than sit wallowing in self-depredation. Life is there to be lived, enjoyed, and experienced to the fullest - and only you can make that detour on life's great journey.

3. Never Too Late To Make a U-Turn: "Never Too Late" was specifically written with students in mind, and has been accepted and utilized within the American educational system.

Alberto speaks of his own trials and tribulations in an attempt to help young people cope with their own. He is the voice of experience in a world where the lessons of experience can sometimes come at too late in life. He offers guidance and understanding to a youth that really needs a helping hand. A man dedicated to empowering our youth and thus the world we live in.

Melisende is the author of medieval biographies & history related articles, and enjoy writing about the achievements of women throughout time. She is also the author of Pages from History. Vi