Ligia Cushman joins Dominican Writers for an incredible weekend conference at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, May 1–3, 2026.

She'll be participating as a panelist in Writing Desire on Our Own Terms: Power, Pleasure & the Modern Romance — a conversation about what it means to write love stories that refuse to make marginalized voices a footnote.

The panel digs into topics including:

• Crafting intimacy with intention and depth

• Writing emotionally resonant love stories without flattening identity

• The market power of romance readership

• Breaking stereotypes about who gets a happily ever after

• Balancing commercial appeal with cultural specificity

This is a rare opportunity to hear Ligia speak about the craft and business of writing dark fantasy romance centered on women of color — and to connect with the broader Dominican and Latine literary community.

Stay tuned for registration and full schedule details.