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Xelena González

@xfactor.live

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Practices the healing arts through story & movement🌬Creator of LOTERÍA REMEDIOS🌹 New book OF THE SUN available now🪶 Growing in Yanaguana / San Anto🧿🌱

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Book Mail!! 📚📚 Wow!! I am blown away. This is such an amazing set. @xfactor.live I just received the most beautiful and thoughtful gift from the incredibly talented Xelena González, and I had to share it with all of you. 📚🙌🏽🤎😎

She sent me a copy of Lotería Remedios, her reimagining of the traditional Mexican lotería deck as a tool for reflection, healing, affirmation, and self-discovery. The artwork by San Antonio artist Jose Sotelo Yamasaki is soooo nice.

There is something really special about taking an icon so deeply rooted in our culture and giving it new meaning while still honoring where it comes from. These cards are beautiful, but they also carry stories, symbolism, reflection, and a sense of connection to our traditions.

Xelena, thank you so much for thinking of me and for sharing this beautiful work. It genuinely means a lot.

If you love lotería, Mexican and Chicano art, or meaningful objects that connect culture with storytelling and healing, I highly recommend checking out Lotería Remedios.

You can find the deck through Xelena’s website and wherever books and card decks are sold. https://www.xelena.space/books/loteria-remedios

¡Mil gracias, Xelena! 🤎 @xfactor.live @josesoteloart by @xfactor.live

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a month ago

These 2026 Américas Award Commended Titles celebrate the deep connections between people, land, and the natural and mythological worlds that surround them.

Of the Sun, written by @xfactor.live and illustrated by @emilykewageshig, is a lyrical picture book poem that affirms the belonging, resilience, and cultural strength of Indigenous children throughout the Americas, celebrating their enduring connection to the land and their responsibilities to future generations. Xolo, written by Donna Barba Higuera and illustrated by @marianaruizjohnson, reimagines Aztec mythology through the eyes of Xolotl, Quetzalcoatl's lesser-known dog-headed twin, in a fast-paced story about outcasts, empathy, and the courage it takes to find your place in the world. And Sundust/Polvo solar, written and illustrated by @zpvisual and translated by Rubí Orozco Santos, follows two siblings into the vast landscapes of the Chihuahuan Desert, where curiosity, imagination, and the natural world blur into something magical.

Thank you for following along as we celebrated all of our 2026 Américas Award recognized titles. Visit the link in our bio to explore the full annotated bibliography!

The award is administered by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (@claspprograms) and coordinated by both Tulane University's Stone Center for Latin American Studies (@tusclas) and the University of Arizona's Center for Latin American Studies (@uaz_clas). Generous support is provided by @fiulacc, @msuclacs, @clacsberkeley, @lacsconsortium, @ucla_lai, @unmlaii, @uofu.ias, @uf_latam, @uwmclacs, @vanderbilt_clacx, @llilasbenson, @clacsillinois, Stanford University's CLAS, and the University of Michigan's LACS. by @xfactor.live

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2 months ago

We all face hard choices. Use the reflections within LOTERIA REMEDIOS to guide you in making a tough decision. Choose two cards at random to represent your options, and see if the remedies can help.

Try now: picture your two options or paths in your mind. Decide which is Path 1 and Path 2. Slide to reveal the remedies that may illuminate your path. Let me know what you think in the comments.

This is one way readers have used our deck and guidebook over the years. Other uses include journaling, discussion starters, daily/weekly affirmations, team building, divination, game nights, and more.

LOTERIA REMEDIOS is available wherever books are sold online & in person. If you don’t see it on your favorite shelves, please request it 📚 by @xfactor.live

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3 months ago

It’s our 2nd anniversary of LOTERÍA REMEDIOS Oracle Deck being out in the world. Enjoy this card pull for the collective🫶🏽 And stay tuned for some origin stories, highlights from our project travels, and giveaways 🌹

We are so grateful to everyone who has brought a deck into their home, gifted some to their loved ones, or spread the word about this good medicine🌿

Shout out to my deck collaborator Jose Sotelo Yamasaki @josesoteloart for his illustrations and operating the online shop @tu_y_yo.shop 🌞 And to my other amiga artista @adrianamjgarcia whose paintings from our picture books adorn my sala 🩵 How lucky am I to get to publish with two (possibly three🤭) San Anto artists❣️ taken in West Side, San Antonio by @xfactor.live

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3 months ago

We’re excited to share that Of the Sun has been selected for The New York Public Library’s Reading America: 250 Years, 250 Books list! 🎉

Created to commemorate 250 years since the founding of the United States, the list highlights 250 notable books – including 50 books for children – that share the American experience from a variety of perspectives.

We’re honored to see Of the Sun included among this thoughtful collection of titles that encourage readers to explore history, identity and the many stories that shape our world.

Head to the link in our bio to explore the full list and see Of the Sun featured among the selections!

#OfTheSun #ReadingAmerica250 #NYPL #BarefootBooks by @xfactor.live

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4 months ago

🌧️ POSTPONED Due to Rain 🌧️ Join us in Bette’s Rose Garden Saturday May 9th 12pm for storytime by author @xfactor.live with FREE books and planting in the garden beds 📚☀️🌻

Link in bio - registration is not required, but is VERY helpful in the preparations for the event. You can also gift a child a FREE copy of the books at @eventbrite or @bookshop_org links 💗

📍Bette’s Rose Garden
1017 Teller Ave.
The Bronx, New York 10456 taken in Melrose, Bronx by @xfactor.live

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5 months ago

Join us this Friday, May 1st for a Closing Reception from noon to 2 at the @ollu_ifcc 🤗 I plan to share some of my residency reflections and will read a newly-published essay from the young adult anthology ONWARD. Enjoy conversation, Q&A, and light refreshments. Drop in!

📍International Folk Culture Center at Our Lady of the Lake University, MARC Building (411 SW 24th Street 🚙 parking available in Lot B) by @xfactor.live

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6 months ago

Happy Earth Day 🌎 Go touch a tree🌳 And enjoy this remedy from our collection LOTERIA REMEDIOS…

“EL ARBOL is a powerful symbol for anyone feeling called to return to their roots. It signifies the need to go within, to return to your own inner strength, your groundwork of personal truths and understandings. A tree’s roots can grow as far and wide as her branches reach, so her source of strength and fortification is mostly unseen. This is true for us humans as well … It is time to touch a tree, to be out in nature and receive nourishment in whatever way you may need. Try the simple practice of grounding yourself with bare feet on earth. This reminds our body to stay rooted, stand tall, and sway with the winds of change. Continue to reach up and branch out in new directions, knowing that you are a part of nature, whole and ever growing.”

📖 “El Arbol” excerpt from LOTERIA REMEDIOS Guidebook, written by Xelena González, with a 54-card deck reimagined / illustrated by Jose Sotelo Yamasaki. Published by Hay House / Penguin Random House. 📚 Available worldwide wherever books are borrowed /sold. And if not, please request it 😉

🎥 Videography by @ollusaart art major Dayanara Torres 🙏🏽

If you’d like to receive more remedies like this, please comment, share, and tell a friend 💚

#earth #earthday #affirmations #naturelover #trees by @xfactor.live

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6 months ago

Educators, Librarians, & Caregivers, join me for a special workshop this Saturday, April 18th, 3-5pm at @ollu_ifcc

📖 During my librarian days, I began adding components of music & movement to my programs. 🎶 That has continued in my author visits over the past 8 years. Come learn my methods of “Tai Chi” Storytelling, Dancing the Elements, Embody the Remedy, and more. Educators are encouraged to attend this blend of storytime, best practices, and modeled movement.

🧘🏽‍♀️ Wear comfortable clothing & bring a journal 📝

💰 FREE for OLLU staff, faculty, students, and alum, although donations are always appreciated. Members of the community are asked to pay on a sliding scale of $8–88 to allow all income levels to participate.

📍International Folk Culture Center at Our Lady of the Lake University, MARC Building (411 SW 24th Street 🚙 parking available in Lot B) by @xfactor.live

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6 months ago

Everybody’s favorite book festival is happening this Saturday at Central Library from 9-5📚 Then the poets will gather on the Southside at 6pm for Viva Poesía at Mission Marquee 🌙

My showtimes…
🌞 11:15 > Storytime with @adrianamjgarcia featuring our new books in the session “Lullabies & Rallying Cries” 📚 Book signing follows at noon.

✍🏽 1:45 > Illustrator Draw Off ! Join me as i emcee this crowd pleaser 🎤 🎨

📍 Both events take place at the HEB Gazebo

🏃🏽‍♀️ Then…
8:15pm at Viva Poesía @mission_marquee_plaza

There’s a whole lineup of live music, poetry, and activities happening from 6-10pm 🎶

See yall out there 😎 taken in San Antonio, Texas by @xfactor.live

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6 months ago

Of the Sun is a 2026 Tomás Rivera Book Mexican American Children’s Book Award winner! ✨ 🎉

Written by @xfactor.live and illustrated by @emilykewageshig Of the Sun is a powerful and hopeful ode to Indigenous children.

Thank you to @txstcoe for this honor!

Image description: A 3D cover image of the book ‘Of the Sun’ with text that reads, “A 2026 Tomás Rivera Book Award winner”. by @xfactor.live

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7 months ago

Join me TOMORROW (Sat.2/28) for two special experiences 🌹

Write Your Own Remedio > 3-4pm
Embody the Remedy > 4:30-6pm

This two-part workshop is based on my curative guidebook Lotería Remedios 📖🌿 Participants will write their own remedy & add gentle movement for their own healing practice ✍🏽🌱 The second component is a newly-designed somatic practice that explores icons of the traditional deck through restorative poses & guided movement. Participants may join one or both sessions. Bring comfortable clothes, water, a journal, and a yoga mat (extras are available).

💰FREE for OLLU students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Community members may pay on a sliding scale of $8—$88, allowing all income levels to participate. (A few scholarships are available thanks to a generous contribution by Jacinta Adams 🙏🏽)

🎶 Live music by @sweet_emergence

📍 The MARC/IFCC Ballroom is located at Our Lady of the Lake University 🚙 Enter campus on Providence & park in Lot B. My story will include a “how to get there” video.

🗓️ Though this will be the only offering of its kind, I’ll host a few more events this spring during my residency at the @ollu_ifcc 🌻 See pinned post for details. taken in OLLU International Folk Culture Center by @xfactor.live

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8 months ago