I Am the Story I Was Afraid to Tell: A Poetic Memoir of Survival, Grief, and Becoming Me

In I Am the Story I Was Afraid to Tell, Liliana Caliente-Cazadora peels back the layers of silence and shame to share a poetic memoir that is raw, haunting, and achingly honest. Through a collection of free verse poems, she explores the unspoken truths of her life—childhood shaped by addiction and violence, the sudden loss of her mother, unreported trauma, complicated love, and the long journey to self-acceptance.
Told in five thematic sections, these poems offer snapshots of a girl growing up too fast, a survivor learning to breathe again, and a woman discovering her voice in a world that tried to quiet her. With fierce vulnerability and lyrical clarity, Liliana invites readers into the spaces most people try to hide—the messy, the painful, the tender, and the resilient.
This is not just a story of what she's been through. It's a story of what she's become.
I Am the Story I Was Afraid to Tell is a love letter to the ones still learning how to take up space, to speak the truth, and to choose themselves—softly, boldly, and without apology.

Author Bio – Liliana Caliente-Cazadora
Liliana Caliente-Cazadora is a Latina author whose work explores the quiet ache of longing, the beauty of vulnerability, and the spaces between what's said and what's left behind. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Liliana grew up surrounded by stories—spoken, whispered, and imagined—that continue to shape her voice today.
Known initially for her bold and sensual storytelling, Liliana has shifted toward more reflective and emotionally layered work, including poetry, romantic fiction, and literary pieces that honor the complexities of love, loss, and healing. Her writing blends raw honesty with lyrical tenderness, drawing readers into the kind of truths we rarely say out loud.
Now based in Denver, Colorado, she finds inspiration in mountain sunrises, local cafés, and the deep, transformative power of human connection. When she's not writing, she's reading romance novels, collecting notebooks she may never use, and occasionally texting things she'll never send.
Written but Never Sent is her first poetry collection—an invitation to sit with silence, memory, and the words we carry in our hearts.