We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nereide Santa Rosa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nereide , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Resilience and perseverance, to me, it is about following a consistent, ethical, creative, and persevering path, step by step, that undoubtedly leads us to new accomplishments and learning experiences. I have embraced that philosophy in my life.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a writer, born in Brazil, an Italian and Portuguese citizen, a permanent resident of the United States since 2017, and the CEO of Underline Publishing. My journey as a writer is connected to my background as a teacher and educator. Initially, I had the support of my family, especially my mother, who provided me with an exemplary education and the opportunity to read books from a young age. As a teenager, I wanted to make the most of my life and leave a mark on the world. Later, as a teacher, I transformed into a knowledge agent and a source of creativity for my students. At the age of 16, I began various research projects that resulted in books. My first degrees were in Mathematics and Physics, followed by a degree in Pedagogy. I was already trained in Piano and Music Education. As an adult, during university, I worked as an Arts teacher for a teacher training course in a public school. There, I developed a curriculum that eventually became my first book—Teaching Mathematics Through Music. Publishers thought combining the two subjects was very interesting, and so I got published, giving lectures throughout Brazil. Being someone who loves challenges, my desire to write only grew from there.
By then, I was married and with two daughters, but my husband Francisco always supported me. I soon published my first best-selling book about the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. From then on, I never stopped writing and publishing, achieving full professional development with over half a million books sold in Brazil. I won the Jabuti Award—the highest Brazilian literature award for Best Publication of the Year in 2004. That was a major incentive and a significant recognition for my writing career. It also played a decisive role in being approved as a resident in the United States.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Going from teacher to writer meant extending the reach of my voice and my words. Now, as an editor, I draw inspiration from the many wonderful professionals who edited my books in the past. As an editor, I want to extend the read of everyone’s voices. I want to contribute to Brazilian literature abroad. I believe that everyone in the world should pursue their dreams and achieve them in any field of endeavor. I have learned throughout life that every experience we go through is valuable, and we should view the adversities that challenge us so much positively and optimistically. Carrying generosity, ethics, and respect for each person in our hearts, let’s help by contributing our own way and accumulating more experiences. And it’s these experiences that prepare us to face new opportunities. That’s exactly how I felt when already retired in Brazil, and I decided to embark on another chapter of my life.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
Today, I am the owner of Underline Publishing, an American publisher with the goal of publishing texts by Brazilian, Portuguese, and Spanish-speaking writers abroad in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Our aim is to continue to encourage and support Brazilian, Lusophone, and Latin writers. We have more than 60 authors in our catalog and have published over 100 books since 2018. I came to the United States with the idea of continuing my career as a writer and expanding my horizons while promoting Brazilian literature abroad. The opportunity arose through an invitation from the CEO of the Focus Brazil Foundation, Mr. Carlos Borges, to coordinate Focus Brazil New York with the theme of Brazilian Literature.
Today, I volunteer at the International Academy of Brazilian Literature, which brings together nearly 1000 Brazilian writers from around the world. I also oversee programs that promote Brazilian literature within the Focus Brazil Digital platform.
I am sure that I am leaving behind a legacy consistent with my teenage aspirations when I decided that I should make a difference and contribute so that my time in this world would be productive and help more and more people to be happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://underlinepublishing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underlinepublishing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/871111956725854 https://www.facebook.com/nereide.santarosa/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCayjeOnFMvclCP9EEVCTbeQ
Image Credits
Credits: Underline Publishing LLC
