I am a storyteller and changemaker.

I am a Guayaquil-born interdisciplinary artist, public speaker, and social researcher based in Orlando.

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Contact: Direct / Literary / Speaking

River Coello

Writing

My poetry and lyrical prose revisit ancestral memories and document personal shifts, immortalizing spiritual discoveries through magical realism.

With bookends of a lunar calling and an earthly reminder, HAMPI chronicles a fantastical journey of recovering one’s buried parts to embrace the blessings of ancestral medicine. Concocted between the United States, Ecuador, and Peru, its photography captures the beauty of these heart homes. Its writing in English, Spanish, and Quechua features lessons from sacred guides, gone ancestors, and other loved ones on the journey to a fuller kind of bravery. HAMPI is published by For the Birds Trapped in Airports.


Recent Features:

My feature writing highlights and celebrates the stories and experiences of historically disenfranchised communities and/or individuals.

Performance

My live readings borrow from my poetry collections and my personal essays.

Recent Readings:

As a performer, whether on stage or on set, my work mindfully navigates context, language, and emotion in scripted stories. My accessible devising practice employs both creative writing and movement.

As a facilitator, I explore works that are alive in diverse bodies and move audiences toward greater collective empathy. I prioritize process with authentic creation and support care with community-oriented practices.

Recent Engagements:

Speaking & Facilitation

In speeches, presentations, workshops, and interviews, I invite people to operate with authenticity, grapple with systems, and connect across differences. I also help identify and improve organizational efforts connected to equity and inclusion.

Recent Engagements:

Additionally, I design and facilitate generative spaces for learning and growth. Learning topics include intergroup relations, multimodal storytelling, and mixed-methods research. Coaching spaces support life transitions through meditative and integrative practices.

Research & Strategy

I have managed mixed-methods research projects, from ideation to dissemination, with a particular interest in the fields of health and education, and their intersections. I have also participated in and led advocacy and organizing efforts for increasing access and success for marginalized communities in these fields.

Recent Presentations: