THE VOICE OF GRANDMOTHER OCEAN
A Love Letter to the Ocean in Three Languages
Blending poetry, storytelling, and science, Grandmother Ocean Speaks is a trilingual tribute—written in Spanish, French, and English—to the beauty, wisdom, and sorrow of the sea.
Through lyrical poems and intimate stories told by Grandmother Ocean herself, this book invites us to listen to the voice of the waters: nurturing, powerful, and deeply alive. It celebrates the majesty of the world’s oceans while giving voice to their pain—from pollution to climate change.
More than a book, it is a heartfelt call to remember our bond with the Ocean and to care for her as we would for someone we truly love.
ALL WATERS
The Ocean of Life
The Journey of Life:
Wisdom from the Sea and the Earth
It was a clear afternoon, just after a heavy downpour. The sky above the Pacific coast of Costa Rica opened slowly, and a fresh breeze danced through the trees, across the sea, as if the Earth herself was exhaling. The waves crashed with an ancient, steady rhythm. The air smelled of salt and damp soil.
SWIM.
ILLUSTRATE.
BREATHE.
I can swim for hours, in silence, with my body merged with the water. These illustrations are born from what I saw in those depths and from what my dreams bring me. They are collages of ink, handmade textures, and a deep respect for water. Just as swimming anchors me in the present and opens me to the invisible, illustrating makes that dance with the sea’s waves visible. Swimming invites me to create, and drawing brings me back to the water. It is my way of being in the world.
VIRGINIA MAZZEO
IN THEIR WORDS
BIOGRAPHIES
EMELINA CORRALES CORDERO
AUTHOR
Emelina Corrales Cordero is a marine biologist, certified coach, facilitator, educator, poet, and expert in feminine leadership. As co-creator of the Politics of Being, a new development paradigm grounded in wisdom and science, she is dedicated to supporting the evolution of consciousness as the main lever to address today’s polycrisis. Recipient of the French Senate’s Medal of Honor in May 2025, she has collaborated with a wide range of organizations across four continents — from sea turtle and mangrove conservation in Costa Rica to climate research and education. Through Green Synergies, the consultancy she co-founded, she supports leaders and their organizations in their personal and cultural transformations, particularly through ocean literacy programs, while helping them integrate the ocean at the heart of their sustainability strategies. degree in environmental law and a master’s in marine biology.
VIRGINIA MAZZEO
ILLUSTRATOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Virginia Mazzeo is an Argentine graphic designer and illustrator. She works professionally in the fields of editorial design, audiovisual projects, and branding, operating independently from Buenos Aires.
She is also an open water swimmer. Her connection with water began in childhood and became firmly established after her first competitive swim in a lagoon in the province of Buenos Aires. Since then, she has trained and swum in lakes, rivers, and seas, covering long distances.
In her work as an illustrator and designer, she integrates her creative practice with her experience in open water swimming, bringing a sensitive and grounded perspective on nature and the moving body, and combining both disciplines in a coherent and personal way.
