A different interview. A new opportunity to build your confidence AND see me virtually speak. Thoughts to honor Black History Month. A royal recent read. Nappy yoga and more. Thanks for stopping by!
Honored to be this week’s SuperTrouper in the Troupe creative community. I joined this worldwide group of different artists and writers on Mighty Networks last year. Their colorful takes on art and culture give me new ways to see the world. During the pandemic, I’ve attended readings in Madrid and visited virtual exhibits around Europe through this thoughtful team.
Snapshots of the full interview are on my instagram profile today. If you’re interested in learning more about Troupe, let me know in a comment.
Excited to announce that I’m speaking at the first-ever Woman to Woman virtual conference on CONFIDENCE.
A diverse group of women will lead short discussions to help women make decisions, shed self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and boost confidence. My session will be about maintaining confidence during and after a heartbreaking failure.
Tickets will be affordable. Attendance is limited. Mark your calendars for Saturday, 10 April 2021. Lookout for purchase options SOON!
As an author, I’ve done a dreadful job portraying People of Color.
My first novel To Live Forever features a Black woman who’s like a mother to Emmaline Cagney, the protagonist. Looking back on the story, I understand how I shortchanged Bertie with cliched tropes and one-dimensionality.
I’m trying to be different and do better with my current novel The Evangelicals. Michaela is a mixed-race senior at a southern evangelical Christian school. Her white father is out-of-the-picture, and her Black mom works as a maid. Mic gets a scholarship to be the school’s token person of color, but she has to work as a janitor after school to “contribute” to her award.
When Mic comes to Pearl, the popular student body president, and claims the school principal assaulted her, Pearl is forced to peel back the layers of her own racism against the backdrop of her church’s conservative political activism. Racism doesn’t always present as hate crimes and abuse. In my experience, it is a deeply ingrained way of thinking and seeing the world. This month, I’ll share some examples to honor Black History Month.
Recent Reads Friday: Finding Freedom Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand
I had an English neighbor growing up, meaning I can’t recall a time when the English royal family didn’t fascinate me.
Things I liked about this book:
Cemented Harry’s long desire to do something else with his life.
Called out some of the severe, obscene racism and trolling Meghan has endured.
Provided insights into what the couple might do next.
Things I didn’t like:
Tone deaf. During a pandemic, I don’t want to read about a .01111 percenter’s fantasy wedding or billionaire life.
Sought to set records straight when books like this never do.
➡️ I purchase every new book featured with my own funds. I do not offer endorsements in exchange for a feature. My opinions are honest assessments of books I read, enjoy, and believe worthy of your time. Creators cannot create if people fail to support their work with actual money. I am doing my part to support worthy writers in many genres and career stages.
A balanced yoga practice means knowing when to breathe into the stretch and when to sink into the earth.
During 2021, I’m incorporating more restorative yoga into my daily practice. Restorative classes use props to support the body’s deep rest in a few shapes. Some call it “Nappy Yoga,” but I call it “necessary soul food.
Does religion loom large in your life?
I read a great interview with Adam Kitzinger in The Atlantic recently. An evangelical Christian republican representative from Illinois, he is one of only 10 house republicans to vote for 45’s 2nd impeachment. While I don’t agree with him politically, I wholeheartedly concur with his assertions in this interview.
Evangelical Christians have destroyed their faith in the eyes of the world for a generation. It doesn’t merely have ramifications for their dwindling congregations, but for all walks of Christian faith. Instead of using their lives as beacons of compassion and love to their communities, they turn this steeple into a spear and ram it down throats. I’ve got a lot of shortcomings for which to answer, but they will answer for this behavior someday.
I still struggle to fit, but I’m happiest when I don’t care where I belong. I kept my accent. Invented a genre of fiction. Threw in memoir scenes narrated in my dad’s voice because my own voice bores me. I don’t do family holidays with family, pandemic or no. I don’t have a TV and eat dinner at the table with my husband every night. I’m proud to be a champion sleeper. I don’t care about looking busy so others will consider me successful. I’m a promiscuous reader who finishes the books I start. I support creators and pay for journalism and don’t expect to get everything for free. I don’t promote things here for “influence” or money or free stuff. Every day, I learn at least 10 ways to be a better human, and sometimes I manage to do one or two.
