Keep Going
Summer Sabbatical Been Over
Even though summer is not officially over until like September 22nd, when the young people head back to school and everyone starts freaking out about the end of the year, you know summer is over. Three words that capture my summer are: Hot. Fast. Love.
The temperatures in Florida (and many other places) have been, and still kinda are, uncomfortably hot. I got outside though. Taking walks at nearby nature trails and lakes, and even going to the beach a couple times. The summer is also rainy season in Florida, so just sitting and watching the most awesome lightning shows while hoping the power doesn’t go out has also been part of my summer nature rituals.
Fast. These months, June through August, went by too fast. That’s it. Just too fast. I don’t feel like I got a chance to savor though I’m sure, from looking at my planner, that I did slow down some. I was hoping to savor, and I just don’t feel like that happened.
The Rubber Bands!
One thing for certain, however: my summer was full of love. I spent time with family and friends. And even got the chance to nestle into my favorite place: the intersection of love and art, joy and creation. Two highlights of love + art this summer was celebrating the closing of an amazing art show that I curate with two of the loveliest people I know, curator and arts administrator Tayina Deravile and curator-exhibition manager-artist, Khaulah Naima Nuruddin. Our show, AIN’T NO LIMITS, was so, so good. I’m thinking it’s Rubber Bands fo’ life!
Two of the finest writers to evah do it!
The other highlight was the chance to reunite with Kleaver Cruz, writer and author of The Black Joy Project. Kleaver and I met in 2016 at a VONA workshop led by Kiese Laymon, and it’s been all love ever since. When Kleaver called me to say they had a tour stop in Orlando for The Blk Joy Festival, I knew that I had to be a part of it. It was so good to share space with Kleaver again, their smile and beautiful, inspiring energy just the thing I needed to continue my work—both on my book (which I started in earnest in that workshop all them years ago) and my community work. So thankful, y’all.
“I Just Kept Going”
Speaking of Kiese Laymon, I have am obsessed with The Reckon True Stories Podcast hosted by Kiese and Deesha Philyaw. If you ain’t listened to it yet, get your whole entire life together and CLICK THIS LINK TO THE SHOW not now, but RIGHT NOW.
Your New Favorite Podcast
Each episode is fi-yerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. As an artist, the discussions Kiese and Deesha are having are just the spark I need to (re)commit to my work, to my voice, to my vision for my writing career, but also the way they talk to each other and their guests (Alexander Chee, Roxane Gay, Minda Honey, Imani Perry, like what?!?) is a lesson in being human—like talking about all the things you wished people would talk about when they talked about writing and talked about life as a writer, and really life as a human in all its beautiful-ugliness.
One thing I’ve been holding to since I started listening is something not from the podcast itself but from a conversation Kiese Laymon and Deesha Philyaw had with Reckon Editor in Chief Ryan L. Nave when the podcast launched.
Deesha said, when talking about her trajectory from corporate economist to management consulting to full-time artist, “I don’t know how I made it… I just kept going.”
I can’t stop thinking about that line, and not just because the journey is similar to mine (the corporate career before writing… though I’m not a full-time artist just yet) but because that’s the energy that I most need right now: the energy, the dedication, the resilience to KEEP GOING.
That’s the mantra I’m taking into the fall. KEEP GOING. KEEP GOING. KEEP GOING.
Three times makes it real. Y’all going to see that new Beetlejuice?
Ten Years of Kitchen Table Literary Arts!
I almost can’t believe it. Almost. I’m so thankful for this organization, which has been a lifeline for me as a writer and artist. In 2009, I literally came back to Florida after grad school in Chicago like, “Where the Black women writers at?” From hosting an open mic to using Yahoo Groups to inviting Black women writers to write, share work, and have drinks on the porch of a rental house in Tampa Heights, I knew there were writers here looking for community just like I was. Yep. On some zen-type “What you seek is seeking you” shit. And here we are! I’m so thankful for Slam Anderson and Jasmine Smith who help keep this thing going because there is NO WAY I could do this alone. And of course so much gratitude and love to the many artists, organizations, friends, and family who have been down for us—cheering us on, showing up for our workshops and events, funding our work, and sharing our work—that make Kitchen Table Literary Arts what it is!
If you’re in Tampa, on September 8th, slide through Ybor City for our Tenth Anniversary Party! If you’re not able to make it, but would like to help us celebrate, consider a donation to lift us up!
Celebrate TEN YEARS with a Donation!
You Know What It Is!
You know I’m back in these literary streets for September… wait, do I ever really leave the literary streets?
Single Session Get Down with My Friends at The Porch!
Fall Classes at The Porch!! Check out the incredible list of topics and writers sharing their experience and expertise!
And of course consider joining me for a single session YOU ARE THE PROTAGONIST!
Memory can be a tricky thing, and when you're writing memoir, memory can either set your writing on fire or douse it in self-doubt. In this one day, interactive workshop, we'll explore the science of memory, its strengths and weaknesses, the ways it helps us make sense of our lives and the ways it complicates our feelings. We'll use what we learn as an opportunity to retool our memories as writing prompts, exploring the dance of scene and reflection, and setting the foundation to see ourselves as the protagonists of our own lives and our own stories.
Free Expressions Webinars!
I teach webinars for the awesome Free Expressions Seminars and Literary Services every year! To kick off the new season, check out this preview night on Thursday, September 19th where you can win a bundle of ALL the webinars for the 2024-2025 writing success series! As you check out all the excellent offerings, be sure to save the date (or register!) for my webinars: Write It Down, Write It Out on December 19th and The Narrative Power of Objects on March 6th!
Visit FREE EXPRESSIONS online for more information!
