I’ve been wondering how to continue with my blog ever since my sister passed away in August. I feel different. My life has changed.
For a few weeks, grief stole my voice and left me speechless, but now I’m ready to transmute my grief into something greater. My sister was my biggest cheerleader and inspiration. She believed in me even more than I believed in myself. My sister was a Lupus warrior, and I got to witness her resilience through so many changes in life and ups and downs in her health. With her in my heart always, I will continue to champion Black women’s wellness and support the voices of Black women writers.
Her passing has made me face the sobering reality that “rest is resistance” is more than a book or phrase; it’s a battle cry against chronic stress, health inequities, and the mental burden that so many Black women carry. Far too often, these factors lead to autoimmune diseases like Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, mental health conditions like Anxiety and Depression, as well as Heart Disease, which is the #1 killer of women ( check out the full list of risk factors for heart disease here). In her honor, I will continue to use my platform to amplify the health concerns and stories of Black women. We must sound the alarms when it comes to the state of our health, because no one else looks out for us the way we do.
The other day, I remembered my dedication & acknowledgements in Departure Story. It made me feel so good that I had thanked my sister and let her know how deeply I appreciated her. My creative sister, I miss you so much.
Celebrate Black Poetry!
I’m excited to share the debut of A Black Mother Like an Ocean by Salisa Lynne Grant. Salisa contributed to Spoken Black Girl Issue 6: Beauty. When offered the opportunity to create cover art for her collection, I said “yes”, and I’m so glad I did! Please check out this collection of poems. They are all beautiful and full of love. I highly recommend.
Book Description:
Salisa L. Grant’s second poetry collection A Black Mother Like an Ocean speaks to the afters, the news, and the quiet colors that fill the spaces around Black motherhood and grief. Grant uses her lived experiences as a Black mother attempting to remain soft in a world committed to her hardening, to craft a collection of songs and sayings that provide a balm for the spirit. Her work speaks back to the shouts, silence, and shame that often occupy and shape understandings and misunderstandings of Black womanhood. Her work is a mirror for the soft Black woman loving, mourning, and raising her children, as well as the little Black girl still blooming within.
The work of Monica D. Vance found me at just the right time. Her poetry is vivid and tender. Her voice is relatable yet encouraging and empowering. It’s a yes for me!
Book Description:
How do you summarize a healing journey? You want to heal. You want to grow. You want to dream. But how do you do it? You have to see yourself. You have to see yourself beyond the hurtful words and actions of your mother, father, or friend. When you actually see yourself, you’re able to leave the dust and weeds. Your heart is revived. Your eyes are new.
Monica D. Vance’s debut poetry collection, “Leaving the Dust and the Weeds,” confronts the breaking and the healing of the human heart. Shame, loneliness, and trauma reside in the dust and the weeds. The heart lands on this ground.
From her own personal experiences of loss and her observations of life, Monica’s words encourage you to be honest about your emotional aches. Healing requires honesty. Beyond the dust and the weeds, there is recovery from the traumas that you should have never faced.
You are allowed to remember the dreams of your childhood and pursue them. You can grow out of self-hatred and lean into self-confidence. Monica’s healing collection of poetry takes you from pain and sadness to rediscovery.
Domestic Abuse Awareness Month
Meet Keanna Shatteen
I knew how to say, “I’m fine.”
I knew how to keep going, show up for work, take care of my family, handle what needed to be handled, pray about it, push through it, and make sure everybody else was okay. What I didn’t know how to say was, “I’m overwhelmed. I’m scared. I need help. I don’t want to be strong today. I need someone to see me.”
ADHD Awareness Month - Things I do as an AHDH Reader & Writer
Motherhood brought with it an increase in my ADHD symptoms. This wasn’t just mommy brain fog. I began to notice pitfalls in my executive function. I always thought I was a good reader, but then I would look back at the text and realize I had missed a detail. During my K-12 years, I was a good test taker. I knew how to find the answers, but I would miss information that was less interesting to me. All of my life, I knew that my mind worked differently, but one thing that persisted was my love of reading.
Write it Out
Thank you to the fabulous Kayla of Broken Hearts Restored for sending me this letter writing journal. It has been such a gift and an excellent tool through grief.
