How to Hear the Heart That Reveals Itself

Listening to your heart isn't always easy, but sometimes doing so just might save your life.

How To Find What’s Hidden in Translation, Lost in Transmission

How do I sit with this knowing of not-knowing,Or attempt to commune with the great-grandfather of my great, grandfatherWhen I cannot speak the words of his mother tongue? What can I hear in this restless silence, leftLong after my grandma still had breathTo fill in all those gaps in my memory? Why did I not … Continue reading How To Find What’s Hidden in Translation, Lost in Transmission →

Where The Crawdads Sing Evokes Renewed Awe and Wonder for Wildlife

Src: NCWetlands.org The hidden splendor of coastal North Carolina is the true starring character of Delia Owen’s first novel, Where the Crawdads Sing. With a naturalist's eye, Owens uses the poetry of fiction to capture the mysterious beauty of the marsh in exquisite detail. The freshwater wetland comes to life through the eyes of its … Continue reading Where The Crawdads Sing Evokes Renewed Awe and Wonder for Wildlife →

Loving My Body Through A Decade Living With Dystonia

Ten years a slave–To tangled limbsAnd a torquing spine,To a broken medical systemAnd neural network gone offline Ten years an observer–Of the quirky, jerky movement of a marionetteCompensatorily adopted two decades agoAfter a bike/car accident left my Body and brain bruised and bowed Src: istockphoto.com/portfolio/fona2 Ten years a student–Of physiology and the human mind;Acquiring an armchair … Continue reading Loving My Body Through A Decade Living With Dystonia →

The Concealed History of Free People of Color in America

The early history of people of color in the United Stated has focused almost exclusively on their enslavement, which has incompletely presented and positioned the identities of, ideologies about, and policies toward blacks in this country up through the modern age. In actuality, there were approximately a quarter of a million free African Americans living … Continue reading The Concealed History of Free People of Color in America →

Medusa Hair, Do Care

Medusa Oblongata My straight-ish hair,At its longest, Stretches down to the bottomOf my shoulder blades.I remember being able to onceSit on the ends of my braidsAt my first grade deskIf I leaned back far enough.Now, I stare into the mirror,And an unholy crownFrames my face, likeThe flames of a fire–Though made of molten ashAnd steel … Continue reading Medusa Hair, Do Care →

Sticky Sweet Reflections on Summers Past

When the school bell sounds its final ring, We pack up the Rabbit and head Down South, Where we will ride and walk, up and across, The flat, square city blocks of Charlotte. When the restless claim on her home overwhelms, Grandma sends us outside to pluck from The bounty from her summer garden, The … Continue reading Sticky Sweet Reflections on Summers Past →

Reaffirming When I Feel Most Alive

I feel most alive amidst The lilting arpeggio of birdsong– Shoes crunching through scattered leaves And my eyes lifted to a sky shimmering With a web of verdant limbs I feel most alive when My fingers pluck at nylon strings– Eyes closed, head tossed back, Mouth bursting at the seams with Thought-felt phrases knitted from … Continue reading Reaffirming When I Feel Most Alive →

Navigating Nuanced Perspectives on Power, Privilege and Race Is No Small Thing in Jodi Picoult’s Popular Novel

The latter third of this review of Small Great Things contains limited spoilers. On Tuesday night, I finished reading the powerful and popular novel Small Great Things, which has been taking up a significant amount of my headspace since I first began it almost a week earlier. Thanks to how meticulously bestselling author Jodi Picoult got into … Continue reading Navigating Nuanced Perspectives on Power, Privilege and Race Is No Small Thing in Jodi Picoult’s Popular Novel →

Calling My Name Relays The Sensuous Journey To Self-Love And Empowered Spirituality

Calling My Name by Liara Tamani is a lyrical and sensuous story–at times, reading more like poetry than prose. A richly detailed narrative immerses you immediately in the life experiences of Taja Brown: from neighborhood kickball games and sibling rivalry to tumultuous first love and the promise of life to come after high school. While … Continue reading Calling My Name Relays The Sensuous Journey To Self-Love And Empowered Spirituality →