A Close Up on a Writer Who Reads
This past Saturday, Ntozake Shange, author of for colored girls...., died at the age of 70. In tribute to her legacy, I wanted to share this piece as tribute to her, written in March 2015. I was 24 at the time the piece was written. I fell in love with the title. I was… Continue reading for colored girls…. A Tribute To Ntozoke Shange
Dear Fall, You actually arrived on Saturday, September 22. Which means I am late. I am always either early or late -- I have not quite mastered the art of being on time. Or being consistent. Which is why it's been a good month and a half since my last post. But isn't the adage Better… Continue reading Dear Fall…. A Brief Update
I must confess, this week's #BookToMovieTrailer is actually not a book to movie. But, it stands out because author Gillian Flynn (most noted for Gone Girl) co-wrote the screenplay with director Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave). Variety describes the film as "a labyrinthine heist story about a group of Chicago women who have to complete a robbery put in motion… Continue reading #BookToMovieTrailer – ‘Widows’
"'You won't understand what I mean now, but someday you will: the only trick of friendship, I think, is to find people who are better than you are -- not smarter, not cooler, but kinder, and more generous, and more forgiving -- and then to appreciate them for what they can teach you, and to… Continue reading The Only Trick of Friendship
S O S By Amiri Baraka Calling black people Calling all black people, man woman child Wherever you are, calling you, urgent, come in Black People, come in, wherever you are, urgent, calling you, calling all black people calling all black people, come in, black people, come on in. - 1966
Another one of my blogs is up on Columbia College Chicago's Marginalia blog! In an earlier post of mine entitled “Life, Magic, and the MFA,” I mentioned there being think-pieces on how Creative Writing programs may stifle creativity by forcing a growing writer to limit their art to within the self-imposed confines of a label. I also… Continue reading A Fiction Girl in a Poetry World | Marginalia
Another of my blog's is up on Columbia College Chicago's Marginalia blog! In middle school, my mother let me read one of her books on spiritual/faith-based growth entitled Don’t Die in the Winter: Your Season is Coming. I can’t remember everything about it, but have since resonated with the basic gist—keep persevering, pressing through the hardships because better days… Continue reading Don’t Die in the Winter | Marginalia
When Tony Trigilio introduced author and professor Aviya Kushner (The Grammar of God) during a reading series event hosted by Columbia College Chicago's Department of Creative Writing in the fall, he recalled a question she'd once asked him. Who's your favorite prophet?" Trigilio, the Chair of the Department of Creative Writing, said he was amazed… Continue reading A Bible Favorite: Jacob
Unlike some schools, Columbia College Chicago's winter break lasts a really long time. This year's fall semester officially ended December 18 and the spring semester won't begin until January 25. A month. That's a pretty nice chunk of time. What does a second year graduate MFAer do? Read more of my latest post for Columbia College… Continue reading Catching My Breath
Recently (since September) I've begun growing spiritually. What does that mean? For me, it means transforming my faith (Christianity) from a noun into a verb which means actually reading my Bible daily and going to church regularly and praying/thinking of God more. This is, in part, due to my now attending a church that has… Continue reading The Bible & the Nerd
