“Wòch nan dlo pa konnen doulè wòch nan solèy.” The rock in the water cannot know the pain of the rock in…
Grandma. I always just referred to her as that without any qualifiers. I said Grandma Sarah whenever I referenced my paternal grandmother.…
2011. The first boy I ever loved had dimples in both cheeks, a passion for basketball, and a smile that could melt…
Fresh Fear In Chicago, death smells like fresh grass and barbecue. When that last school bell rang at the end of the…
The Mole arrived in the summer of 2020, the same summer I dropped out of film school and then went crazy (in…
I scroll the #blacktravelfeed hashtag on Instagram enduring hour 5 of my hair braiding appointment. Three hours remaining, I contemplate changing my…
Following closely behind church and Grandmama’s House, the third most important cultural center/gathering place in the Black community is The Shop. This…
I have this visual of me trying to lift off of the ground so I can fly. Each time I’m about to…
“I like your locs!” This is what he said to me as I exited the car. I was enamored. For some reason,…
My body never belonged to me. It belonged to birthing pains and bloodstains, entry and exit wounds. It started as something someone…
My 10th grade English Lit teacher cannot pronounce my name. Ironic? I know. So, on the third week of class, I hold…
TGIF. LOL. BRB. TTYL. OMG. These are just a few of the text abbreviations that helped to maintain a character limit. Way…
Part I: Just For Me I look forward to the tri-annual ritual. My mother prepares to sacrifice her firstborn to the white…
The day Chiamaka disappeared, her father left the house in precisely three pieces. The first piece left at sunset, when the world,…
I. Places that I am terrified of returning to: Shitty $49-a-night motels with dingy sheets and showers overrun with mildew smelling of…