I think all the time about blogging, but then life calls. I don’t even know if people blog anymore, but to me, it feels like the people who care the most about hearing anything I have to say are over here, so I appreciate your patience. And that you have stuck around all this time. […]
On running the NYC Marathon again
Almost a decade ago, maybe the fifth or sixth time I tried to quit smoking, I started running. Since I was a girl, I would sometimes just take off running around the block because I didn’t really have friends or anything else really to do besides read. And getting my heart rate going was my […]
On the legacy of Toni Morrison
“In time, writing became a way to ‘order my experience…’ It’s always seemed to me that black people’s grace has been with what they do with language.” Late last year I received a copy of The Source of Self-Regard. I guarded this galley with my life, and from the first page, I felt fed. Redeemed. […]
Happy Pub Day to I Can Write the World
Happy publication day to us! I’ve thought for months about how to best commemorate this day. I’ve been posting and talking and writing and talking about I Can Write the World since last year, so it’s hard to believe that the rest of the world will have access to my labor of love starting today. […]
I Can Write the World at ALA 2019
I had a whirlwind weekend launching I Can Write the World at the American Library Association Conference in D.C. Librarians, teachers and others were so receptive to the book that I was the first author in my cohorts to run out of books both on Saturday night at a lovely Ingram reception at Spire […]
On Cooking & Vegetables Unleashed
As much as I love writing & sketching, sometimes, honestly, my creative situation is not abundant. I don’t understand writer’s block — thank God, I’ve never really struggled to get things down on the page. But revising said words is something else. There are times when I can’t read another word or the writing is…stale. […]
The 2nd Annual Bronx Book Festival is almost here!
I’ve been looking forward to the 2nd Annual Bronx Book Festival now for several months, and I can’t believe June is almost here. VIBE Magazine announced the line up last week & I’ll be speaking on a panel & reading from my new love, I Can Write the World, which publishes June 15th. (Have you pre-ordered? No? […]
Patsy Review in TIME Magazine
I loved Patsy so much that I got the beautiful book hangover that one gets when you miss the 400+ pages that took you on an epic journey. I’m really proud of this TIME Magazine review: There have been few narrative epics that effectively tally the emotional, logistical, physical, psychological and financial trials […]
Harlem Eat Up, Part Two
Last year, when I was just starting to freelance for the Village Voice (R.I.P.), I was starting to gather notes about Harlem Eat Up, the annual two-day festival of Harlem’s food scene co-founded by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. When I attended in 2018, my intention was to focus on some graduates of the NYC Food […]
New York Times Book Review on Elizabeth Acevedo’s New Book
When I heard Elizabeth Acevedo read at last year’s inaugural Bronx Book Festival, I understood exactly why The Poet X was as important and astounding as the author herself. It wasn’t just an authentic narrative for authenticity’s sake, but a work of beauty particularly for women of color meant to inspire them to find their […]
