Curated links. Favorite Essays I Read in the Past Two Weeks: Favorite Short Story I Read in the Past Two Weeks: Favorite Sentence I Read in the Past Two Weeks: “I feel successful when I have gap in my day to read a novel, slowly.” Emma Gannon, A year of change Favorite Paragraph I Read in …
Category: Black women
The Depths to Which We Go and Black Women Are Being Erased in Book Publishing
Curated links. Favorite Essays I Read in the Past Two Weeks: I didn’t think I would love reading about absolute darkness in a cave but I’m glad I did. This immersing piece has stunning insights about memory, things we forget, and the relationship between humans and rocks. After I finished reading I wanted to read …
The Weight of Her Grief, the Quality of Mercy, and When Pregnancy Is the Crime
Curated links. Favorite Essays I Read in the Past Two Weeks: Favorite Flash Fictions I Read in the Past Two Weeks: In this flash fiction, dialogue encompasses the whole story, and what a dialogue it is, every sentence spoken by the man and the boy is authentic, is filled with short sentences, sentences where we …
How I Learned To Avoid Storytelling That Is “Performative for a White Readership”
“I never want to inadvertently write something that caters to the white gaze.” —Morgan Talty After writing the first draft for Meleak, my short story, my protagonist woke me up in the middle of the night, disappointed in me. Shaking her head, she paced around my bed, flinging her arms and moaning. Why are you explaining my …
I Could Have Killed Him Twice, the Secret to Winning in Publishing, and Walking While Black
Curated links. An Article I Reread in the Past Two Weeks: I like rereading the works of my favorite writers. Every sentence in this lovely piece is filled with beautiful sentences. Here’s my favorite sentence from this article, “Sometimes you don’t realize even when you lean in for what could be your last hug, and …
Internal Damaging Monuments
A fragmented essay. “Did the law firms you applied to in Dubai call you?” I asked Zema. Teaching Black girls how to build their confidence is part of my job. Zema is a 21-year-old Black girl who lives in Tiya, a small town in the southern part of Ethiopia. Every day, after graduating from Wolkite …
When the Shooting Stops
A flash fiction. CONTENT WARNING In this flash fiction, there is a focus on an incident that involves a mass shooting One year after the shooting, I went to a festival. A few minutes after I arrived, fireworks—which sounded like gunshots—exploded in the sky. Darkness surrounded me. My hands covering my ears, I tried to …
How To Talk to Someone Who’s Obsessed With the Color of Your Skin
A flash fiction. There is a deafening silence in the conference room, filled with white people. Wearing pantsuits and high heels and carrying your laptop, you’ve entered this room and stood on the stage with a straight shoulder a moment ago. When your audience gawks at you, the hairs on the back of your neck …
A Timeless New Year, 15 Books by Black Authors, and Christmas Celebration on January 7
Curated links. Favorite Flash Fiction I Read This Week: Your Mother Imagines You Dead (Via Fracture Lit) Favorite Short Fiction I Read This Week: What It’s Worth Giving Up to Stay in a Family (Via Electric Lit) Useful Article on Writing: Good Enough Is Just Fine, More To That A Book I’m Currently Reading: Aggie Jordan’s memoir A …
The ABC of My Kinky Hair, Mystery Novels That Examine Race, and the Best Way To Wash Your Face
Curated links. Favorite Essays I Read This Week: Afros, Braids, Cornrows: Embracing the ABC of my Kinky Hair, Iris Leona Marie Cross Mourning the Loss of My Dad — and His Jeep (Via The Cut) Favorite Flash Fiction I Read This Week: Unnecessary Things, Tatyana Tolstaya Favorite Writing Advice I Read This Week: 17 Steps to Accelerate …