Extended Ideas

sometimes i wonder if this shift is grief reshaping us, the way hard seasons strip life back to its bones. other times, i think it might be the opposite: maybe it’s just coming home to yourself.

I am very affected by place. Actually I think everyone is. Probably more than they realize.

Our surroundings act on us. Some foster chaos, others encourage enchantment. Broad landscapes, beautiful artwork, and ancient architecture fill people with awe. Office buildings with drop ceilings and an unimaginative palette of gray, screeching subways, and... See more

How we went through a global pandemic that nobody seems to want to talk about or remember. People died. We were scared. I went without a hug for over a year and a half. We lost everything it seemed during those years and...we pretend that it never happened.

She talks about the power of the letter individually and communally. She goes on to talk about the ways that Black feminists have had to capture their griefs, losses, and hopes within the form of the letter for the sake of reclamation and preservation.

The letter is a necessary genre of literature, especially for Black peoples seeking to bond to community and share truths that may not be easily accessible if written outright. So, I write today as a commitment to all of the sons, particularly the Black ones, who will grow up in a country that has been radically shaped by white supremacy. I write... See more