Natalie Audelo

Morrison’s novels are all motivated by an idea: some complex knotty inquiry that she could work through in the space of a novel. As Morrison described it, the idea for Beloved began when she read a newspaper article about Margaret Garner—a 19th-century woman who fled slavery with her children. Facing capture, Garner killed one of her children and t... See more

Something that helps me dispel confusion or feelings of resistance in my body is listening to "The Pearl Dive," a 30-minute guided imagery journey created by Dr. Rosalind Watts. This meditation prompts me to dive deep into my body and away from my thoughts, uncovering buried emotions and desires that I have yet to shine light on. It amazes me that ... See more

People say ‘be yourself’ because they want you to resist the impulse to conform to what others want you to be. But you can’t be yourself if you don’t learn who are, and you can’t learn who you are unless you think about it.

If it’s not abundantly obvious by now, what I find so thought-provoking and why I think it’s so important to keep talking about this, is the reality that so many (read: almost all of us) cannot, don’t want, don’t even know how to imagine alternate ways of living.

In filling the well, think magic. Think delight. Think fun. Do not think duty. Do not do what you should do—spiritual sit-ups like reading a dull but recommended critical text. Do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; think mystery, not mastery. A mystery draws us in, leads us on, lures us. (A duty may numb us out, turn us off, tune us ou... See more

If you're in that invisible building phase right now—working a job that feels like a stepping stone, living in a place you've outgrown, developing skills in private—know this: You're not behind. You're in training.

It’s easy, I think, to understand how patriarchy feeds on apathy, and jealousy, and white women protecting their small spheres of power. It’s harder, or at the very least sadder, to think about just how much of it runs on women’s deep, abiding sorrow.