Yerrr, How Y’all Doing?
2025 We Fortify Our Existence
2024 was a whirlwind of a year, filled with downs, ups, and unexpected surprises in the best of ways. I spent all of my twenties proving to myself that I deserved everything I set forth to accomplish despite what the world thought. In my early thirties I experienced so many wins and blessings despite the imposter syndrome. Now in my mid-thirties I’ve decided it’s time for me to whittle down and refocus my intentions. There’s still so many more things I’d like to make happen in my life and setting personal goals for me to work toward and achieve is bringing some much needed joy at a time when I need it most. 2024 was my “Sloth” year, and it truly was a rather indolent time for me. It was the best decision I made, and it’s the only reason I survived last year. For 2025 my word is “Fortify”, especially with this administration currently in office, I need to strengthen family, friends, and community connections right now, it’s the only way I’m going to sustain myself in this world.
Welcome Back to Black Girl Dreaming.
A newsletter where I share notes on life, lessons learned, my big ol’ dreams, and my quest to conquer all of the things. I am excited to have y’all here with me on this journey. If there’s anything you’d like me to discuss, feel free to drop me a line, or hit me up in the comments section. And as always, thanks for reading!
2025 We Fortify Community
Real talk, this year has got us in a chokehold, but we need to stay focused and instead of isolating ourselves to rage in the void, we need to mobilize and start fortifying community. It’s the only way to cop the next four damn years. I don’t know what more could be in store for us, since this administration came in hot, hot, hot. My jaw has been dragging on the floor with the amount sh*t rolling out from our government these days.
2025 We Fortify Quality & Sacred Time with Our Loved Ones & Ourselves
For some of us, each day feels like a personal attack, and if you’re like me you’re feeling like hope is out of reach. But when dark thoughts like this invade my mind, I go back to the people I love to help ground me and to serve as a reminder that even though there are lots of things happening that I can’t control, there are things that I can control, like spending quality time with my loved ones. Over that last couple of years I’ve set boundaries and decided to carve out times during the week and on the weekends where I wouldn’t engage in social media or be constantly on my phone or iPad or laptop. It’s been such a game changer for me, and I highly recommend that everyone carve out quality and sacred time. Time where you can be alone and not do anything, just mediate, or tune into the Calm app (I 10/10 recommend). Fortifying quality time and sacred time for yourself and your loved ones will help bring you joy, peace, and will help you reset, so that when you are ready to get to work, to practice your activism etc., you won’t feel burned out, but instead refueled. This method had proved to work extremely well for me. I’m constantly asked how I manage to juggle so much, and it’s really me practicing boundaries, i.e. not always texting to coordinate events, not working during the week past 6pm unless necessary. Letting phone calls go to voicemail when I don’t feel I have the capacity to be present in that moment. I could go on and on but I think you get it.
2025 The Black Girl Survives
Have you scooped up a copy of this Black horror anthology that features Black Final Girls?? If you haven’t I don’t know what you are even waiting for because this gorgeous anthology has become so beloved among readers, educators, and critics. Glowing reviews including Kirkus Reviews and Esquire Best Book of the Year, coverage in People Magazine, GMA, New York Times (2x!!), NPR, Lightspeed, and so much more. Featured stories penned by me, Desiree S. Evans, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Vincent Tirado, Justina Ireland and others. It makes for the perfect gift for the horror fan in your life, and if you’re looking to celebrate and amplify Black storytellers this is the perfect time to grab a copy because the ebook is on sale, cop yours here.
HERE’S WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS
Listening
I’ve been devouring Kendrick Lamar these days on repeat, y’all know what it is!
Watching
Okay, y’all know I love a good show soooo lol don’t come for me, but I recently binged all the seasons of Tyler Perry’s Sistas, and drumroll I’m obsessed. The perfect Black soap I didn’t know I needed in my life.
As always, thank you so much for reading my newsletter! Hope to be in your inboxes real soon with more updates :) That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates, even though I’m mostly on hiatus, I pop online every now and again.