Hello my loves,

I’ve been so lucky lately! I started off 2019 with two great reads and here is the first. This is a collection of black women looking back at their reading lives and discussing in their own style what has impacted them the most. Over and over again we see that in the western world (even when surrounded by black people) it is rare to find ourselves reflected in what we consume, especially in what we read. I won’t go into too much depth here, but in general, if you are reader (no matter how much or how little) you will enjoy these discussions about how amazing writers saw a sliver of themselves and that encouraged them to write. If you are a burgeoning writer, read this book. If you want to create art and are not sure where to start, read this book. As one author says, it doesn’t matter if no one ever reads or consumes what you create – it is important to just create, to put something in the world by you, because contrary to your belief, there isn’t enough YOU-NESS out in the world, the world is filled with the message of one kind of life, one kind of person. We need more of you in the world. Read this book, then lend it to a friend, or buy them a copy of their own. I think this is a book that should be on every person’s bookshelf, simply because at the base it talks about creation in a world that will tell you no one wants to experience what you have to offer. That, my loves is a lie.