Happy Juneteenth everyone! I hate that it’s taken us so long to acknowledge this day as a society, but I’m glad we finally are. Kudos to my company for giving us the day off to reflect. I went for a much-needed run this morning. Running offers such good reflection time for me.
Quote of the week:
“…when you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too.” –Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing
What I’m reading:
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary
What I’m listening to:
- Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
What I’m watching:
- Lenox Hill (Netflix docuseries; finished it, loved it)
- Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS; her last couple episodes have been awesome)
Writing news:
- Tiny won the Silver in the General Fiction category of the 2019 INDIE Awards by Foreword Reviews
- I posted “12 must-read books by Black women” on Medium and my blog
- I have a new essay going live on Scary Mommy next week–keep an eye out
- I started writing a new novel this week (yay! and eek!)
- Reminder: All the Acorns on the Forest Floor is coming on September 15! You can pre-order at all the usual places. Check out the early Goodreads reviews!
- 3 things coming soon: 1) An announcement about my first non-fiction book (co-written with two therapist-friends; releasing Spring 2021); 2) An announcement about my next fiction book (coming Summer 2021); and 3) An announcement about some exciting news with my first book, People Who Knew Me
What I’m talking about:
- Concerns about increases in COVID-19 cases (this NPR article is a good read)
- Trump’s removal of nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people when it comes to health care and health insurance (NPR article)
- The inequities in maternal care for Black women. As stated here: “Birth work is political & racial disparities in healthcare exist and are prevalent today. Black women experience added barriers and obstacles to accessing healthcare, prenatal care, and end up with worse outcomes”
- The mental health crisis in our country right now (see Washington Post article here); I mean, it makes sense. Just look at the previous 3 bullets. The world is very upsetting right now
What I’m grateful for:
Therapy. I have an amazing therapist and I am so grateful for her. I truly believe every single one of us could benefit from therapy (especially now!). There seems to be less stigma attached to therapy these days, but I do think people resist it because it requires so much effort–finding the right person, figuring out the finances (#insurancesucks), etc. If you need someone to talk to, push through the barriers as much as you can. When our mental health is compromised, so many other things become infinitely harder. The world is hard right now. For me, therapy keeps me strong so I can continue to offer the world my best self.