The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Sometimes, I read accolades like this and go, “I’ll be the judge of that.” But after a close read of her nine-story collection, I was reminded Edwidge slays with her pen. Writing nine short stories that stand…
Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin is his collection of eight short stories. More so this collection is telling of the writer he was a writer who uses words like a surgeon. Coming into this collection I had heard the excitement critics and readers alike had about James Baldwin. But now I can…
Nowhere Is A Place by Bernice McFadden is a multigenerational family story. It begins with Sherry, a woman who has seldom contact with her family until two relationships – one bad, one good – triggers a desire for self-reflection. This leads to a journey with her mother, Dumpling, across the country to a family reunion.…
“I was the darkest of my siblings,” Grandma said, “he reminded me everyday how he treated me.” Arlene Allen, is my paternal Grandma, the matriarch of the Allen family. But at this moment, she was the child her father hurt. I doubt I showed shock. My jaw didn’t drop. Nor did my eyes bulge. We…
He doesn’t take the time to know you Like the way you dress is a reflection of your mood Draped in gray is a day hearing “I love you” is more than words Like your beauty is more than physical Your vibration is magic To be in sync Is to hear your heart beat as…
What is the American Dream for a black family? For many of us the Obamas’ are our American Dream – a house, marriage, children and a career with a path to retirement. But for most of us getting to that reality is as rare as a black family in the white house. Instead, we face…
“Certificates are the best source of information,” Shirley said as she chopped a green pepper. She is my cousin-in-law. More precisely, she is Errol’s wife, who is my third cousin once removed. The kinship may sound distant but we’re bonded in genealogy. “What could a certificate reveal?” I said. I had been tracing family history…
I was looking for a photo of my Great-grandma – Gracie Johnson. It was a black and white photo that showed her wearing a full-length coat with a matching hat. I wanted a second look to get a glimpse of her life – a black woman born about 1892 in North Carolina, whose marriage in…
We clicked like two fingers used to snap Your personality was a melody that made opposites attract The rhythm of your voice was in tuned with my heart You never spoke to the man But wooed the King in me from the start A small town girl dealing with an inner city brother You respected…
“Your battery is low,” popped up on my laptop’s screen a moment after I discovered the marriage certificate information of my Great-Grandparents – Japheth Trumpet and Irene DePeiza on Ancestry.com. I raced through the living room and kitchen looking for the power cord as I thought this could be the breakthrough I needed. My information…
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