Tag: Women

Is Books Anonymous a Thing?

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At this point, I’m definitely an addict.

Back in the day, the author and I used to participate on a music & writing platform and occasionally connected via AIM. I always felt she’d do what she was meant to do with her artwork. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Stop Telling Women To Smile by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh is a gut punch of a book, and I enjoyed reading it!

I had no doubt that I would. It has the author’s voice, her passion, and the intensity for the importance of the topic at hand shines through each page effortlessly.

The Amazon review is below:

“STWTS Should Be Taught In Sex & Gender Courses.

And I say this, having had my stent in one such class while in college, and if I was assigned this book to read, I probably would have felt as if I learned more.

It is a beautiful thing to be able to see words within pages that perfectly describe what I have felt–still feel sometimes about street harassment and the various interactions I’ve had with men while in public.

It is a VERY real thing and should not be brushed aside or swept under the proverbial rug.

The artwork accompanying the stories helps to drive the power of the words home as well as what every woman, non-binary person, and trans-woman has experienced and how street harassment has shaped their lives. You can see the strain and exhaustion on every face.

It also opens a door to dialogue and the changes men must make for this issue to become a non-issue.

The author/artist did a phenomenal job with this book, and I am happy to have it as a part of my collection and favorite reads.”

Being a Woman: Forthcoming. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

The final book to Michele Lee Sefton‘s Being a Woman project is Forthcoming.

It is the perfect way to complete a series. Out of all three, though, the first book is my favorite. It set the tone for the project and had the most impactful words within it.

Below is my Amazon review:

“Emotionally Charged, Binding Poetry.

In this third offering from the “Being a Woman,” project, “Forthcoming” took what I thought was a completely different turn, but this did not dampen or lessen the strength and depth of the poems shared.

Michele shone a light on the dearly departed, the forgotten, the worried, the weakened, and the powerful in this book.

It was easy to connect with quite a few poems and allow my emotions to get the best of me: I felt something. And I assume that’s exactly what the author wants.

Ending the collection, “Forthcoming” finishes on a high note with its last offering, “Return Home”, which solidifies the book in a huge way, and allows the reader to breathe a sigh of relief.

If you haven’t already made this book one of your own, I suggest that you do, and soon.”

Does anyone else need to attend a Books Anonymous meeting or two or three?!

Two Things Thursday #24

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1. Small Hours by Amber Navran via YouTube
2. Jamaica Kincaid Quote

1. Small Hours is a short mix of nothing but goodness from Amber Navran, lead singer of the group Moonchild. Even though she isn’t a wailer or a singer with deep lungs like Jill Scott or Algebra Blessett, she can definitely hold her own against them.

She is a beast behind massive beats and stellar production with her variations of scatting and rhythmic tuning and vocal tones. I love how she can interchange jazz vocals with a bit of pop and bop, too. When I listen to her, I can hear so many vocalists chiming in through her voice from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

It’s odd to see/hear her performing alone. Apparently, she has dropped an entire solo album recently, and I am so far behind on this, but I shall be sitting down one day to give it the listen I’m sure it deserves.

I hope you enjoyed the above YouTube video share of Small Hours. I love everything about it! I just hate that it’s not long enough. A song like that should LEGIT be three minutes (at least), IMHO.

2. Jamaica Kincaid Quote is the second share for today. Jamaica is an author, gardener, and a Professor of African American and African studies. She is the author of the following books: Annie John (one of my favorites), A Small Place, and Lucy. And this list does not even begin to cover her achievements in the writing world. I own all three books and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ve read Lucy and Annie John twice.

The above quote hit home so hard that I had to share it. Many of us believe we know who we are. We believe we have gotten ourselves down to a TEE. But really, do we? As human beings, we are constantly evolving and growing, so it’s almost impossible to truly know who we are. Therefore, emerging as this mystery Ms. Kincaid refers to.

The question is really, how many of us are willing to admit this?

A Reblog: The Great Search to Maintain My Mental Health During Perimenopause

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I am always grateful to Kathy, the host of Navigating the Change, for publishing my work. It reminds me that I am not alone in describing the various changes we may endure as we age. It reminds me that I still have a voice and others want to hear (read) it, too. Here is a snippet from the article, but to read it in its entirety and comment, please proceed to the actual published article on the site. Thank you in advance. Peace and blessings.

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with chronic adjustment disorder with intermittent anxiety and depression. And now I’m facing the ultimate test. My therapist has announced that she will be retiring.

Though my therapist and I have worked through strategies on how to live with this diagnosis, she did not prepare me for what I am supposed to do if she should announce her retirement during my fourth year of perimenopause.

My initial response was one of happiness; I was and am happy for her. I celebrated the reality of this new venture with her during our last session. I told her I was proud of her. A leap like this is monumental.

We chatted about it a bit before the end of our last session, and she communicated that she would help me to compile a list of recommendations.

But it is scary. —Tremaine L. Loadholt, Navigating the Change

The Great Search to Maintain My Mental Health During Perimenopause

NaPoWriMo #10

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Damage Control

He wasn’t built to
love her with his
whole heart–he’d been
damaged, and she was
saving herself for a man
who knew how to break the
walls of her hardened heart
down.

He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

She saw through his
cloudy existence, and fed
off his syrupy words, so
sticky and sweet, but
she wouldn’t reject his
advances.

She played nice with this
man who clicked his tongue
and snapped his mind
back into the now–willing
it from actions of the past.
He swallowed every image
of her and filled his
belly with lies.

For decades, he spent hours
dissecting his former self
from his present self, and
now that it’s time to love
again, the control he never
had sneaks up on him.

Forever changed. Forever damaged.

NaPoWriMo #7

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morning memories


you used to know
exactly what to say
to get me to fall
heart over head for you.

I don’t think I’ve been
as stupid since we
met. two college-aged
women floating through
the hell of living, just trying
to breathe.

I should have known you’d
grind me up into pieces
and leave me hopeless.
“but this is love,” I thought
“this is normal”– to have
my feelings go unacknowledged.

I didn’t know better.
but when I found better,
I did better.

it’s still during the morning
hours when I remember you.
your smile. your voice.
your poetic brilliance.

and now I don’t know
if it was your heart, mind,
or soul I was most attracted
to. I can’t remember.

is that normal?
do you know?
have you ever known?