I knew—just like everyone else—that 2025 was going to be a challenging year. I was out on leave for the first quarter of the year, and I was able to wrap myself in the love of my family. It felt good to tune out work, and the world. When I went back to work, I hit the ground running, catching up on my inbox, and projects, and campaigns. I wrangled my inbox and then kicked off April with a work trip attending C2E2. It had been years since I had been in Chicago, and had attended the convention. It was a lot of fun, then I was off to Santa Monica for work to attend Yallwest. Another fantastic time with amazing readers. It felt like my transition back to work was filled with catching up with delightful authors, and the hardcore fans who love their work. It was the joy I needed in my life, something to look forward to because everything else in the world is in chaos.

By summer, there was increases in the chatter about ICE, immigration, raids etc. I couldn’t help but think about those within my circle whether friends or family who were now navigating the streets in complete fear and panic that at any moment, their freedom could be stolen from them like air snuffing out a flame—it could happen so quickly. I suddenly felt the panics and reality of all those who could slip away from me in the blink of an eye. By July I was anxious for what each day would like. And then I received a call from my sister while I was in San Diego working another convention. Another family member had died. While she broke the news to me over the phone, I lathered my arms and legs with lotion continuing to get ready for work. I don’t think the death news had hit me the same way it did my sister. She helped raise the deceased so she felt the impact more deeply. But for me, that was not the case. All I could think about was my childhood and the moments spent with this person. I truly didn’t know how to feel, because who ever really knows how to process death—grief.

For me though, I realized it wasn’t just sadness that I was feeling. It was relief. I’m not quite ready to unpack these feelings, but I knew that I needed to give myself the space, and the grace to allow those emotions to process. There’s so much emotional overstimulation that’s happening in our world and we’re so primed to force ourselves to just keep going and to not fully deal with things. This summer I didn’t allow myself to do that. I took the moment to feel and process. I think more of us should do this.

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!

TENDERNESS: MEDITATIONS ON LOVE, LOSS, & LIBERATION

Over the last year I’ve been chipping away working on my memoir. I’ve had to sit with a lot of things, asking myself many questions. In my memoir I will be examining the meaning of love, loss, and liberation. Inspired by bell hooks’ All About Love and James Baldwin’s quote “Love takes off the mask we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. I use the word “love” here not merely in the personal sense but as a state of being, or a state of grace—not in the infantile American sense of being made happy but in the tough and universal sense of quest, daring, and growth” I find myself exploring several different events and people who have shaped my life and made me the woman that I am today. Writing nonfiction is always cathartic for me, so I’m excited get this out into the world with the hopes that it inspires others to tell their own truths.

Writing about the traumas and joys of my life is complex, so I do tend to work on other projects at the same time so that I strike a balance. So recently I’ve been outlining and brainstorming for two works-in-progress. After coming off of the Locus win for the amazing anthology that I co-edited with Desiree Evans, I’ve been eager to get my debut novel out. I’ve been working on a YA horror and a YA fantasy. I recently had a

HERE’S WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Watching

I’m currently watching Tyler Perry’s Sistas and

Reading

I’m in a reading pause because life is a lot right now. But please give me recommendations and tell me all about what you are reading!

Eating

These days I’m getting my fill of Ramen. I’m obsessed with Roc N Ramen in New Rochelle. You can catch me there likely two times a week at this point lol.

I’m building up my online presence on reader sites, follow me on BookBub, Goodreads, and Amazon.

That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates, even though I’m kinda on hiatus, I pop online every now and again. xo

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!

Black Girl Dreaming is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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The Black Girl Survives in this One Paperback on-sale Now!

The gorgeous anthology that I co-edited with Desiree Evans, THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE is finally available in paperback, and newly on-sale this week! I’ve always been a horror fan, thanks two my two brothers who terrified me into loving the genre. You can read more about my love for it, and why I was so thrilled to bring this project to life on PS (formerly Popsugar).

The book has been listed as a top ten finalist for the Locus Award, check out the full list here, and it’s been listed for an Ignyte Award, check out the full list of nominees here, and please vote for THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE! It’s also the perfect gift for the budding horror fan in your life. Juneteenth is also right around the corner and this would be a great anthology to devour to keep with the vibe of Black girls slaying monsters and surviving at the end! Cop yours here.

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Meet the Honduran Garifuna Writers Mentees!

I am so utterly thrilled to announce that Christine Osoria and Gusto Yadarez are the inaugural Honduran Garifuna Writers Mentorship Intensive mentees! I absolutely love mentorship programs, in fact when I was board chair of Latinx in Publishing I helped build the foundation to launch the Writers Mentorship program along with Sophia Jimenez and Carolina Ortiz, two amazing editors in the publishing game! Through the LxP writers mentorship program we received so many wonderful submissions from really talented writers. But the one thing I didn’t see enough of, was Honduran writers. I keep asking where are we on the bookshelves, it’s so sad that more of us aren’t traditionally published. My hope is that with the launch of this mentorship program we will see more Honduran and more Garifuna writers traditionally published. Stay tune for more details and updates coming.

Please consider supporting this mentorship program by making a tax deductible donation via our fiscal sponsor Highlights.

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Catch me at the 8th Annual Bronx Book Festival on Saturday, June 21st! I’ll be moderating the keynote conversation with Jason Reynolds, as well as a horror/thriller panel featuring Ibi Zoboi, Elle Gonzalez Rose, and Elizabeth Aygemang! Come meet us at Fordham Plaza in the Bronx!

Tickets

HERE’S WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Watching

I devour so much TV and so many movies. I recently went watched the new Mission Impossible film, it was good, a bit confusing in the beginning (but we got there haha). I still can’t believe that Tom Cruise is out here doing all of these dangerous stunts! I also saw Final Destination Bloodlines and oh my goodness, it was everything. I loved it so much, and already want to see it again! I’m currently rewatching Colony on Peacock because I’m in between shows and movies lol. If you’re loving something, please let me know, I’m always down for recommendations for shows and movies.

Reading

I’ve not read anything new at the moment, but please give me recommendations! I’m planning to dive into some new books at the Bronx Book Festival this weekend!

That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates, even though I’m kinda on hiatus, I pop online every now and again.

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!

Black Girl Dreaming is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

In my last newsletter I mentioned that “Fortify” is my word and focus for 2025. I love starting the year off with a word to help shape and define my intentions for the year. I’m pleased to say that I’ve been steadfast in strengthening my connections with family and friends. It’s been bringing me so much joy, something that I’m desparately clinging to these days because the current administration in office has me in a chokehold. I never would’ve expected to be living in a nightmare like this. I’ve lived in America all my life, and this is the first time I’m seriously worried about whether or not I will be able to continue to survive in this nation. I worry everyday for my family, especially for the elders who are all immigrants. The way this administration is playing games we need to be prepared for any and everything.

Sacred Time for Myself

I’ve continued to carve out sacred time for myself. As a mother with two children under five, it’s something I’ve been prioritizing more and more. Thankfully I have a partner and family who can care for the children while I have this time to focus on me. Sacred time can look different for me depending on what I need, but it’s basically a day or two where I can just be and not have to care for another human or pet. I don’t consider sacred time “self care” time because the term self care has become so commercialized that it makes me think that I have to “do” something in order to care for myself, i.e. get my hair done, nails done, a massage etc. To me, those things feel like work, even though they make us feel great, let’s be honest, do you really consider sitting in the hair salon for hours self care? To me that is self maintenance, and maintenance takes work, it takes money.

Honduran Garifuna Writers Mentorship!

It’s our time! I’m so thrilled to share that Honduran Garifuna Writers Mentorship program is underway. This is program is so near and dear to my heart, we need more Honduran, and Garifuna writers to be traditionally published and I will do everything I can to help break the door down to get more of this community in the publishing industry. Big thanks to the Highlights Foundation for not only sponsoring this initiative, but for also serving as a fiscal sponsor! With that said, please consider donating to the writers mentorship programs. We’re currently trying to raise $5,000, we’ve got $3,900 to go!

Donate Here

Writing + The Black Girl Survives Paperback on-sale June 17th

At the beginning of the year I plotted out dates for me to go on writing retreats so that I could focus on writing. I’m so thrilled to report that these retreats have been doing wonders for me. Before the pandemic, I would come home from work, eat dinner, and then write. During the pandemic, writing at home was a challenge, after the pandemic, it remained a challenge. I’ve had to come up with creative ways to push myself to write. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always thinking about stories and writing, it’s the pulling the ideas from my brain to the page that’s been an issue. Anyway, I’m excited to be in the swing of writing, and so thrilled to be working on a couple of projects that I’m really excited about! Hope to have more good things to share in the future, but for now, I’m going to blad about the gorgeous anthology that I co-edited THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE!

I’m SO hype because THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE has been listed as a top ten finalist for the Locus Awards, check out the full list here. It was such a to contribute a short story and to edit this groundbreaking collection. Featured stories penned by me, Desiree S. Evans, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Vincent Tirado, Justina Ireland, and so many others (see graphic below!). 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 paperback is on sale June 17th and what better way to celebrate Juneteenth than by supporting Black writers? Cop yours here.

HERE’S WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Listening

So I went to my first Beyoncé concert and let me tell you, it was freaking fantastic. I’ve listened to Bey since I was in seventh grade, and to see her in person as an adult was like reaching back to lil Rece to deliver a long awaited gift. 10/10 recommend. The visuals, the homage to the ancestors, reminding us that Blackness, that Black people are the definition of Americana is just chefs kiss. It was also such a joy to see people from all walks of life at the concert, a reminder that doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, we all deserve joy, love, and respect. <3

Watching

Okay, y’all know I love a good show! I’ve devoured so much since January, so I’m going to shout out a few of the things I’ve loved this year, Severance, Forever, Sinners, and Four Seasons just to name a few. I’m really excited for Ginny & Georgia as well, looking forward to that coming back this week!

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.

Reading

It’s been a fun season for books! I’ve been reading If We Were A Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal, and This Could Be Forever by Eboy LaDelle.

That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates, even though I’m kinda on hiatus, I pop online every now and again.

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.

Welcome Back to Black Girl Dreaming.

A newsletter where I share notes on life, lessons learned, my big ol’ Black girl dreams, and my quest to conquer all of the things. I am excited to have you 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!

The last three years have been tough on all of us. Everyone I talk to is just trying to dig themselves out of the hole of grief, depression, burnout, or some other emotional and/or physical trap. The US is bankrolling a war they have no business funding, and innocent children are dying. We need a ceasefire now. I don’t know about y’all, but I can barely stomach coverage, the news, or social media as whole. I do what I can, when I can. I have to take care of myself before I can advocate for anyone else. I say that as a reminder to you reading this newsletter. Do what you can, when you can. Even if it’s just one small thing. But please, please, please take care of yourself.

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I’ve done just that these most recent years. And let me tell you, sometimes the care I gave myself was just to hang up on social media, and the hustle culture. To just be present in my family life. SO yeah, that’s why this newsletter was shelved for some time. It’s because something needed to give, so I gave, so that I could be where I was needed most, with my family. 2023 was a very trying year, there was death, after death, and medical scare after medical scare for members of my family. Somehow, things are much better, and I’m finally, slowly, coming up for air. It’s great timing to, because I’m feeling optimistic about 2024, crossing my fingers that this year is better than my last.

BEFORE I GET INTO BOOK NEWS…

I wanted to share that I've decided to put myself out there by sharing my fiction writing with the internet. I have a two short stories out this year included in anthologies, and I’m really excited for folks to read them. I hope you like it, and even if you don’t, I at least hope it makes you laugh :) When it comes to my fiction writing, I always try to weave in humor (even if it’s corny LOL). I’m still waiting to publish my debut YA novel one day, but I’ve decided I don’t want to wait anymore for the gatekeepers of the literary world to tell me if my story is worthy of publication. Instead, I want to try something with the community I’m building here on Substack. I’m going to release chapters of my work-in-progress (WIP) and have the community tell me what they love or hate about it LOL. This will definitely be an experiment, and one that I will need to offer to only paid subscribers.

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But first, things first! Next month I’m going to release an excerpt from a YA contemporary WIP, and my YA fantasy WIP (that’s been working on for nearly 10 freaking years UGH), and allow subscribers to vote on which one I should release to the community for feedback. I’m excited :) free subscribers will be able to read each excerpt and vote, and then I’ll offer up the next chapter in the selected manuscript as thank you for voting. After that, the rest of the chapters will be for paid subscribers to roast me:::: I mean, offer up creative critique in the hopes to help me continue to hone my skills as a writer. I hope some of you will join, but totally understand if you want to pass on this, no hard feelings!

THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE

That’s the title of my forthcoming horror anthology that I edited with Desiree S. Evans. I know what you’re thinking…Badass title, am I right? I know, we love it too! I’ve loved horror since I was a kid. If I’m being honest, some of my childhood was a straight up horror story, from living in two haunted houses to seeing the ghost of my deceased father in a parked car while riding my bike in the street. There’s something about the eerie and strange, jumpscares and gore, that I just love. I’m also really big into horror that weaves in humor, and my super jam is horror, humor, and romance (like when I was in high school Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2 were on rotation in my VCR (if you know you know, haha.) I LOVED the Blackening, and Goosebumps (yes the throwback, and the new new lol). I just love it all. Even though I devoured books and movies in this genre growing up and as an adult, I was always hard pressed to see someone like me in the books or on screen —a Black Final girl (like can we be the main, and survive please?!). Some of my favs to do it were Karla played by Brandy in “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” Sanaa Lathan in “Alien vs. Predator,” Halle Berry in “Gothika,” and to see someone like Rah Digga in “Thirteen Ghosts” as a hip-hop fan was everything (I wish she had a larger role in that movie too). Damn, when I think about it, the 90s was really fantastic for Black film and TV, and horror. I mean one of my all time favorite movies is “Vampire in Brooklyn,” being born in Brooklyn and a major fan of Angela Bassett, that movie was everything to me—plus it had horror, humor, and romance— like if you haven’t seen any of these movies, please go watch it and then hit me up so we can discuss! But, back to this beautiful Black anthology - check out the gorgeous cover below illustrated and designed by Monet Alyssa, whose artwork is simply stunning (like I’m obsessed with this art!). You’ll find stories from so many fantastic Black writers from Bronx native Vincent Tirado to The Other Black Girl author, Zakiya Dalila Harris, not to mention Justina Ireland, Eden Royce and so many others!

Preorder

Alright, I’m done blabbing about promo stuff…

HERE’S WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Listening

This is going to sound so cheesy, but I’ve been listening to my son rock out on the guitar and on the piano. This is such a HUGE win, considering when he first started music lessons two years ago, he was excited, and then hated it (because it was too hard), but now he’s thriving and even has hopes to start a band! Love it when he shines, it makes me so happy.

Watching

Over the last couple of years I’ve binged some really dope shows. I know I already mentioned From, but it’s such a good show. I’ve binged a bunch and currently just finished Ginny & Georgia - which I thought I wasn’t going to like, but loved it and also cried my eyes out so many times. Another show I just finished and HIGHLY recommend watching is The Brothers Sun on Netflix, it’s so freaking good!

Reading

There’s so many books on my TBR pile. But I’m currently re-reading FRUIT PUNCH: A MEMOIR by Kendra Allen. I love the voice so much, and it’s a slim book, but the content is a gut punch!

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.

Welcome Back to Black Girl Dreaming.

A newsletter where I share notes on life, lessons learned, my big ol’ Black girl dreams, and my quest to conquer all of the things. I am excited to have you 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!

WHAT THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT THE PUBLISHING JOURNEY

I’ve worked in publishing for practically a decade and being on the flipside as a published author is wild. Strangely enough, I had no idea what to think going in to this publishing journey. Yes, I know about all of the various departments that make up the book team that works on producing an promoting a book, but I still felt like there were things that I just didn’t know about the publishing journey that I wish someone would’ve told me or that was made more clear to me. This is in no particular order, just random things that I experienced along the way, that will hopefully help the next writer, or maybe encourage publishers to create even more resources for newbie writers like myself who are just embarking on the publishing scene.

The first question is taxes! Oh let me tell you, if I didn’t have a freelance writing and entrepreneur background and a personal account, I wouldn’t know what or how to handle payments from my publisher. Financial literacy is always tough to understand, once you add in being a published author, things get wild. There are still things that I’m learning, but I’ll say this, before you sign any contracts, decide how you want to be paid (i.e. as an individual using your real name, as an LLC, as a s-corp etc) because at the end of the day, writing is a business and you still need to protect yourself and your assets. This is important stuff, that a publisher or even your agent can’t decide for you. So sure, have informational interviews with other writers, but also go pay a professional to help you figure these things out.

The editorial and production side of the publishing process made total sense to me. The deadlines and instructions were clear, I knew what I had to do in order to get the manuscript whipped into shape and sent off to my publisher for the bookmaking process. What I didn’t know and maybe still don’t quite understand, is how best to optimize and utilize certain accounts or resources. As an official author, you get access to all of these cool platforms that are supposed to make your life easier, but instead, it provides more stress and anxiety because you don’t know how best to use it, and also, it’s more “work” that you likely weren’t expecting and ultimately have no idea how to handle. I’m still figuring out how to use Amazon Central and even Goodreads as an author!

Then there’s all the press and promotion for the book. There’s way more social media platforms that exist now and of course they all reach a different demographic and require a different set of standards for how you use and engage with your community on them. For me, trying to create content while having other responsibilities like a full-time job, being a parent, and running a small business becomes taxing. If you are a content creator, you know just how much time it takes to post the right photo, record the video with the right phrase/slogan, . Those things can take so much timeeeeeee and for me, it’s time I’m usually strapped for. I definitely took the advice that I usually provide to debut authors, sign up for every platform (so nobody impersonates you), then decide which platforms you can actually devote time to consistently updating on a schedule that works for you. Also keep in mind that your publisher will ask you to post and boost digital assets that they’ve created, that also takes time to execute so be sure to give yourself enough time to post these things. I usually prep the post by saving it in my drafts so it’s easier to post on the requested date.

Support, support, support! I have no idea how I could’ve survived this publishing journey without the support of family, friends, my agent, publisher, and so many countless others. But what I learned really quickly, was that folks who I thought would automatically support and champion me, actually didn’t. I found myself surprised by the folks who weren’t in my circle or hadn’t met me (except for maybe following each other on social media) shouting about me and the collection. It made me think about all the folks I’ve supported, and how I show up for people. I can always be better about supporting the folks I love and admire, but for it’s always a gut check and wake up call when you think X person will support me or be there for me, and then in reality it’s crickets. Writing and publishing a book is a lonely experience, so writers really do look forward to friends, family, and their community (whether IRL or on social media) to help boost and hype them up. I’ve learned not to take it personal, I know how busy we all are. But just know I see you fam and I know what’s what LOL.

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WILD TONGUES CAN’T BE TAMED UPDATES

The books is finally here!!! I’m going on a virtual tour for Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed! Come hang out with me from the comfort of your homes on any of the below dates. I’ll be chatting with some of the amazing contributors and I can’t wait to answer all of your burning questions!

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Also, here’s a cheesy picture of me with my finished copies, click the image to check out my unboxing video for more unboxing goodness!

WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Listening

Deadline City hosted by some of my favorites, Dhonielle Clayton and Zoraida Córdova! I recently had the pleasure of joining them for the Publicity Parlor episode to discuss publicity and Wild Tongues! I hope this episode makes publicity more informative for writers :)

Binging

I just finished binging See and omgakfdafhafh this season totally wrecked me and now I can’t wait for season three!

As always, thank you so much for reading my newsletter! Hope to be in your inboxes real soon with more updates :)

Welcome Back to Black Girl Dreaming.

A newsletter where I share notes on life, lessons learned, my big ole Black girl dreams, and my quest to conquer all of the things. I am excited to have you 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!

THRIVING VS. SURVIVING

There’s still a whole-a$$ global pandemic going on, and most of us are just out here trying to survive each day. Strangely enough for me, 2021 has been a year of thriving vs surviving. When it comes to my personal life, writing life, and entrepreneurial life—this season of thriving has really been a game changer for me. Like, I got married this year (still riding that high baby), for TBIR I got to partner with the Mayor’s office of Media & Entertainment as one of their virtual Curators this year (my face has been all over NYC’s MTA trains and at bus depots all over NYC) - what an amazing experience. My book WILD TONGUES CAN’T BE TAMED has been pretty much everywhere (shoutout to my amazing publicists and marketing team at Flatiron), and I’ve been participating in so many other things…see below for all the updates!

CELEBRATING LATINX HERITAGE MONTH

Recently, I was on a panel with other Latinx folks for an important conversation hosted by @HBOMax @palantehbomax for #AreYouListening, a campaign inspired by the iconic HBO show #Habla, created to encourage our community to actively listen to each other. Filming “Are You Listening: The Future of Us,” felt like having a real talk conversation among close friends. The amazing panelists and I were able to discuss so many different topics that impact our community and I’m so grateful to have shared this space with them. Check out the video below and feel free to tag me on social to let me know your thoughts @sj_fennell.

The amazing Angie Cruz, author of Dominicana, nominated me for the “Good Morning America Inspiration List” and I’m still not over it. Sometime, I forget how much work I do for my community, and to receive a recognition like this from an OG in the literary community is beyond anything I could’ve imagined. Definitely one of the highlights of my year so far!

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WILD TONGUES CAN’T BE TAMED UPDATES

I can’t keep calm because WILD TONGUES CAN’T hits shelves in less than a month!!! There has been so much love for this book, I’m so excited for readers to get their hands on a copy. In the meantime, here’s the media recap if you need more reasons to pre-order this book!

• The fabulous Zibby Owens shouted about Wild Tongues on Good Day LA

• Wild Tongues was included in the September issue of Elle magazine, calling it “A beautifully edited collection of reflections on the Latinx diaspora. With writers like Naima Coster, Kahlil Haywood, and Lilliam Rivera, it highlights a vast variety of identities and writing styles.”

• Other major media hits include Oprah Daily, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Be Latina, and more!

• ANDDDD I received my first STARRED REVIEW from Publishers Weekly, a national trade publication.

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy and submit your receipt to receive this amazing tote bag!

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WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Gearing up to be in conversation with Honduran Garifuna writer and founder of Ain’t I Latina, Janel Martinez on October 14th @ 7PM ET.

Reading When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez. This is also Bookish Gang book club pick for October over at The Bronx is Reading!

Binging Evil and Lucifer

That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates and more.

Welcome Back to Black Girl Dreaming.

A newsletter where I share notes on life, lessons learned, my big ole Black girl dreams, and my quest to conquer all of the things. I am excited to have you 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. As always, thanks for reading!

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?

Now that we are officially well into the second half of 2021, I’ve been reviewing my goals I set for myself this year. I’m happy to report that I’ve accomplished several of them. It has me wondering, how people measure success though. I measure success using different buckets so I’m always adjusting what success looks and feels like. I think it’s important to have a sliding scale when you are trying to celebrate your wins and evaluate your losses. I'm the type of person that likes to hang in the background, I don’t like to be in the spotlight. But you know, it is hella cool to be in the spotlight, and as an author and the face of a brand, The Bronx is Reading, it’s something I’ve had to get used to. So even though we’re living through scary, uncertain, times, I’m very pleased with all of the dope sh*t that’s happened this year so far. I have so many other goals I want to check off my list before the end of the year, three major ones include launching a crowdfund to bring a children’s and general interest bookstore to the Bronx (sign up for our crowdfund newsletter for forthcoming deets!), sheltering Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed into the world this November (nah you read that right, publication has moved out of September (pour one out for the homie!), and to sell another book!!

WILD TONGUES CAN’T BE TAMED UPDATES

I received advance reader copies (ARCs) of my forthcoming anthology, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed earlier this summer! I’m so excited about this wonderful book that I’m hosting a giveaway! All you have to do is follow me on Instagram + TikTok @sj_fennell and comment #HonduranWritersMatter. That’s it - real simple, right? Open to US and International readers as well. I’m so hyped to have these beauties. Stay tuned for future giveaway opportunities via this newsletter and check out my unboxing on TikTok and Instagram.

Wild Tongues was announced as a Kids’ Indie Next Pick for September/October - which OMG I am over-the-moon about and will always cherish that nomination until the day I die (okay, I’m over exaggerating but still, I’m so happy!). But, in bittersweet news, shortly after I discovered that it was an Indie Next Pick (a coveted spot I might add), I was informed that the publication date needed to move to November 2. It’s what was best for the book, so ya know it is what it is. Just happy to have so many folks out in these streets supporting not one, but 15 Latinx writers from the diaspora including Black, Indigenous, and Queer writers. Just warms my heart.

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OWNING UP TO YOUR MISTAKES, EVEN WHEN IT SUCKS

Yoooo. Have you ever made a mistake and tried to cover it up? Yeah, I know we’ve all been there, done that. I’ve made plenty mistakes in my life, but I have found that it’s just better to own up to it. Past Recie (like teenage, college aged me) did dumb stuff to hide my flub ups, and you know what I realized? Lying to cover up the lies I told to sweep my mistakes under the rug, was exhausting, time consuming, and not the best for my brainspace. Owning up to mistakes, whether teeny tiny ones or major derailment type of mistakes is better for you, and the other parties involved. It’s kinder on my mental health, and makes me less anxious. Letting things fester and loom over me is not the wave, especially not during a Global pandemic (I have other sh*t to worry about, like keeping family members alive and healthy). All I can do is apologize, and figure out a path forward, because no matter what, there’s always a path forward, even when it’s hard to see it. I think some people make mistakes and just don’t even care about the consequences, and that’s not what I’m saying to do here. You should care about the consequences, you should care about the lessons you’ve learned. Most importantly, you should evaluate your flub ups, how did they happen, why did it happen? Is it something that could’ve been prevented? Once you answer these questions you’ll find a way to grow as an individual. Plus, I think there’s something really cool about people who own up and face their mistakes head-on. Those are the kind of people I feel I can trust. People who lie to cover up stuff or throw blame for their mistakes on others really is telling. Just food for thought….

WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Book mail! Ya girl is finally out of that pesky pandemic reading slump. I just received a copy of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova, White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson, and Monsters in the Middle by Tiphanie Yanique. I’m looking forward to diving in soon.

Binging Black Summer and Flack

That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates, even though I’m kinda on hiatus, I pop online every now and again.

Welcome Back to Black Girl Dreaming.

A newsletter where I share notes on life, lessons learned, my big ole Black girl dreams, and my quest to conquer all of the things. I am excited to have you 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.

PROCRASTINATION vs ANXIETY

I don’t know about you but I’m a doer. I like to get sh*t done. But also, I’m the penultimate procrastinator. Sometimes, when a task is circling the drain in my brain, I’ll do anything and everything to keep pushing it off. Lately, working remotely for over a year and a half, I find myself struggling to find the energy to get stuff done. And with my procrastination, I’ve suddenly found myself sick with anxiety. Everything seems to be anchored in stress. Working with authors? Stressful. Fighting white supremacy and trying to survive the war on Black people? Stressful. Being a young, Black entrepreneur? Stressful. My anxiety is out of this world and so I’ve decided to practice self-care. That means logging off work on time. Setting boundaries, because me time is me time. Family time is family time. That stress isn’t going anywhere, but I can decide how to manage it. I encourage you to do the same for you. There will always be endless to-do lists and deadlines. But good health won’t always be there, take care of yourself because nobody got you, like how you got you.

IT’S OFFICIAL I’M CHANGING MY LAST NAME

I planned a wedding during COVID and while the planning was challenging because everything was always in flux, the actual day was beyond amazing and everything I could’ve ever hoped for. I got married in a historic library at the Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx surrounded by old books, friends and family. It was an intimate ceremony filled with so much good energy, and most importantly, love. We’ll be celebrating our union all year and beyond.

4TH ANNUAL BRONX BOOK FESTIVAL, JUNE 11TH-13TH

Wow, I still can’t believe we’re celebrating our 4th festival this June! The TBIR crew has been working their book fairy wings to the max this year and yo, believe me when I tell you it’s going to be fire, and trust me you are going to want to be there to hang with us virtually. Check out the speaker line-up and RSVP today to receive updates and more, let’s go!

I’M ON A BILLBOARD…

Well, sorta lol. I’m one of MOME’s Virtual Curators this year! My face has been all over NYC’s MTA trains. And this week it will be at bus depots so be sure to snap a pic if you see one and tag me on social @sj_fennell! It’s really cool to be part of this campaign, shout out to the office of Media & Entertainment for selecting me to be part of it.

HOW DOES ONE WRITE AGAIN?

I went on a writers retreat in April to work on some essays. It was fantastic, and I drafted my little heart out. But then I came home, and feel like I don’t know how to write. But that’s not true, it’s more like I don’t feel like I have time to write. Sigh, so I’m just here hanging in the winds slowly revising until I can get it together and send it to my agent. My writing process has changed so much, what I am finding is I can no longer really write in my home. Not when it’s also the place where I work remotely. So I’m sure solo retreats and new random spots in Pelham Bay Park are soon to become the best place for me to get stuff done. Here’s hoping :)

WILD TONGUES CAN’T BE TAMED

This month I received advance reader copies (ARCs) of my forthcoming anthology, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed! I’m so hype and exited to have these beauties. Stay tuned for a future giveaway via this newsletter and check out my unboxing on TikTok and Instagram.

In the meantime, you can always pre-order a copy below.

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WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Reading The Rock Eaters: Stories by Brenda Peynado

Learning from amazing talent on MasterClass. I still working my way through Shonda Rhimes’ classes. Like everyone else, this pandemic continues to challenge my attention span.

Binging Ted Lasso

That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates, even though I’m kinda on hiatus, I pop online every now and again.

Welcome to Black Girl Dreaming.

A newsletter where I’ll share notes on life, lessons learned, my big ole Black girl dreams, and my quest to conquer all of the things. I am excited to get started and to have you 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.

LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST, BUT ALSO, SOMETIMES SLOWLY…

This is old news, but 2020 went by so quickly, and yet so slowly. I still feel like I’m stuck in March 2020, while simultaneously feeling like time is moving way to fast. Partially because ya girl is getting married in just a couple of weeks in April and everything is officially a countdown to walking down the aisle! If you would’ve asked me if I was ever going to get married one day, my answer most likely might’ve been “if it happens, it happens” or “if God wills it” or my personal favorites between the years 2013-2017: “I’m not dating, so no,” “if I ever stop dating f*%k boys, absolutely” (trust me I wasn’t dating those clowns on purpose), or “sure, when I find the right guy.” When you reach a certain age, everyone expects you to just “settle down,” and when you come from an Hispanic household, the women are expected to just crank out babies, and be a good mother, wife, and caregiver. Thankfully, I sidestepped that stereotype, and have found a man who is in fact, NOT a f*%k boy, but more importantly is everything I imagined and prayed for in a life partner. Basically, I can’t wait to jump the broom! Here’s hoping when the day comes, that time will move slowly so I can enjoy every second of it. xo

PLANNING EVENTS DURING COVID

Is extremely challenging. I planned my wedding about 4x during this entire ordeal. I even thought about canceling the celebration and just getting hitched virtually. But we have already sacrificed so much, we decided our families needed this joy in their lives, doesn’t matter that folks will be six feet apart, and not able to hug up on us, we will be so thrilled just to feel their energy, we’ll enjoy an energy hug. Yes, that’s a thing, if you are a spiritual person then you already know what it is.

A wedding isn’t the only thing that I’ve been planning. As y’all all know, the Bronx community is uber uber important to me, so I’ve greased my elbows making sure that programming was able to happen virtually in 2020, and a HUGE thanks to my mighty team of volunteers for staying the course and doing everything they could to make sure there even was a festival last year. We’re celebrating our 4th year this June, and let. me. tell. you. TBIR crew has been working their book fairy wings to the max to put on for y’all: June 11-13th is going to be fire, and trust me you are going to want to be there to hang with us virtually. Check out the speaker line-up and RSVP today to receive updates and more.

WRITING & EDITING AN ANTHOLOGY

Has been a wonderful, yet challenging experience. In 2019, I sold WILD TONGUES CAN’T BE TAMED to Flatiron, a trade division of Macmillan Publishers. That year was one of the most challenging years of my life, in May 2019, during the middle of BookExpo (a major publishing event), I experienced a loss that I’m not ready to talk about just yet, but it rocked me to my core. I was in a deep slump, but eventually found my way back to the living, and selling this anthology filled me with such joy. I just knew that 2020 was already looking so much brighter for me, afterall, I would be writing—continuing to work through my grief—and also editing several other amazing writers like Janel Martinez, Elizabeth Acevedo, Mark Oshiro, Naima Coster and so many countless others. But then COVID took us all by surprise, knocked the creativity from my bones and I found myself stuck. Not to mention on top of everything else, the ongoing war on Black lives screwed with me mentally and emotionally more so than years past. We were all dealing with a lot and at one point, I didn’t think the book would be possible, but we all pulled through and were still able to produce. This anthology tackles so many things, it’s a YA nonfiction anthology that’s like nothing on the market. It’s definitely crossover though, and something that I believe adult readers should read too. Checkout the gorgeous cover below and feel free to pre-order your copy while you’re at it!

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WHAT I’M UP TO THESE DAYS

Reading The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris.

Learning from amazing talent on MasterClass. I recently finished Issa Rae’s course, and currently working my way through Shonda Rhimes’s, maybe I’ll try writing scripts one day.

Binging Grimm

That’s all for now folks, follow me on social media for updates, even though I’m kinda on hiatus, I pop online every now and again.

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