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You Are What You Say You Are
Have you ever felt like a failure? Have you ever had those days when you felt completely paralyzed by a mistake or a setback? Have you ever been ready to give up on a dream because you thought you didn’t have the talent it took to succeed? We’ve all had those ugly moments. Moments when we curl up and lick our wounds, throw a pity party and bathe in self-hate. But what good does that do? If this describes your current state of mind or if you experience these moments more often than not, then I want you to pay close attention to what I am about to say. You…
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And, “Yes” never felt so good…
A week-and-a-half ago, I received an unexpected message from friend and author, Kwame Alexander. He was spearheading the Burke High School Teen Empowerment Conference, “Write Your Story,” and he needed fellow writers and artists to design and lead writing workshops for the kids. He asked me if I would consider being counted among the immensely talented individuals who were already slated to share their gifts. I stared at the message, certain I had read it wrong. Kwame–2013 and 2012 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Children’s Literature, author of seventeen books, a man who rubs elbows with literary giants–wanted ME to be a part of something so impactful and poignant?…
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…I Guess I Always Knew
I’ve always had dreams of writing. I recall a personal conversation I had with myself as a teen. In that conversation, I promised myself I would some day have at least one piece published. I didn’t care if it was a column, an article, a poem, a novel or a short story. I just wanted to be published somewhere, at least once, before I said goodbye to this life. I wrote a great deal of poetry in my teens and early twenties. I had notebooks and folders filled with it. I was really feeling my poetic vibe. It felt good. Fulfilling. Meaningful. I was a gifted writer. I don’t say…