Why Black Joy? Why not? Who doesn’t want to share the joys of life…The things that make you smile or laugh…Or the feel-good moments!! I am super excited about these next few weeks! Over the course of the next 30 days, I will be sharing my moments of Black Joy! These moments may be personal to me, a creative expression, or some sort of acknowledgment or spotlight. Regardless of how big or small, I hope it brings some sort joy, provide some encouragement, or simply put a smile on your face!
Today’s Black Joy moment is an affirmation that I wanted to share…
As I ALWAYS say, “Sharing is Caring!” Why keep that sunshine to yourself, when you can spread it around!
Closing out the month with a literary bang!! They say “April Showers bring May Flowers,” well I would like to think that these books are a version of those April Showers. As we prepare to jump into the Spring season why not add a few books to your personal shelves!!
Check out April’s List Below:
Homebodies ~Tembe Denton-Hurst
Summer on Sag Harbor ~Sunny Hostin
The Wreck: A Daughter’s Memoir of Becoming a Mother ~Cassandra Jackson
Blood Scion ~Deborah Falaye
Black Birds in the Sky ~Brandy Colbert
Love Radio ~Ebony LaDelle
The Haunting of Alejandra ~V. Castro
When We Were Sisters ~Fatimah Asghar
And remember you can always go back and check out the previous month’s list and past recommendations in the “Resource” section of the website!!
“Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!!” ~Madam C.J. Walker
We are rocking and rolling through another list of recommended reads!! This month is dedicated to telling “Her” story as we celebrate Women’s History Month! Much like every month I try to mix it up to include graphic novels, coming-of-age stories, diasporic and world literature, stories of the American dream, romance, and historical fiction. Nothing like adding a few more literary reads to your library!!
Check out March’s List Below:
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts ~Rebecca Hall
Maame ~Jessica George
Queenie: Godmother of Harlem ~Elizabeth Colomba
The Middle Daughter ~Chika Unigwe
Behold the Dreamers ~Imbolo Mbue
The Sun is Also a Star ~Nicola Yoon
Such a Fun Age ~Kiley Reid
Twice As Hard : The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians, from the Civil War to the 21st Century ~Jasmine Brown
And remember you can always go back and check out the previous month’s list and past recommendations in the “Resource” section of the website!!
“Where there is a woman there is magic.” — Ntozake Shange
New Month and a New Set of Hot Topics!! Check them out below :
Living History…Medal of Honor awarded to one of the first Black U.S. Special Forces officers…Nearly 60 years overdue, on March 3rd President Biden awarded retired Army Colonel Paris Davis the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military’s most prestigious decoration, for Davis’ acts of valor as a commander during the Vietnam War. Now 83 years old, retired Army Colonel Davis was one of the first Black officers to lead a U.S. Special Forces team in combat.
———
Course correcting the history of gynecology…In partnership with the “Under-Told Stories” project at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, Alabama artist Michelle Browder is looking to change the historical narrative around the history of gynecology.
———
For all my Skateboarders!!… This month the U.S. Postal Service is set to launch its latest collection of artistic stamps celebrating the “Art of the Skateboard.” The image below features the work of four skaters-turned-artists on photographs of skateboards, curated by art director Antonio Alcalá. Crystal Worl (Alaska)-Tlingit/Athabascan heritage with a blue-indigo salmon graphic; William James Taylor Junior (Virginia) concocted a red-and-orange abstract design; Di’Orr Greenwood (Arizona) celebrated her Navajo roots with a bright palette depicting eagle feathers, as well as the sun’s rising and setting tones; and lastly, Federico “MasPaz” Frum (Columbia-born/Washington, D.C.) created a stylistic jaguar. The collection will be available for purchase beginning March 24, 2023.
———
Keeping with the theme of Women’s History Month, Marvel just dropped a surprise new TV series on Disney+ MPower about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s roster of female heroes. The four-part docuseries is now streaming in its entirety on the service. Executive produced by Zoë Saldaña, “the show blends footage from MCU movies and shows with new animation and interviews with Marvel stars to explore some of the franchise’s top stars and their long and complex history.”
The four episodes of MPower are “The Women of Black Panther” (which focuses on Danai Gurira’s Okoye, Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, Florence Kasumba’s Ayo, and Letitia Wright’s Shuri), “Captain Marvel” (which also features Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau from the upcoming The Marvels movie), “Scarlet Witch” (which also includes Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness and even Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis) and “Gamora” of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise (whose story also obviously dovetails with her sister, Nebula, played by Karen Gillan). See the trailer below:
All four episodes of MPower are streaming now on Disney+.
———
Painter Spotlight!! Providing a voice for Black maternal mortality and morbidity through art…Chicago-based artist/painter Ashley January shows her vision and past experiences of the above in her solo exhibit, “Human I Mother I Black”! See some of her work below:
(Photo credit Ashley January, left-COVID Shelter in Place With Baby, 2020; top right-Quinn and Ashley Study #2, 2020; top bottom-Crystal and Dylan Study, 2020)
So to jump start Women’s History Month, I wanted to share an event that I will be participating in on March 17th!! Pass My Crown: The Woman’s Voice in Hip Hop-Past, Present & Future!!
This event will be an open discussion/dialogue about women in Hip Hop currently as well as historically. A few of the topics that will be explored include: the subject matter of lyrics, dress, feminism/womanism, culture appropriation (the Black woman aesthetic), the overt and covert misogyny, activism, what’s next for women in Hip Hop, and how a multitude of women’s voices need to be heard.
It’s gonna be a HOT one!! Check out the details below:
March 17th, 2023 (Doors Open at 6:15 pm)
Virginia Commonwealth University- Academic Commons 1107
1000 Floyd Avenue, Richmond, VA 23284
If you are in the Richmond area you do not want to miss this event!!
Just like that I got another list of literary goodies waiting for you to add to you bookshelves. As always I have a nice mix for you, everything ranging from fantasy fiction to LGBTQ stories to illustrated history, and much more! And as you peruse the list make sure you also support your local bookstores!
Check out February’s List below:
Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People ~Kekla Magoon
Stone and Steel ~Eboni Dunbar
Rootless ~Krystle Zara Appiah
The Trayvon Generation ~Elizabeth Alexander
Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and Unseen ~George McCalman
Decent People ~De’Shawn Charles Winslow
A Ruin of Shadows ~L.D. Lewis
Trouble the Saints ~Alaya Dawn Johnson
And remember you can always go back and check out the previous month’s list and past recommendations in the “Resource” section of the website!!
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ~Harriet Tubman
We are about half-way through February and trailers keep coming in!! This past Sunday during Super Bowl definitely dropped a few treats for us. Check out some of them below:
Final Season-Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Streaming on Hulu February 15th)
Luther: The Fallen Sun (Streaming on Netflix March 10th)
AIR (In theaters April 5th)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (In theaters May 5th)
Black Future Feminist 